PROCEEDINGS GRAND LODGE - Freemasons of Wisconsin

celebrated the 100th birthday of the Masonic Home with a great picnic, fellowshipfireworks and accordion music.In September I had the privilege to lay the Cornerstone on the NEW CompassPoint Catered Living Facility. In late April, they started to take up residency andon May 13, they had the Grand Opening of the new Facility.For many years, it has been the Grand Masters’ privilege to meet and greet all,or most of the residents on the Campus with an afternoon Tea. I was fortunate to beable to do so on September 16, 2005 and one of the ladies who was a resident at VanBrunt, Susan Crysdale, gave me a beautiful oil painting that I will enjoy for a longtime.The Chairperson of the Home Board, Theda Andres, and President and CEOMark Strautman, are to be commended for their total dedication to the well beingof our residents on our Campus, at Dousman, and our retirement community atMason Woods, on Shawano Lake.Man-To-Mason-To-Shrine:This was a great success! Last fall I had a visit with William Wenszell, thePotentate of Beja Shrine Temple in Green Bay, and he asked if I would be interestedin working with all of the Shrine Temples in Wisconsin in having a one day, MantoMason-to-Shrine class. We agreed that this would be great for the Fraternity andthe Shrine, and we then set April 29, 2006 as the day for the Man-to Mason-to-ShrineProgram in each of the cities where the Shrine Temples are located. Later, Zorchanged their date to March 25, 2006. The events were problem free. It was an honorfor me to confer the Master Mason Degree on the candidates at Zor Shrine inMadison, and at Beja Shrine in Green Bay. All in all it was very successful, and inthe end there were 130 Masons and 110 new Shriners brought into the fraternity.Many thanks to all who were instrumental in putting the teams together for thedegrees and to the behind the scenes brothers and sisters who helped serve themeals at noon. I would like to give a special thank you to Worshipful Junior GrandDeacon, Joseph B. Harker, for coordinating the entire program.Masonic Unity:This year we had the privilege of sharing Masonic Unity with our sisters andbrothers from the Grand Chapter Order of Eastern Star, and the DeMolay BoysYouth Group.We had the good fortune to share and work the chicken Bar-B-Q at Dousman inAugust of 2005, with the Grand Chapter Order of Eastern Star. We also shared abeautiful dinner and program with them, in conjunction with our Fall Full StaffMeeting.At our Spring Full Staff Meeting, we met in Wisconsin Rapids, so that we couldattend the DeMolay Sweetheart Banquet with the State DeMolay Boys and some ofthe Job’s Daughters.Sharing Masonic Unity with both groups proved to be very inspiring to each of thefour groups; Grand Lodge, Eastern Star, Jobs Daughters, and the DeMolay and itappears we will try to continue them in the future.Relations with Wisconsin Prince Hall Masons:This was the 3rd year we have shared a table lodge with our Prince Hall Masonic21