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T T
T he Office Of T hehe Officehe Office Of T heOf T he
Gr and M aster of M ontana

Brothers,

I take this opportunity to express a heartfelt with God as our overseer, it is hoped that any
“Thank You” and express appreciation to change is positive, bene cial, and for the good
everyone who took time from their busy of Masonry.
schedule to attend the Annual Communication
and installation of the 2019-2020 Leadership The UGLY is loss of membership. It is one
Team. We look forward to serving you and of the most signi cant issues we are facing,
exceeding any expectations members may have not only in Montana but Masonry in general.
of us. As Grand Master, it is my goal to visit Having visited other jurisdictions within the
each lodge in Montana this year to see how Rocky Mountain Masonic Conference, the
your Grand Lodge O cers or I can assist you problem is not unique to Montana. The largest
in successfully attaining your Masonic goals. Lewie Fletcher, Grand Master portion of losses is death and candidates who
The Grand Lodge O cer Team’s goal for this do not complete the degrees. If those who apply
year is “Lead by Example.” Please contact me should you completed the degrees, it would help o set the Brothers
nd any Grand Lodge O cer falling short of serving you. taken by the Grand Architect. NPD’s is another sore of
membership loss. As numbers continue to decrease and
The word Civility has been used more and more over the cost of doing business grows, that cost, unfortunately,
the past few years, and there tends to be less of its is borne by the membership, you and me. It is quite
application within the Brotherhood. We should all keep possible if we continue to steer our present course, we
in mind that which we professed upon receipt of our might end up as some other fraternal orders have and
Apron,” Let the pure and spotless surface be to you an join the ranks of the extinct. The most bene cial solution
ever-present reminder of a purity of life and rectitude of to this issue would be membership gains; we need more
conduct, a never-ending argument for nobler deeds, for quality members. We as Montana Masons can nd
higher thoughts, for purer actions.” the answer to creating new interest and excitement in
Freemasonry that will increase membership. We should
In reviewing comments and articles from past Grand not ignore the areas where we have losses; however, our
Masters and Grand Secretaries, I am reminded of the attention needs to be upon making new Masons.
Good the Bad and the Ugly. It brings to light some of
the issues we face, and it is hoped we can apply changes As Grand Master, I feel it necessary to ensure that you
to allow for positive growth this year. You are well the Craft are all fully aware of some of the issues facing
aware we have some GOOD things going for us in our us, and when I visit your Lodge, if you have positive
Lodges and communities, some Lodges are seeing and input as to possible solutions and actions to be taken to
reaping the rewards from charitable acts of the Lodges increase interest and membership and improve Montana
in association with the Montana Masonic Foundation. Masonry, please share those ideas. Let all of our actions
Having witnessed some excellent ritual work being be for the good of Masonry.
orchestrated by lodge degree or a composite team, it has
been quite inspirational and rewarding, including seeing
membership growth is some Lodges.

The BAD, has been when we encounter where the
rules we operate under, The Code and Constitution,
are violated and ignored. Resulting in suspensions,
expulsions, and hurt feelings when asking why the choice
was made to not abide by the Code or Constitution. As we
evolve as a fraternity, our rules may well evolve also, and
Montana Freemason Page 4 July 2019 Volume 95 No. 5