Freemasonry In The Age Of COVID

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

I can't believe nobody is marketing lapel pin masks yet . . .

I remember as a kid that first day of school in the fall.  Standing out beside the road waiting for the school bus with my brand new Trapper Keeper, and my unopened box of crayons, and looking forward to seeing my friends again.  Summers were long in the country.  Sometimes they seemed endless, and by the time fall rolled around I was ready to go back to school.  I was reminded of this the other night as I got ready to go to my first Lodge meeting in four months.  Those same kind of memories came back to me.  Laughing over a meal. Talking to friends out in the parking lot long after the meeting ended.  The work we do together.  The lessons we learn together. 

I get so tired of hearing the term “new normal.”  Masonry will adapt in the short term, but I believe it will not be that much different in the long term.  This too shall pass, and the essential elements of Masonry will stand for generations to come.  If anything, I think this break we’ve had, and this period of adjustment we’ve had has made us stronger.  It slowed us all down.  We’ve had more time when we’re not running around doing things to appreciate life, to take stock in what’s important, and to think about how we might do things differently going forward. 

A few weeks ago, my good friend and Brother Bill Hosler made a good point on the Meet, Act, and Part Podcast.  He said we’ve gotten back to “the essence of Masonry” during this time apart.  And I think he’s right—I think Greg Knott and Darin Lahners who were part of the conversation would also agree.  We’ve gotten back to what we’re all about just lately.  We’re checking in on our older members and widows like we should have been doing all along.  We’re helping each other.  We’ve been innovative in ways we haven’t been in decades.  We’ve been creative in ways we haven’t in generations.  We’ve even found a few tools that exist that will survive a lot longer than this virus will.  And the fellowship is actually been stronger in our absence from one another than it was when we were all together all the time.  I’ve gotten more phone calls and emails from friends in the last four months than I probably have in the last four years--a few others I've spoken to have said the same thing.

I hope some of this lasts once the memory of this international “break” in the day-to-day fades from our memory. I hope we all remember just how important Masonry became to us when suddenly it vanished from our lives in a significant way for a time.  I hope we remember and appreciate how much our friends mean to us.  I hope we remember how much our communities mean to us.  I hope we remember what we all did to help each other get through this as Brothers.

It was great walking back in my Lodge again last week.  Hearing the all too familiar sounds of laughter coming from the Lodge room.  I’ve missed my fraternal family.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog, and an award-winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. Todd started the Midnight Freemason blog in 2006, and in 2012 he opened it up as a contributor blog The Midnight Freemasons (plural). Todd has written more than 1,000 pieces for the blog since it began. He is a Past Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he currently serves as Secretary. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR). He is a charter member of the new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and currently serves as EHP. You can contact him at webmaster@toddcreason.org