Worthy And Well Qualified - A Masonic Podcast

Fraternalism comes in many forms. Masons often love to enjoy the company of their brothers over a good cigar. Some, so much so, that they even made a club for it. Isn't a cigar a cigar?  Say that to Right Worshipful Mike Douglas and you'll get a thorough education on how that is very much NOT the case. Premium hand-rolled cigars are very different from cigarettes, and even from machine-rolled cigars. There are many organizations out there aiming to help make that differentiation and to protect our right to enjoy them. In this episode, our co-hosts are joined by RW Mike Douglas. He shares a bit about himself and his Masonic "career", and then we get a little cloudy. RW Douglas gives us a solid education on the finer points of premium hand-rolled cigars, and what makes them different from other tobacco products. He also tells us about the Brothers of the White Ash, how it began, and what it does.   What's in this episode: We are joined by RW Mike Douglas, founder of the Brothers of the White Ash RW Douglas tea

It's all about perspective. Often Grand Masters are looked at as if on a pedestal. Surprisingly enough - they're actually real people, and today we get to know a special one. What's So Special About Massachusetts?  Though other Grand Lodges may try to contest it, the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts is generally accepted to be the oldest chartered Grand Lodge in the United States. Not only that, it's the 3rd oldest Grand Lodge in the world, behind only Scotland and the United Grand Lodge of England. To be the Grand Master of a place like this must be quite the job (and interesting to boot), right? Well... Today we find out. And in so doing, we get to know the man at the helm of the ship, so to speak, for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In this episode, your co-hosts are (once again) joined by very special guests Most Worshipful Paul Fulton Gleason, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, and Bro. Christopher Rooney. In this installment we learn more about Most Worshipful Gleason himself - both his p

Recruitment is practically taboo in Masonry. How can a man find it in his heart to be one of us... If he doesn't know we exist? Maybe it's time to rethink this... It should be about the betterment of The Craft. There are so awful lot of strong feelings on how best to approach Freemasonry's elephant in the room - membership. There's no arguing with the data - numbers are declining. Its up to us to figure out how to best work and best agree on how we solve that problem. Here in Massachusetts, our Grand Master has some strong feelings of his own on the topic... In this episode, your co-hosts are joined by very special guests Most Worshipful Paul Fulton Gleason, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts, and Bro. Christopher Rooney. They join us to discuss the coming statewide open house in Massachusetts, as well as the Grand Master's One Day Class. We also discuss the Bowtie Benefit and the Golden Gavel Awards - two excellent events coming up that promise to foster warmth, brotherhood, and recognition for hard eff

Yes, Grand Masters have controversial opinions. Usually, we don't get to hear them. Today, we do. Buckle up. Those in power must watch their tongue. It can be almost dangerous for someone in a high office to share controversial opinions. We see this in politics, civil & charitable organizations, and of course, social & fraternal bodies like ours. If a sitting Grand Master were to voice a radical opinion it could have quite an impact on the Fraternity, and maybe not for the better. However, when the word "Past" gets added to your Grand Lodge title, and there IS no higher office left for you to seek... well, then, I suppose, you're free to tell it like it is. And that is exactly what Most Worshipful Iacobucci does in part 2 of our conversation. Being Grand Master has its perks, eh? Most Worshipful Peter Iacobucci and Right Worshipful Gil Fontes are the junior Past Grand Master and Past Grand Marshal of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. They join your hosts Darrell and Bryan on

What's it take to be Grand Master? Well, we asked an ACTUAL Grand Master (and Grand Marshal) exactly that. Their answers, insights, and opinions may surprise you. The reality is - there's a lot to it. Many Masons may view the Grand Master as the absolute power and authority of a given Masonic Jurisdiction. Others may view him as a roadblock to progress, or an anchor they must drag on the way to positive change. Some, perhaps new Masons, may even view him as some untouchable, mythical, unicorn-like being atop a glorious, glowing pedestal. The truth is, it's not quite like any of that. Most Worshipful Peter Iacobucci and Right Worshipful Gil Fontes are the junior Past Grand Master and Past Grand Marshal of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. They join your hosts Darrell and Bryan on this special two-part adventure to share their story, their journey, and their thoughts. They discuss how the pivotal situations and choices that brought them to Masonry. We learn about Grand Lodge of Rhode I

We're doing it wrong. One of the biggest issues in Masonry is (and has been for a long time) "how do we keep our brothers engaged?". Brothers - we have been doing it wrong for a long time. This week, Bryan and Darrell talk about a 3rd way - so we can finally get this right. We raise them, they drop us. It's a song as old as time - a candidate goes through their three degrees, getting the obligatory education along the way. They get raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason. Aaaaaand -poof- - they're gone, never to be heard from again. What happened? The question should be "what DIDN'T happen?". We tend to have two go-to's we lean on to keep our new members engaged and active in our lodges. Generally, we either throw them in the officer line or we get them on some kind of committee. We think by giving them something to do they'll stay active, keep attending, and that's that. Sadly, more often than not we are mistaken. We're approaching this wrong. Unfortunately we're missing the boat on this 9 times out of

