The 28th Masonic District of Missouri

1st Degree tonight at Shekinah. Eat at 6pm, Lodge at 7pm. All Freemasons welcome. Help is always appreciated!

WB Charles Sloan is in the hospital in Festus hopefully he will get out Friday or Saturday. Keep him in your prayers.
Memorial service for his wife Sue will be Saturday from 3-5pm at Heilitag Funeral Home in Arnold.

RWB G. Dannie Patterson worshipful master of Joachim lodge presented WB Raymond Pithan Jr. With a plaque in appreciation for his years of service as secretary to the lodge.

Please keep WB Charles Sloan in your prayers his wife Sue passed away this Afternoon. I will post the arrangements as soon as I know them.

District ritual practices and Round Robin practice for April.
Thursday April 7 at 7pm
Joachim Lodge in Hillsboro
Thursday April 21 at 7pm
Shekinah Lodge in Crystal City

THE COFFIN
A new Worshipful Master in a small town spent the first four days making personal visits to each of the members, inviting them to come to his first Lodge meeting. The following Thursday the Lodge was all but empty. Accordingly, the Worshipful Master placed a notice in the local newspapers, stating that, because the Lodge was dead, it was everyone's duty to give it a decent Masonic burial. The funeral would be held the following Monday afternoon, the notice said.
Morbidly curious, a large crowd turned out for the "funeral." In front of the Altar, they saw a closed coffin, smothered in flowers. After the Chaplain delivered the eulogy, he opened the coffin and invited his Brethren to come forward and pay their final respects to their dead Lodge. Filled with curiosity as to what would represent the corpse of a "dead Lodge," all the Brethren eagerly lined up to look in the coffin. Each "mourner" peeped into the coffin then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look. In the coffin, tilted at the correct angle, was a large mirror.
Remember the obligation we all took.
Attend and support your Lodge.

Desoto Lodge will be conferring a 1st Degree tonight. Eat at 6pm, Lodge at 7pm.

DeSoto Lodge will have a first degree on Thursday March 10th. Dinner at 6pm lodge at 7pm. Everyone welcome to dinner and help with the degree work.

If you aren't doing anything on March 12th, head down to Zalma for their special "Horse Traders" degree. $20, Master Masons only. Zalma is in our neighboring district to the south, and is where RWB Zach Hardesty was raised!

Potosi Lodge has a third degree scheduled for Monday February 14th. All Master Masons are invited to attend and help with the degree.

Great milestone for the MOCHIP program they completed 250,000 child ID in Springfield Mo. On Saturday.

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🦃🦃🦃

Tonight, Shekinah Lodge #256 will be conferring a 1st Degree for Mr Rogoz. We eat at 6pm, Lodge at 7pm. Visiting Brothers are always welcome, and help for the degree is always appreciated.

Veterans appreciation dinner at Joachim Lodge

Regional Grand Lecturer John Harder will hold a school of instruction at Joachim Lodge on November 10. Everyone is invited to attend not just lodge officers as this will be beneficial to all masons. Refreshments at 6pm school at 7pm.
Be There and Be Square!🙂

WB John Becker has passed away. Funeral services are as follows.
Visitation Wednesday Nov. 3, 4-8 pm
Vineyard Funeral Home
Festus Mo
Masonic Service at 6pm
Procession to Jefferson Barracks Thursday from the funeral home at 10:00am with graveside service at 11:00 am.

Potosi Lodge will have a 1st degree on Monday October 11th. Dinner at 6pm lodge at 7pm.
Joachim Lodge will have a 1st degree on Tuesday October 12th. Dinner at 6pm lodge at 7pm.
Tyro Lodge will have a 1st degree on Saturday October 16th. BBQ starts at 11am- lodge at 2pm.
All lodges requests help with the degree work and extend their appreciation.

RWB Dannie Patterson with MWB Barry Cundiff at Grand Lodge receiving the Honor Lodge with Distinction award for Joachim Lodge.

RWB Dannie Patterson DDGL for the 28th District presented WB Gary Wynn of Joachim Lodge #164 with his 50 year pin and certificate at a ceremony on September 28th at the lodge.

Congratulations to Desoto, Joachim, and Shekinah Lodges for being recognized as a "Child Safe" lodge, for their work with the MOCHIP program.

