Official Visit Granite Lodge #352 – April 16, 2008
By R.W. Bro. Harold J. Johnson, DDGM

Final Thoughts and Concerns

Brethren this evening I am making my last Official Visit speech to you as your DDGM for this Masonic year. I have attempted over this year to convey my thoughts and ideals to you about Masonic life in this district and have used these speeches to try to motivate you to greater heights and commitment on your Masonic journey.

As this year winds itself down there are still many things that I would like to see us work, mark and indent on. We have made inquiries into demolay to ascertain if it is a feasible project for this district and to inquire about start up costs and the potential for interest among the young people of this district. Demolay is a program with similar ideals and principles to ours and is designed for those not yet of an age where they can participate in the Masonic experience.

We are currently assessing the need for the masonichip program to be used in this district to help identify and recover children lost or abducted and to speed up the potential for their return to their rightful guardians in a safe and timely manner. This project is of special concern to our Grand Master and is a valuable tool to promote the public image of masonry in a positive and community minded way so that the impact of some of the images promoted by our detractors can be refuted, lessened or simply laid to rest.

Public Awareness is also a priority concern of our Grand Master and should be pursued by each of our lodges to the best of their abilities and resources.

These projects my brethren are still not in full implementation and will need some follow up work by the future leaders of our District in general and Lodges in particular.

I currently have a team of mentors which have been selected by representatives of each of your Lodges to participate in a traveling lodge of instruction. This team will be gathering on the 30th of this month for a dry run at mentoring Lodge officers in the mechanics of the work. The concern we have had over the years is that very few of the line officers are able to get out to participate in the District Lodges of Instruction and the mechanics have deteriorated. We expect that by going to each of the Lodges at their invitation, we can have their full slate of officers out on a night separate from any regular or emergent meetings and have the opportunity to work with all of them at a time when they can make the most use of the mentoring. This mentoring will give them the opportunity to see how they can assist to dress up the work of the Lodge and make a better impression in they way they conduct the work so that the Lodge experience is much more memorable and enjoyable to all. This is also an opportunity for them to ask questions of us regarding areas they may not understand or that may seem confusing.

These questions will be answered by our panel of experts based on the appropriate books governing the questions. Any questions that can not be answered clearly or may seem ambiguous would then be referred to the custodian of the work for follow up or clarification.

On Saturday April 5th I attended a Lodge vitality workshop hosted by Peterborough district and presented by the brethren of Toronto East District. Some of you may be aware that Toronto East District had conducted an extensive online survey originally intended for their own district which asked the brethren to rate their satisfaction with their Lodges and as a method to determine if we as masons were meeting the needs of not only our newest brethren, but of all masons in their jurisdiction regardless of age, involvement, rank, or station. This survey was so far reaching that masons of other districts soon asked to participate with the end result being approximately 1200 participants province wide.

The results of the survey were reviewed and broken down by demographics of age among others and showed a wide diversity of results some of which were expected and others coming by complete surprise. Most showed a general satisfaction in many areas but they also showed some significant weaknesses. All areas did show that some improvement was needed. This survey deserves a close scrutiny and analysis to assist us in the directions we need to take but there was one very interesting point that was strongly concluded from the initial data. That point is the relevance of our Masonic fraternity in today’s society where roles and attitudes are changing. We are seeing today great changes where the roles of men are becoming unclear as we engage in such topics as inclusive language and the softening of gender defined roles in our workplaces and day to day lives. Men are no longer defined as the bread winner, decision maker, and disciplinarian. Young men today are well educated and highly skilled in manipulation of the information highway and as a result are well informed about our principles and tenets. They are coming to us because of our philosophy to take a good man and make him better. They are if fact looking to us as a role model to enable them to define their own masculinity and it is this principle which will continue to make our fraternity a viable and vital force for the future.

I am pleased to announce that the Lodge vitality workshop will be held in Grand Lodge this year as I understand on the Wednesday morning so that all masons may have an opportunity to hear the message and see the results. Brethren this is an unprecedented action and I would strongly urge all of you to travel to Grand Lodge earlier than normal so that you can take in this educational opportunity. I believe it will start at approximately 10 A. M. and regalia must be worn for those planning to take it in.

My brethren you can plainly see from the varied topics covered here that the complexity of the programs and initiatives that need to be undertaken is growing rapidly and in my opinion needs more than any one of us can offer in one year. The role of the DDGM in leadership in this district is currently supported by a team of District officers most of whom are engaged in the job with little or no prior knowledge of what might be expected of him and unfortunately with the complexity of the programs these men just get comfortable with their responsibilities and are then replaced by the next team. An experiment was conducted a few years ago of utilizing brethren in some of the key positions for more than one year at a time for purposes of continuity and has had some mixed results.

After some consultation with some of the members of my team this year I would recommend the following proposal be considered.

I would propose that we consider utilizing the Past Masters, Masters and Wardens Association as a support organization for the District team. This organization could form committees to parallel those of grand Lodge programs and could offer their expertise and support to district chairmen in the execution of their duties so as to provide that continuity that in some cases does not exist now. This proposal is one which I leave with you for further consideration in the not too distant future and perhaps collectively we could consider the details of how to initiate such an action.

As a final word my brethren I sincerely thank and extend my appreciation to all of you for the support you have shown me in this journey. Many brethren have attended all of the official visits and have always been ready to provide that sage advice that I needed throughout the year and it was very much appreciated.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.