Happy Holidays from Laura and I to our Masonic families, wherever dispersed. We wish everyone a season filled with peace, love, and harmony. Enjoy this time of year with your family, recharging those batteries for the upcoming year. To all those elected and appointed in our subordinate Lodges, we extend congratulations and look forward to working with you in the ensuing year.
To the many in the “Masonic Family” that are practicing the true teachings of Masonry, we thank you for what you do. You are a beacon of light and inspiration to us during our travels. The outpouring of your friendship and hospitality are never forgotten.
A true builder has the ability to proficiently construct. My topic, “The Most Important Part of a House” is a topic of much needed discussion in our times. It may seem like a simple part of the overall construction process, but your foundation is the most important part of your entire project. The biggest reason for this is any mistakes made in the foundation will only get worse as you go up. It’s referred to as “compounding defects,” and it means that mistakes grow. An example: You notice that your slab foundation is 3/4” out of square when you start framing. It’s also 1/2” out of level across the total building. You figure, “well, I can handle that. I’ll just adjust it in the framing.”
As you complete the framing, you get up to the roof (if only one story) and notice that the building is now 1” out of square and 3/4” out of level. Well, you figure you can capture it in the roof framing. By the time your metal roofing arrives, the square panels don’t fit on your “out of square” roof and you have “to make it work.” In the end, everyone can see that the roof is out of square, and the simple mistakes in your foundation
have ruined the look of the house. Not only has it ruined the look, any future repairs being made will then require custom individual cuts, which require a huge amount of extra work for the Craftsman. This in turn will be very costly to the owner. Remember, it was a “simple” mistake, and it just got worse and worse as he went up in the construction process. You have circumvented the building standard, and everything must be adjusted to compensate.
Here’s another reason that your foundation deserves the highest focus and attention to detail: your entire house sits on top of it!
A True Builder requires a house be plumb, square, and level with a firm and adequate foundation. Anything less will prove that structure to be inferior. Likewise, on the speculative side, it is considered treasonous to the Craft. If a candidate is allowed to move up before he is truly ready, it is a Masonic Offense. By promoting an unworthy or uneducated candidate, you not only cheat and wrong the candidate, but your Lodge of its future, every other Ancient Craft Lodge, and every Appendant Masonic Organization. These organizations rely on our individual Lodges to vouch for good men with good work, true work, and square work to build those organizations.
An Ancient Craft Lodge assumes a huge responsibility not only for the future of Freemasonry, but the future for all other affiliated organizations. This means our candidates MUST be investigated properly. This means our three grades of workmen should be proficient in the work before being allowed to move up to the next degree. If candidates are proficient in the work, they are ready to fill the chairs in the Lodge when the time comes. They will not be overwhelmed with learning so much information and performing their duties. They will have a “firm foundation.” When they have finished the Ancient Craft chairs, they will be ready for future leadership in other appendant bodies because they have learned proper protocol in our Ancient Craft Lodges.
Again, here’s another reason that your foundation deserves the highest focus and attention to detail: your entire house sits on top of it!
For our appendant bodies to be successful, we MUST support our local Ancient Craft Lodges. We MUST support our Grand Lodge and Grand Master. Not just in words, but in actions and deeds. As long as Masonic Affiliation is a prerequisite for that membership, our appendant organizations RELY SOLELY on the Ancient Craft for membership. Until things are different, our Ancient Craft Lodges are the ONLY training ground for the future leadership in our appendant organizations. If the Ancient Craft Lodge is the “Foundation of Masonry,” the walls and roof cannot outgrow the foundation without it being detrimental to the entire structure.
My Grandfather use to say; “It’s not always what you say, but it is always what you do that makes the difference.” As Ancient Craft Lodge members, officers, and leaders of the Craft, let us not forget the importance of “The Foundation.” Serve, Protect, and Support your Blue Lodge! Our future depends on it!
May the Grand Architect of the Universe be with you and keep you safe until we meet again.
Respectfully,
Walter C. Disher II
Grand Master
To the many in the “Masonic Family” that are practicing the true teachings of Masonry, we thank you for what you do. You are a beacon of light and inspiration to us during our travels. The outpouring of your friendship and hospitality are never forgotten.
A true builder has the ability to proficiently construct. My topic, “The Most Important Part of a House” is a topic of much needed discussion in our times. It may seem like a simple part of the overall construction process, but your foundation is the most important part of your entire project. The biggest reason for this is any mistakes made in the foundation will only get worse as you go up. It’s referred to as “compounding defects,” and it means that mistakes grow. An example: You notice that your slab foundation is 3/4” out of square when you start framing. It’s also 1/2” out of level across the total building. You figure, “well, I can handle that. I’ll just adjust it in the framing.”
As you complete the framing, you get up to the roof (if only one story) and notice that the building is now 1” out of square and 3/4” out of level. Well, you figure you can capture it in the roof framing. By the time your metal roofing arrives, the square panels don’t fit on your “out of square” roof and you have “to make it work.” In the end, everyone can see that the roof is out of square, and the simple mistakes in your foundation
have ruined the look of the house. Not only has it ruined the look, any future repairs being made will then require custom individual cuts, which require a huge amount of extra work for the Craftsman. This in turn will be very costly to the owner. Remember, it was a “simple” mistake, and it just got worse and worse as he went up in the construction process. You have circumvented the building standard, and everything must be adjusted to compensate.
Here’s another reason that your foundation deserves the highest focus and attention to detail: your entire house sits on top of it!
A True Builder requires a house be plumb, square, and level with a firm and adequate foundation. Anything less will prove that structure to be inferior. Likewise, on the speculative side, it is considered treasonous to the Craft. If a candidate is allowed to move up before he is truly ready, it is a Masonic Offense. By promoting an unworthy or uneducated candidate, you not only cheat and wrong the candidate, but your Lodge of its future, every other Ancient Craft Lodge, and every Appendant Masonic Organization. These organizations rely on our individual Lodges to vouch for good men with good work, true work, and square work to build those organizations.
An Ancient Craft Lodge assumes a huge responsibility not only for the future of Freemasonry, but the future for all other affiliated organizations. This means our candidates MUST be investigated properly. This means our three grades of workmen should be proficient in the work before being allowed to move up to the next degree. If candidates are proficient in the work, they are ready to fill the chairs in the Lodge when the time comes. They will not be overwhelmed with learning so much information and performing their duties. They will have a “firm foundation.” When they have finished the Ancient Craft chairs, they will be ready for future leadership in other appendant bodies because they have learned proper protocol in our Ancient Craft Lodges.
Again, here’s another reason that your foundation deserves the highest focus and attention to detail: your entire house sits on top of it!
For our appendant bodies to be successful, we MUST support our local Ancient Craft Lodges. We MUST support our Grand Lodge and Grand Master. Not just in words, but in actions and deeds. As long as Masonic Affiliation is a prerequisite for that membership, our appendant organizations RELY SOLELY on the Ancient Craft for membership. Until things are different, our Ancient Craft Lodges are the ONLY training ground for the future leadership in our appendant organizations. If the Ancient Craft Lodge is the “Foundation of Masonry,” the walls and roof cannot outgrow the foundation without it being detrimental to the entire structure.
My Grandfather use to say; “It’s not always what you say, but it is always what you do that makes the difference.” As Ancient Craft Lodge members, officers, and leaders of the Craft, let us not forget the importance of “The Foundation.” Serve, Protect, and Support your Blue Lodge! Our future depends on it!
May the Grand Architect of the Universe be with you and keep you safe until we meet again.
Respectfully,
Walter C. Disher II
Grand Master
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