I hope our Jewish Brethren enjoyed a happy Hannukah and that everyone had a
great week. Hopefully, by now, you've finished digging out from under the snow. For
my part, it gave me an excuse to stay home for a whole day (Sunday). Of course, that also means this issue is late again. Mea
culpa, me culpa, mea maxima culpa. Someone really needs to get your intrepid editor back on track! In the meantime, congratulations
to Hudson River and Wallkill Lodges on getting Santa to join you for Breakfast last Saturday. The old guy sure geta around, I could
have sworn I saw him on line at Dunkin Donuts and then again later corraling pushcarts at WalMart that same day. Now I
know how he gets to so many houses on Christmas Eve!
OK, I'm not going to plug the ORDMA Holiday Party at the end of
this month again because it appears twice elsewhere in this issue... what? I just did? OK, well
then, I won't mention the ORDMA Holiday Party again... hrm... have I mentioned that we REALLY
need your support in purchasing ads for the ORDMA Dinner Dance journal? That info appears elsewhere
in this issue too!
On a more serious note, the end of the year brings about a lot of administrative business
for our Lodges; there are annual returns to fill out, NPDs to process (unfortunately!), and dues to be paid. Please,
Brothers, be as cooperative as you can with your Secretaries and try to make their lives a little easier. OK, that's it for now, see you next week!
GRAND MASTER'S HOLIDAY MESSAGE
My Brethren, Family and friends,
As we begin this holiday season, it is appropriate that we pause to reflect on the year that will soon be ending and look forward with great anticipation to a New Year.
During this holiday season we celebrate the gift of light. Some of us celebrate a gift of faith, which kept light alive far longer than ever could have been expected. Some of us celebrate a gift of love that brought light into a world grown cold and dark. Whatever our faiths, we should take time this season to bring the gift of light to those around us.
Our gifts of light might come in the form of giving blood to those who need it. We might spread light by giving money or presents to a worthy charity, so that others who have little might remember that they are cared for. We might give light by sharing our celebrations with those who are alone, or with those who have a family member serving far away. We might give light by simply smiling more often, saying “thank you” a few more times, or saying “I love you” to our families and those we love.
My Brothers, it is most important to remember that we celebrate the season of light in what is the darkest month of the year. This fact reminds us that it is most important to share the gifts of faith, love and light at all times, but especially at those times when the world feels the darkest. It is at these times that our gifts of light shine the brightest.
On behalf of Joyce, Brian and I, we thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers these past few weeks. On behalf of us and your elected and appointed Grand Line, we wish you a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with good health, happiness and especially peace on earth.
May God continue to bless you and your family and our great Fraternity. May He watch over our men and women in military service and bring them safely home, and may God continue to Bless America!
Sincerely & fraternally,
Neal I. Bidnick
Grand Master
DISTRICT NEWS
ORDMA Holiday Party
Yes, we know it's in here three times, but it's just that much fun! 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. Don't miss the return of ORDMA the Great and his
traveling magic show! All of this and a ton of food for $5 per person (children
under twelve are free!). Don't miss this great opportunity to share some fellowship and holiday spirit
with brothers from all around the District. We hope you will join us! I've used up my whole quota of
exclamation points!
Masters and Wardens Meeting
The Masters and Wardens will meet at Jerusalem Temple Lodge on Monday
January 14th 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!
UPCOMING CHILD ID PROGRAMS
2006 and 2007 Child ID Session Reports
We've had some issues with our program counts filed with the State. Please re-forward the counts for any sessions held in 2006 and 2007 to
Wor. Robert Morlang, Jr. so that we can verify our figures. Thank you.
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.
ORDMA NEWS
Next ORDMA
Meeting
The next meeting of the Orange-Rockland District Masonic Association
(ORDMA) will be held on Monday January 28th at a soon to be named
Lodge. There will be no regular meeting in December, see you at the party! (Um, that's four... no, this is three) 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 (THIS is four!) 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! RSVPs to Wor, Bruce Klein will be greatly appreciated but DO drop by if you change your mind at the last minute. MAKE us run out for more ziti, we dare ya, we NEVER run out of meatballs around here...
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 January 23rd, 2008
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 February 9th, 2008
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 January 2nd, 2008
Warwick Lodge No. 544
Tuesday January 8th, 2008
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.
Compliant Holiday Greetings
Compliant Holiday Greetings
Dear Brother/Customer/Client/Friend/Associate,
Due to the increasingly litigious nature of the world we live in, we regret that we are constrained into offering you the following Holiday message:
From us (hereinafter called the ‘Wishors’) to you (hereinafter called the ‘Wishee’) please accept without obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, politically correct, low stress, nonaddictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practised within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
Also, a financially successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted forthcoming calendar year, but with due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures or sects whose contributions to society have helped make America great, (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only ‘America’ in the hemisphere), and having regard to the species, race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform or dietary preference of the Wishee.
By accepting this greeting you are bound by these terms, inter alia that:
1. This greeting is subject to further clarification or withdrawal.
2. This greeting is freely transferable provided that no alteration shall be made to the original greeting and that the proprietary rights of the Wishor are acknowledged.
3. This greeting implies no promise by the Wishors to actually implement any of the wishes.
4. This greeting may not be enforceable in certain jurisdictions and/or the restrictions herein may not be binding upon certain Wishees in certain jurisdictions and is revocable at the sole discretion of the Wishors.
5. This greeting is warranted to perform as reasonably may be expected within the usual application of good tidings, for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first.
6. The Wishors warrant this greeting only for the limited replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the Wishors.
Any references in this greeting to ‘Santa Claus’, or any other festive figures, whether actual or fictitious, dead or alive, shall not imply any endorsement by or from them in respect of this greeting, and all proprietary rights in any referenced third party names and images are hereby acknowledged.
By Order of the Wishors.
Copyright 2006-2007 Orange-Rockland
District, GLNY F&AM. All rights reserved.
Next ORDMA
Meeting