What if they're wrong? Many Masons think of mergers as the death of a lodge - but what if they're wrong? Death... or a new beginning? There are many ways for a Lodge to come to its end. The important thing to consider here is that not every end is final. Sometimes the end of one thing is simply the beginning of another. Bros Darrell and Bryan are firmly of the belief that a merger between two lodges can result in something that is greater than the sum of its parts. This, friends and brethren all, is the story of The Happy Merger of Ezekiel Bates and St. James. Wherein two great friends come together to become something more than the sum of their parts. What's in this episode: What is a merger, and how does it work? Discussion from before and after the merger of Ezekiel Bates Lodge and St. James Lodge. Darrell and Bryan get a little off-topic and catch up on things that have gone on lately. Episode Resources: Connect with Darrell, Bryan, and Worthy & Well Qualified Facebook Page Facebook Group Instagram

The bonds of brotherhood run deep. We join Freemasonry for many reasons - one of which is brotherhood and fraternalism. What do those bonds really mean? Blood and water... They say blood is thicker than water, so one might be inclined to wonder how strong a "fraternal bond" between men in an organization like Freemasonry could really be. To an outsider it could seem silly to think that men coming together through Freemasonry would become so close, but to those on the inside, there's nothing silly about it at all. On this episode, gain a glimpse from our perspective. Learn just how much of a family you really become in Freemasonry and, as a result, what family ties and lineage really means... and how hard loss can hit you. ----------------------------------------------- The roll of the workman has been called, and one Master Mason has not answered to his name... This episode is dedicated to - Brother Eric Alan Berghman Born - July 27 1953 Entered - 2/12/2014 Passed - 4/9/2014 Raised - 6/11/2014 Entered The Cel

MasonicCon 2018 has come and gone. It was a lot of work which resulted in an incredible experience for all. But what IS MasonicCon, and what should Masonic Education really be about? 3rd Time's A Charm. This was the 3rd year Ezekiel Bates Lodge hosted MasonicCon, and this year was better than ever before. The brethren of the lodge learned from the past two events and used the knowledge gained to reorganize, bettter prepare, and execute a better event. From arranging the speakers and vendors to bringing in a food truck, the event's execution was on point. The actual content of the event was even better, too.  It's About Sharing The Light. Quality Light. Wor. Co-Host Simmons will be the first to tell you - it's not just about accepting ANY speaker or vendor. There were a number of speakers that offered to come give a presentation, but ultimately were turned down. MasonicCon is about providing not just education, but quality education - the better to further the Craft. The vendors present were of a similar calib

What could go wrong? The reliable hard work of a Mason is a reputation being solidly upheld by Brothers Matt Menard and Jay Dahl. But what do they do... and how do they do it? Every once in a while ya gotta have fun. The night before Masonic Con 2018 about 50 Masons descended upon Bog Iron Brewing for a special event. Bryan and Darrell, midway through the evening, disappeared into the back room of the brewhouse to chat with Brother Matt Menard, co-owner and brewer at Bog Iron. They had an opportunity to talk not only about beer, but about being a small business owner and how Freemasonry affects that. Later, Chef Brother Jay Dahl joined us to give his insight into the same matters - and while he may not have brought any beer with him, he DID make the delicious food you can at times hear us noshing on. What's in this episode: Darrell and Bryan attend the pre-Masonic Con event at Bog Iron Brewing and find themselves in the back room of the brewhouse chatting with Brothers Matt Menard and Jay Dahl about beer, fo

How productive is YOUR committee? There's a committee for everything, each with meetings that seemingly last forever and accomplish nothing. Perhaps, though, your Lodge and Grand Lodge's committees are accomplishing more than you think. What does a committee in action do? For all the time spent in meetings and conference calls, and all the reports given in lodge - what do committees actually accomplish? Are there viable, visible, worthwhile products or is it just another Masonic time-suck? We explore this, and the value of waxing your floors, and other topics in today's episode of Worthy and Well Qualified. What's in this episode: Bryan vaguely shares exactly how fun it is to be Master We talk about the upcoming One Day Class Darrell gets an education and feels like a WICKED rookie We talk a lot about Grand Lodge committees, what they actually do, what things are coming soon, and how GL of MA is working better and more smoothly than ever before Episode Resources: Connect with Darrell, Bryan, and Worthy &

We MUST be a secret underground cult! It's no wonder that the uninitiated are so confused, apprehensive, and perhaps even afraid of Freemasons and what we are given how we dress, speak, act, and conduct ourselves in the presence of our brethren. What does it all even mean, anyway? Not only that, but how important IS it, really? We call each other "brother", "worshipful", "right worshipful" and "most worshipful". We wear white gloves, top hats, suits and tuxes. We walk and talk awfully funny. But why, though? And again, how important IS all of this? We also hold ourselves to a particular code of conduct - especially online. Some brothers occasionally joke about the "Masonic Thought Police" - a vague "big brother" reference suggesting they're not really free to do or say what they want (particularly on the internet) without repercussions. On this episode of Worthy and Well Qualified... we address all these issues and see just how much merit there is to the idea that Masonic Big Brother is waiting in the shadow

Another Masonic podcast, you say? As with all things, there are many voices with many perspectives and many things to say. If you have something of value to add to a conversation, well, sometimes you simply owe it to those around you to do so. Bryan and I felt, on the topic of Freemasonry, we had something to add. So here we are. Worthy and Well Qualified is a Masonic podcast that aims to add a little something you may have been looking for. We're not afraid to challenge each other and our brothers on controversial and difficult topics. We aim to take on topics that interest us and others, both masons and non-masons, and we aim to enjoy these topics through casual conversation. So let's chat. Take this first episode to get to know us - your hosts - and establish a base for what to expect. This podcast is for Masons and non-Masons alike, and for you conspiracy theorists out there... well... you'll likely be the only ones walking away disappointed. What's in this episode: Meet the hosts - Bryan and Darrell, an