NOTE: It seems the goodmorninggloucester@yahoo.com email address is bouncing back email’s. If you have a community announcement you can leave it in a comment on the daily Community Stuff Posts til I get it figured out. Thanks for your patience.
HELP WANTED!
The Magnolia Historical Society Inc. is seeking volunteers for the positions of;
Volunteers Coordinator – volunteer person needed to call other volunteers to volunteer.
Fundraising Coordinator – volunteer to be in charge of overseeing the fundraising committees.
Fundraising volunteers needed too.
Corresponding Secretary– Person to hand write thank you cards as needed.
Media Correspondent– volunteer to place MHS information in newspapers, radio and local internet based sites.
Please
email lisa@magnoliahistoricalsociety.com
or call Magnolia Historical Museum at 978-525-3311
Joohn Bassett has some nice things to say-
I very much enjoy Good Morning Gloucester, even though I have a studio in Rockport and don’t know many of the people mentioned. Thanks for this and keep it up!
John Bassett
Good Morning Gloucester 
I just got out of Beverly Hospital Monday and I am on the road to recovery from Invassive surgery. This coming weekend is Open House for all Masonic Lodges in Massachusetts and most likely beyond. I offer the readers my reflections of being a 31 year Freemason.
My thoughts for today mirror along the Masonic Open House coming up this weekend at all Lodges of my knowledge in the state of Massachusetts and by now beyond. I will not try to duplicate this announcement but put it to the reader in my simple way as to how I feel about Freemasonry.
First of all I broke the mold in Cape Ann Lodges and possible beyond. I am born in Gloucester, and I live Gloucester, not in the heritage way. I cannot swim, I will not go in a boat, and I am street educated.
So. Now your thinking what made me want to join the craft? It is simple, as a young boy on returning from my journey of ten years as a state ward I wanted to escape this new return, of which I had no understanding. My cousin Harry Vannah, father of Vincent Vannah of Russo’s Candy, presented me with an Esquire Shoe Shine Box. It was then I met my future brothers. I shined shoes in City Hall, first was always Her Honor Mayor Beatrice Corliss, no she was not a Mason, but her family members were. Former Mayor Friend was also. I would rush to City Hall before meetings of great importance to make sure their shoes would look good. Pierce N Hodgkin’s would have me shine his shoes while he practiced his Tuba. As I got older I shined shoes at Nat’s Shoe Shine & Repair. The Shoes of many Policemen and Political dignitary’s.
Sorry I’ve got to fast forward this is 2013. The world is spinning fast.
In 1981 I was dropping our daughter of to this stranger place on Eastern Ave. She always was wearing white gowns at special occasions and there were these strange me wearing what I thought were penguin outfits. It was then I met Dean Currier, who was Gloucester’s Post Master. I asked him about the crazy getups and that started my Masonic journey.
It’s was within six months I became a Master Mason. There was no question or doubt about my sincerity, but the let a 7th grade drop out like me in. I soon got more involved, oops got to fast forward on my C.D Recorder. It has now been 31 years since becoming a Master Mason. It has since been that I have been Master of four lodges, two twice Charles C. Dame and Ashler Lodge once.
So here’s the good part. I even got the Massachusetts second highest medal The Joseph Warren. I and my wife were also Past Worthy Matron & Patron of Martha Washington Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star.
So let me total this up for you. Rumor and Speculation. Freemasonry is out to overtake the world. Question how does an uneducated Mason like m and many others going to do that. Rumor and Speculation. Freemasonry preaches their own religious thoughts. A lodge is mostly a 60 y 40 ft room. On the alter, the same as Elk’s. Moose or most Fraternal Organizations is the symbol of our lodge. YES, its open, but we open with prayer and close with prayer. The prayer is not from the Bible, It’s from the Chaplain who usually
Makes it up.
My personal closing statement. Yes, I may be a Past Master, but I have no other Master in my life than that of God.
So if you’re interested in exploring then I invite you o read your local paper for the time and place.
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