HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-12-16, Page 7News
The Huron Expositor • December 16, 2009 Page 7
Seaforth Masons open their doors to interested public
Susan Hundertmark
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Passersby got a rare opportunity to
tour through Seaforth's 145 -year-old
Britannia Masonic Lodge recently
when Masons throughout Ontario
held an open house forthe public.
"We decided to open up the doors
and explain what Masons .are. It's a
beautiful facility up here that was
refurbished in 1983," says member
Bruce Whitmore, of the second sto-
rey Main Street meeting place in
Seaforth.
Barry Hutton, Britannia Lodge's
secretary, says that while the lodge
has opened up to invited guests in
the past, this is the first time it's
held an open house for the public.
"There is a misconception that
we're a secret society but we don't
hide the fact that there's a meeting
place here - there's a sign on our
building, we wear rings and our cars
have Masonic signs on them," he
says.
While men over age 21 must be
recommended by two Masons and
the lodge membership must approve
their application before they can be-
come Masons themselves, Hutton
says recent movies, such as The Da -
Vinci Code and Angels and Demons,
both written by author Dan Brown,
along withhis new book The Lost
Symbol, have attracted some inter-
est in potential members.
"Dan Brown's books have shed a lot
of light on Freemasonry and I think
it's helping," he says, adding that the
traditions in Masonry don't permit
Masons to recruit members - inter-
ested men must seek out members
and ask to join. .
Jason Beuermann, another Sea -
forth Mason, says his friends started
asking him about his membership
Barry Hutton shows Bill and Gall Price around the Britannia
Masonic Lodge during a recent open house.
with the Masons when the movie
National Treasure, starring Nicolas
Cage, was released.
"They were intrigued by the way
it comes across, by the secrecy and
mystery behind it and I tell them
they have to join to find out," he says,
adding that a number of younger
men in the their 30s have been join-
ing the Seaforth lodge recently.
The Seaforth lodge has 62 mem-
bers, with 15 to 20 who attend regu-
lar meetings. Hutton says that, like
other organizations, the membership
in the Masons has dropped from 700
lodges across Ontario 10 years ago to
500 now.
Masons cannot share their ritual
with non-members or open their
meetings to non-members but Hut-
ton says the ritual is based on the
building of King Solomon's temple
and created to build strong character
in its members.
"Generally, Masons are the pillars
of the community, the builders of the
community," he says.
"The Masons are an organization
that build values and character in
T GIFT • SELECTION
• SAVINGS
• SERVICE
men. A lot of lead-
ers of the commu-
nity belong to the
lodge," adds Whit-
more.
Hutton says
that while Free-
masonry is not
a religion, mem-
bers are obliged
to have a belief in
a higher power,
which Masons re-
fer to as the Great
Architect of the
Universe. A giant
golden capital let-
ter G hangk from
the ceiling of the
lodge over the altar in the centre of
the room.
"You can be Muslim, Buddhist,
Christian or any other religion to be-
come a Mason but you must believe
in the existence of a supreme being,
something that directs faith and our
lives," says Hutton.
Acts of charity are a big part of be-
ing a Mason, with recipients that
range from 4-11, student bursaries,
Boy Scouts, Girl Guides to the chil-
dren's hospitals run by the Shriners,
an organization composed of Master
Masons.
In Seaforth, the Masons are plan-
ning to get involved in the Habitat
for Humanity build and have com-
mitted to feeding the construction
crew for a week along with taking
part in the build.
"We believe in charity and helping
our fellow human beings but an ide-
al Mason sees a need, responds and
retires 'back into the crowd without
fanfare - we don't need praise," says
Hutton.
With the motto, "To be one, ask
one," Hutton says any man interest-
ed in becoming a Mason should seek
out a member. The Britannia Lodge's
Worshipful Master Brad Pryce can
be reached at 519-527-2418.
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