It was another busy week for the Orange-Rockland
District but we're getting used to that. I would like to begin by congratulating
R:.W:. Joel Rosenwasser of Athelstane Lodge, newly appointed Grand Representative
of the Grand Lodge of Cyprus, on his Apron Representation last Wednesday.
I would also like to thank the Brothers of Athelstane Lodge for the
courtesies and comradeship they showed my traveling companions and I
on my Official Visit last Tuesday. Finally, congratulations to Hoffman
and Stony Point-Wawayanda Lodges on their Degrees last week, keep up
the good work@
This week looks like it will be pretty busy
also. Please note that the date of the ORDMA meeting has been
changed to the 29th (see below). ORDMA has been very busy making
plans for their Holiday Party on December 29th and the annual Dinner
Dance on March 15th; new information on costs and journal ads appars
below. Cornerstone Lodge has its first of several Entered Apprentice
Degrees coming up (yup, no typos on the calendar!) on Wednesday evening
and next weekend will be busy also. On Saturday evening, Wallkill Lodge
will hold its 140th Anniversary Dinner Dance as a benefit for Hospice
of Orange and Sullivan Counties; a limited number of tickets are still
available but please follow the instructions below. On Sunday, Orange-Rockland
Central DeMolay will install its officers at 1:00 p.m. at Wallkill Lodge.
Our Grand Master, M:.W:. Neal Bidnick, will be in attendance and we
would like to see the District well represented. Well, that's all for
now, we'll see you next week!
DISTRICT NEWS
Local Lodges Donate Books for Servicemen
W:. Brother Joseph Ryder, Master of Port Jervis Lodge # 328 F&AM and
Vice Commander of Beth El Post # 29 Masonic War Veterans, along with
Brother Frank McGregor, chairman of the Veterans Committee of Port
Jervis Lodge, have collected over 1000 paperback books. This was accomplished
with the assistance of the Milford, PA public library and Brothers
from other Lodges in our district. Delivery of these books to our
troops in Afghanistan and Iraq will be accomplished with the help
of the 105th Air Wing ANG at Stewart Air Force Base, Newburg, NY.
Well done!
New Issue of the Etiquette and Protocol Review Available
Click here to view
Issue V (September/October 2007) of the Etiquette and Protocol Review
and also an Excerpt
of Henry G. Meacham's "Masonic Etiquette". Please read this important
newsletter and share it with the Brothers of your Lodge. Why not print
out a few copies and bring them to your next meeting? We thank you
for your continued interest in Masonic Etiquette and Protocol and
ask you to help see it successfully practiced.
Masonic Student Assistance Training (MSAT) Comes to Our Area
The Masonic Student Assistance Training Program is about to be held
in our area. For the second straight year, a three-day session will
be held at Hawthorne Cedar Knolls School in Hawthorne, twenty minutes
from the Tappan Zee bridge, on December 3rd, 4th, and 5th. The Program
trains teams of teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, nurses,
etc., (ideally a group of five or six per school) to help students
"at risk". The problem may be academics, health related issues, bad
attendance, attitude, drug or alcohol related, etc. What is novel
-- and highly successful -- is the team approach. It is appropriate
for elementary, middle and high school, public, private or parochial.
We have accumulated many testimonials about the program's success.
Typically, six or seven students are referred each year per each participating
faculty member; that would mean thirty-six or more students who would
get through their schooling and graduate.
The program is free to the school district, except to pay for any
necessary substitute teachers. Our Grand Lodge pays for professional,
outside counselors to run the course (Newman Stecher Associates),
and we provide lunch each of the three days. Obviously, a local venue
eliminates a three-day trip to Utica, where this is usually held,
plus motel, etc. If a school district is interested but uncertain,
we can arrange to have the responsible administrator attend for the
first day, to assist in deciding to attend a later session. We encourage
you, our Brothers, to make your local school districts aware of this
important opportunity ASAP.
