2001 Grand Lodge of Minnesota Annual Communication Proceedings

16 GRAND LODGE OF MINNESOTA
Publlc Openlng ol the
M. W. Grand Lodge, A. F. & A, M. ot Mlnnesota
One Hundred Forty.Elghth Annual Communlcetlon
Frlday, Merch 30,20Ol
Mastor Masons and vlsltors assembled In th€ H€rltagg Hall ol th6 Kahler Grand Hotel In
Rochester al 9100 A.M. for S|g Publlc Op€nlng ot th6 '1,18h Annual Communlcallon ol he Grand
Lodg€ ol Andent Fre€ and Accepl€d Masons ot Mlnn€sota.
Th€ Grand Mast€r and olher Grand Lodge Olflcers w6r6 plped Into th6lr pla@s and sbtlons by
Blothor Gary Wsbb. Th€ nags ol th€ Unlt€d States of Amsdca, Canada and Mlnn€sola Masonry
vrer€ p€ssnt€d by h6 Natlonal Sojoum€rs' Hor!€s of '76 Color Guard. Th6 lrlhite to the flag of
lhe Unlt€d Ststss was pcs€nted by M. W. Rodngy M. Larson, a m€mber of tho Hgroes of '76
Color Guard. Followlng hls lribute, all pr€ssnt wsrs lnvil€d lo Joln hlm In thg plodgs of all€glanc€
and in slnglng lh€ Strar Spangl€d Bannsr.
Grand Master Sod€|b€e ask€d H. W. Clayton Munz, S€nlor Orand Warden of the Grand Lodg6
ol Maniloba, to give the Canadian Flag Trlbuts:
I now pres€nt our flag, the symbol of sovsrelgnty and ot unlty. B€tween bars ol €d on
a fi€ld of white, a Canadian mapls lsaf blazens lorth In all lt6 autumnal gbry. lts 616\€n
polnls r€prssent the len provlnceg and olher lerltori66 whlch compdsa ouf great
Dominion.
To Frsmasons, th6 r€d symbollzss t|o dauntssa courag€ of our lorelathars, nhlctl
we €mulate; lhe whlb, u|at blarn€lsss Flrity ol lll€ and conduct to whlch wa aspilB;
and the points, the dewn k ghlly vlnuss, ol whlch patdotsrn lc the grsatest, and lo
whlch w€ a€ d€dlcat€d.
Our flag ls a slrmbol ol falth; the lalth ol orr anc€stors s,ho pursuod a d€am ol a
domlnlon stretchlng llom 6oa to soa; the lalf| of @de lrom many lands who tound in
Canada a bstter llle lor trslr fafl{lles. Th€ maple leal symbollzos our laith in meeing
. many cultur66 to forg€ a new, Btongor and unlquely Canadhn flltural alloy.
It ls th€ symbol ol hop€, lhe hop€ ot many who soek In a new llfe, a young and Mbrant
country. Though Canadats demonstratlon of lt6 sksngth In adverslty, the maplo lsaf
offsrs hope that tho wo d sofi€ day may llv6 In p€a6€ and hamony.
It ls th€ symbol of charlty. The mapl6 leal proclalmG to tha vi,orld Canada's willingn€ss
to shsro lts bounty lhrough acts ol Blolherhood aDund h6 glob€, But abor€ all, it is
not€d as a symbol ol p€aca. Long bolor€ li adomod our fag, th6 maple lsaf idsntified
ourafl|ed forc€s on mlsslons of fr€adom and p€ace hroughoul the world, proclaimlng
Canada's dedlcallon to p6ac€ and harmony wlth her nelghbors.
Thls emblem forc€tully Emlnds us hat on those moral qualllles our Conf€deration was
founded and that on t|6lr praservatlon lls luture greatness d6p6nds, Finally, it Inspkes
In us a r6ver6nc€ for HlM, to whom wo t6 6ntly pay "God gave th6 Queeh and
Heaven Blass lh6 Maple L€af For6v€rl" Long may lt wave In peac6.
Gland Mast€r Sodaterg frlen ask€d 6vorlon6 to Joln hlm In slnging "O Canada.'
Rochester Mayor Chuck Canf,eld wolcom€d all pr6s6nt to h€ clty ol Rochest€r and €ncouraged
hem to enloy trlems€lv€s lor lh6 w6ek6nd and to come agaln soon. Deputy Grand Master Roger
J. Taylor gave a r€spons€ to the wdcome on b€hall of th€ Orand Lodg€ ol Minnosota.
Intornatonal Brot iarhood Frlendrhlp Oav€l Proacntellon
Atter he delsgaton from th€ Grand Lodg€ of Manltoba was plp€d in by piper Gary Webb, they
rnade the lraditonal pr€s€ntalion ot he Intemalional Brothefiood Fflendshlp Gavel. M.W. Richard
Porler, Grand Mastor ol the Grand Lodgg of Manitoba, mad€ the presentation and briofly
Gommer ed on the hisbry of the gav€l:
'On June '18, 1979 M.W BrDth€r Newton McL€ary ol Maniloba exchang€d this gawl wih M.W
Brothar Donald M. S€verson of Minn€soh. The gav6l, b€ing ol Canadian rnaph, construcl€d by
American craltsmsn and tho caso ol Amotican black walnut, construcled by a Canadian
cta bman. Pleasa r6tum lt In th6 same manner as b€to|€.'