Rocky Mountain Mason

02/06/2025

Stolen from another page:

1. Never shake hand while sitting.

2. Never talk bad about the food when you are the guest.

3. Don't eat the last piece of something you didn't buy.

4. Protect who is behind you and respect who is beside you.

5. Never make the first offer in a negotiation.

6. Don't take credit for the work you didn't do.

7. Dress well, no matter what the occasion.

8. Speak honestly: say what you think and mean what you say.

9. Ask more than you answer.

10. Leave the profane language for the less educated.

11. Avoid placing your phone on the table when eating with someone.

12. Listen, smile and most of all make eye contact.

13. If you're not invited, don't ask to go.

14. Never be ashamed of where you come from.

15. Don't beg for a relationship.

02/02/2025

01/31/2025

Help support our local girl scout troupe’s girl scout cookie drive! You can buy as many as you like from the link below and help a good cause!

That's right! You can order your favorite Girl Scout Cookies from me online, all while helping my troop and I do great things in our community and beyond! Check it out.

01/30/2025

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not Man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.”

― Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

01/29/2025

Biden made a Mason at sight! Podcast episode exploring the tradition of making masons at sight; regularity, recognition, and amity; and what the Church's official position is on the Fraternity in the present day.

On Jan. 19, 2025, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina Prince Hall Affiliate made then-President Joe Biden a Master Mason at sight. This episode explores the provenance of that prerogative, and ameliorates salacious headlines abou...

01/28/2025

01/27/2025

On Jan 19, 2025, then-President Biden attended a private ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was made a Mason "at sight" by the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina Prince Hall Affiliate. Listen to the cast below to learn more!

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01/27/2025

01/27/2025

The Round Table associated with King Arthur is displayed in The Great Hall of Wi******er Castle.

This impressive wooden structure measures 5.5 meters in diameter and weighs 1.2 tonnes. Dendrochronological analysis indicates that it was constructed between 1250 and 1280, during the reign of Edward I, who had a keen interest in Arthurian legends. 

Originally unpainted, the table was decorated in its current form under the orders of Henry VIII in 1522. The design features the Tudor Rose at its center, with King Arthur depicted on his throne, surrounded by the names of 24 legendary Knights of the Round Table inscribed around the edge. 

The Great Hall itself, one of the finest surviving aisled halls of the 13th century, is the only remaining part of Wi******er Castle. It stands as a testament to the city’s medieval heritage and its connection to the enduring myths of King Arthur. 

📍The Great Hall, Wi******er, Hampshire, England

01/26/2025

Denver 5’s officer line. Look at all those young faces!

The Denver Lodge No. 5 officer line for 2025

01/26/2025

I treat of the issue of President Biden's being made a Mason at sight on this issue of the Rocky Mountain Mason podcast:

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01/26/2025

There are a lot of posts going around that Biden was made a Mason and that he risks excommunication because he is a Catholic. The first part appears to be true: Victor C. Major, Most Worshipful Grandmaster of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina, apparently made Biden a Mason at sight on Jan. 19, 2025. However, the Church does not excommunicate Masons anymore - this is incorrect.

Yes, the Church is still opposed to Freemasonry. However, it has relaxed its opposition considerably since Pope Clement XII issued the first Bull agains the Fraternity in 1738 (In Eminenti Apostolatus) which held that Freemasons were essentially damned and could only be forgiven by the Pontiff Himself! The principal concern was Masons' secrecy - Clement quotes John 3: 20 (evil-doers hate the light). In the 18th Century, the Inquisition tortured and hanged Masons. Read In Eminenti here: https://www.papalencyclicals.net/clem12/c12inemengl.htm

Then, in Humanum Genus (Pope Leo XIII) restated grounds affirming the Church's opposition to the Fraternity. Among the offenses alleged were the fact that Masons respect other religions and allow non-Christians to participate in prayer around an altar in a Masonic lodge. Read Humanum Genus here: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_18840420_humanum-genus.html

Additional concerns the Church has raised include the modern view that Church and state should be separate (which was deeply concerning to a Church in the midst of decline) as well as Freemasonry's pursuit of "natural philosophy" (e.g. science) and forms of representative governance - you know, all the stuff that developed countries in the modern world enjoy, which has led to greater freedom, wealth, and longevity for the masses.

The final official proclamation of the Church was by Cardinal Ratzinger (before he became Pope Benedict XVI), who wrote in a Declaration from the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith (which had formerly been known as the Inquisition) that: "the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enrol in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion." See https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19831126_declaration-masonic_en.html

Yes, last year, Pope Francis signed a letter (penned for him by Cardinal Fernandez of the Dicastry of the Faith, formerly known as the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith, which was formerly known as (you guessed it) the Inquisition) in response to the Most Rev. Julito Cortes, Bishop of Dumaguete's, inquiry regarding Freemasonry (which is prevalent in the Philippines). You can read that here: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20231113_richiesta-cortes-massoneria_en.html

But, the official doctrine is still the 1983 position enumerated by Ratzinger. Excommunication is not mentioned and, for the most part, the official view is not universally enforced across all dioceses and is left to the determination of the local Bishop for the most part. In other words, the Church does not excommunicate (and essentially damn) Freemasons. But it does view them as existing in a grave state of sin for which communion should be denied. However, some Freemasons openly attend mass and are not denied communion. In other dioceses (the majority), Freemasons attend mass but do not partake of the wine.

01/26/2025

Ok so this is an annoying me. The Church does not excommunicate Masons. (Thankfully, it doesn’t kill them anymore, either.) The last official pronouncement against the Fraternity was in 1983 when Cardinal Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict XVI), writing on behalf if the Congregation on the Doctrine Faith (formerly known as the Inquisition), held that Freemasons exist in a “grave state of sin” and that Freemasonry is incompatible w the Christian religion. The penalty is the withholding of communion. And, as I understand it, that is not universally enforced and depends on the diocese.

01/24/2025

We're proud to be a part of this movie! Legion M’s newest release, MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE, blends humor and heart in an award-winning movie about friendship, resilience, and moving forward. Watch the trailer now, then be sure to see it when it hits theaters on February 28th!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4SbCaV1esg]