Wallkill Lodge 140th Anniversary Dinner Dance
Wallkill Lodge will celebrate its 140th anniversary with a gala dinner
dance which will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. All proceeds will benefit
Hospice of Orange and Sullivan County. The dance will feature an incredible Italian buffet dinner, dancing,
silent auctions and door prizes. Tickets are $35 per person and must be purchased in advance. For more
information, please contact Wor. Kevin J. Walker.
Orange-Rockland Central Chapter, Order of DeMolay Installation
Orange-Rockland Central Chapter will hold its next Installation of
Officers on Sunday October 29th at 2:00 p.m. at Wallkill Lodge in
Walden, NY. A luncheon will precede the ceremonies at 1:00 p.m. and
we expect our Grand Master to be in attendance. Delegations from
our Lodges would this be appreciated. DeMolay is a Masonic youth program
for boys ages 12-21, which teaches leadership within a fun, moral
framework in line with our own principles and tenets. The local Chapter,
which meets at Wallkill Lodge in Walden, is in desperate need of advisors,
Brothers willing to give up a few hours a month to mentor and work
with these inspiring young men. There’s no commitment required
to obtain information, give us a call and see what it’s all
about. For more information, please contact R:.W:.
Hank Stoveland.
Masters and Wardens Meeting
The Masters and Wardens will meet at Jerusalem Temple Lodge on Monday
November 12th at 7:30 p.m. It is important that all of our Masters and
Wardens attend. Please remember that these meetings and this newsletter
are the primary coordination and communication venues in this District
and each Lodge is responsible for the information disseminated therein. If your Lodge is not represented, the officers are still responsible
for obtaining the information from other Lodges in attendance. Thus
attendance is expected of Masters and Wardens but everyone is welcome
to attend and we hope to see other elected and appointed officers
there!
Naurashank Lodge Annual Dinner Dance
Naurashank Lodge will will hold its annual dinner dance on Friday,
November 16, 2007 at The Manor House Restaurant on Blauvelt. This
popular event, a District favorite for 21 years, features an open
bar, choice of three appetizers, appetizers, and the fun and comradery
look forward to every year. The price this year is $39 per person
and tickets must be purchased by November 9th. No tickets will be
sold at the door. For more information, or to make your reservations,
please contact R:.W:. Dave Cranstoun at 845-623-3671.
UPCOMING CHILD ID PROGRAMS
Child ID System
The District Child ID System is available to Lodges who have two Brothers
trained in its use. These Brothers may sign out the system by contacting
Wor. Robert Morlang, Jr.. Please
allow a month in advance to reserve the system and allow the District
Committee to order the necessary supplies for your program. Please
remember that all unused materials must be returned with the system,
there is to be no stockpiling of supplies for future programs.
Upcoming Programs
Athelstane Lodge will be holding Child ID programs on October
31st and Saturday, November 18th in New City. For more information,
please contact the Master.
ORDMA NEWS
Next ORDMA
Meeting
The next meeting of the Orange-Rockland District Masonic Association
(ORDMA) will be held on Monday October 29th(please
note the date change) at a location to be announced shortly.
A light supper will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by the meeting
and program at 7:30 p.m. All Brothers of the District are invited
and encouraged to attend!
ORDMA Holiday Party
You and your families are cordially invited to join ORDMA for its
annual Holiday Party which will be held at Hoffman Lodge on Saturday
December 30th. There will be plenty of family oriented entertainment,
children's activities, and good cheer. We hope you will join us!
ORDMA Dinner Dance
The annual ORDMA Dinner Dance will be held on Saturday March 15th,
2008 at Anthony's Pier Nine in New Windsor. Ticket prices are being
subsidized by journal sales again this year and will be $58 per person
or $110 per couple. We encourage you to assist us in selling journal
ads so that we can continue to subsidize the dinner and support our
District's community service and charitable programs. Forms will be
available shortly and you can direct any questions to Wor.
Bruce Klein. Please mark your calendars now!
* Denotes a dinner will precede or
follow the meeting or event. Please check with the contact for
details.