Congratulations to Joachim Lodge for being an Honor Lodge With Distinction.

Congratulations to Shekinah Lodge for winning the Grand Lodge Community Service of the Year award.

There will be a District Ritual practice at Potosi Lodge on Monday August 23rd at 7pm. Everyone especially the new officers are encouraged to attend. We will also go over protocol, traditions, customs and answer questions to help anyone who needs it.

It's all about a Matter of Priorities:
A man walks down the street of his hometown and sees the old Masonic lodge closed and falling apart. He had left for the service and said when he returned home he wanted to join the lodge because as a child he was so impressed by the quality of men he met there. He recalled the fish fry’s and barbecues he attended there, the Christmas parties and other events.
He saw an old lady walking down the street and asks her what happened? He recalled how he would see the members gather for meetings, holding events for the community and marching in the parade. Such great men, beacons of the town, men of influence but more importantly, just great men.
The old woman stated, “ My husband used to attend lodge there. For decades he would spend countless hours working to prepare for events and meetings, oh how he loved being around his Brothers. He loved being a Freemason and so looked forward to the fellowship, he loved being surrounded by good men, like-minded men who knew there was something bigger than themselves.”
“But what happened? “, asked the man, “Where’d they all go?”
“Well son”, said the old lady, “They died or moved away but it started down this path long before that. The Brothers stopped coming, they stopped working on the lodge, they stopped holding events. When the Brothers stopped attending, the events stopped, the people stopped coming, when the people stopped coming, the fundraisers stopped, when the fundraisers stopped, the Brothers were asked to pitch in to keep their lodge alive. Unfortunately, the Brothers have more important things to do. They would have all kinds of reasons why they couldn’t come to give a few hours of their time.
There used to be dozens but eventually, there were just a few, my husband called them ‘The faithful few’. Sometimes they barely had enough to hold meetings, they couldn’t do Degree work because they didn’t have enough members present, they couldn’t grow because they couldn’t bring in new men. Sadly as those faithful few aged, they just couldn’t do it all anymore. They tried but after the events stopped, so did their relations with the town folk. The people who had enjoyed the events over the years lost interest in helping out. They drained what little money they had left to try and keep it open but it all dried up. After they closed my husband was miserable, it was the one thing he looked forward to each month and now it was gone.”
The man looked on with tears in his eyes, such a great institution that did so much for its community was gone.
Our Lodges are not just buildings of brick and mortar, they are buildings of Brotherly Love. Love is held between Brothers of the order and shown to our communities but they can’t survive on love alone. Like any great organization, it is the members who keep it going. Much like the crops of the field will die off without the rains, our Lodges will die off without its members. We all have other things that go on, that is life, but we must make every effort to set aside the time, as little as four hours a month, to attend meetings, do the work and maintain our temple.

Brother Randy Sanders did a presentation tonight at Joachim Lodge for the 28Th District Masonic Education meeting. Thanks to him and those who attended.

Michael Singer - Cypress Pointe Cremation | Cremation and Funeral Home Services

Here is the obituary for our departed brother, RWB Michael Singer Jr.

Michael Singer - Cypress Pointe Cremation | Cremation and Funeral Home Services Michael Paul Singer, Jr. passed away peacefully at home on July 13, 2021. Michael is survived by his parents, Michael Singer, Sr. and Phillis Singer (née Roan); his loving wife Jennifer Singer (née Zakibe); and his sons Michael (Shelby née Roberts) Singer, III and John “Jake” Singer. He is al...

Our deepest condolences to the Singer family, as well as the Brethren of Algabil-Freedom Lodge. Please remember the Singer family in your thoughts and prayers.

Joachim Lodge will have an open installation of officers on July 6th. Dinner at 6pm installation at 7pm. Everyone welcome. Guys this is an opportunity to take your wife out to dinner and make some brownie points!😊

July 27th Joachim Lodge in Hillsboro will host the district Masonic Education meeting at 7 pm. Brother Randy Sanders will be presenting on Lodge Anatomy and cover other related information. Q&A session to follow. Please plan on attending. Coffee and drinks available at 6:30 for those who would like to fellowship before.

Shekinah Lodge will have a special 3rd degree tomorrow night. Eat at 6, Lodge at 7. We can always use the help!

Blackwell Lodge installation of officers tonight. Dinner at 6 pm, lodge at 7pm.