2007-2008 DDGM Visits
Athelstane Lodge No. 839
Tuesday October 16th, 2007
Cornerstone Lodge No. 711
Wednesday December 12th, 2007
Goshen Lodge No. 365
To Be Rescheduled
Hoffman Lodge No. 412
Tuesday November 20th, 2007
Hudson River Lodge No. 309
Wednesday November 14th, 2007
Jerusalem Temple Lodge No. 721
Saturday January 12th, 2009
Naurashank Lodge No. 589
Friday October 12th, 2007
Port Jervis Lodge No. 328
Friday September 14th
Stony Point-Wawayanda Lodge No. 313
Wednesday September 19th, 2007
Wallkill Lodge No. 627
Wednesday December 19th, 2007
Warwick Lodge No. 544
To Be Rescheduled
West Point Lodge No. 877
Thursday October 4th, 2007
SCHOOL OF INSTRUCTION
The Orange-Rockland District School of Instruction is currently
in limbo because of a lack of requests to host it. If your Lodge
would like to hold a SoI program on a ritual topic of your choosing,
please contact the DDGM.
In the meanwhile, Jerusalem Temple Lodge will be hosting a monthly
School at 9:00 a.m. on the third Saturdays and Stony Point-Wawayanda
expects to start a School of their own shortly. Please contact
these Lodges for more details.
SICKNESS AND DISTRESS
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of V:.W:. Arthur Jefferson's mom on October 5th Please keep the Jefferson family in your thoughts and prayers.
GOOD NEWS & GLAD TIDINGS
We are happy to announce the arrival of Martin McKeown born to
Colette and Bro. David McKeown of Athelstane Lodge on Thursday,
October 18th. Baby Martin was 9 lbs and 15 oz. All are well. Congratulations
to Bro David and Colette! Please expect a call from Orange-Rockland
Central DeMolay in twelve years!
Prioritizing Time to Manage Stress
Finding time to get all the things done that you want or need to do
often leads to stress. You may be able to relieve some of this stress
by prioritizing your time according to what is urgent and important. Use the
following steps to prioritize your time.
1. Put your activities into categories
Make a list of all the things you need or want to accomplish (tasks
or activities) in a given day, week, or month. Look at the list and decide if
an activity is important, urgent, or both important and urgent. All your
activities are likely to be somewhat important and somewhat urgent, so rank
them as more or less important or urgent compared with others on your
list.
Important tasks or
activities are those that are meaningful or important to you, such as spending
time with your family, helping friends, getting exercise, and creative
activities. They are also actions you must eventually take to avoid some major
problem or crisis, such as paying your bills to avoid bad credit, foreclosure,
or bill collectors.
Urgent tasks or
activities are those that must be done immediately, even if the task itself is
not very important. For example, turning the heat off under a pot of cooked
rice becomes urgent, although it rarely is a very important task. An important
task, such as paying your electric bill, becomes urgent when your electricity
is about to be cut off. Many people never deal with the important things until
they become urgent as well. This approach always leads to stress.
2. Sort your activities
Activity rating
I
Important and urgent
II
Important but not urgent
III
Not important but urgent
IV
Not important and not urgent
3. Evaluate Your Priorities
Where do you spend most of your time? Is this in line with your
priorities and goals? Many people find that they are putting most of their
activities in category III (not important but urgent). If this is the case, you
may be spending most of your time doing things that mean little to you. This
often results in stress.
Category I can't be ignored but should eventually shrink with
attention to category II. For example, if you pay your bills when you get them,
you won't have to juggle your finances and hurriedly write checks on their due
date. This will also free up time to do things that are more important to
you.
Most experts say that you should spend:
15% to 20% of your time in category
I.
60% to 75% of your time in category II.
Up to 5% of
your time in category III. Time in this category is often used to do tasks that
are requested by or done for others.
The goal of this system is not merely to get more things done
or to be more efficient, but to clarify the way you set your priorities
and how you choose to spend your time.
Next ORDMA
Meeting