Concord Lodge No. 307
Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, Chartered February 10, 1910
My Brethren and Friends,
There are dates and times of our lives where each of us can remember exactly where we were and who we were. Often, as we look back at these times and are astonished at how much we have changed – how much life has passed us by. The birth of a child, the loss of a friend, a move, a new home, a wedding; these times remain vivid in our memories.
As Masons we have other dates that remain with us (with fond memories); dates when we were Initiated, Passed, and Raised. It seems like only yesterday when I took that first step, stood at the door and entered into lodge as a candidate; the date was August 21, 2008. Over the next five months I would spend countless hours with Worshipful Keith Gawrys as he “gently” taught me the lessons I would need to impress upon my conscious. At times it was challenging, others easy – always enjoyable – and over these months I learned the real truth about our craft. That brotherly love, relief, and truth are the solid foundations on which man can build his life. On January 29, 2009 I became a Master Mason. Honestly, I thought this would be a “culminating moment”, and while it was, the benefit of time and space have taught me that we cannot cease learning; that life is truly lived in the trenches of the quarries.
There is one event that taught me this more than any other; the passing of my mother on June 3rd, 2009 after a long hard courageous battle with cancer. One of the blessings of my life comes from what I call the “winning of the parent lottery”. I lived a truly blessed childhood. My mother was a preschool teacher in small town rural America where she spent her mornings gently watching over and instructing the town’s pre-kindergarten children. In the afternoons and evenings she was often found caring for her family or preparing a dinner to take to someone who had fallen on a difficult time. It was a life that I called a “view of the world through the back door” and it taught me that happiness was service. All of our lives are inevitably twined or, put another way, it is the mystic tie that binds.
So, as we begin the Masonic year 2012, let us take a moment to enjoy the important things in life. A smile of a family member, a kind word of assurance from a friend, or the stretching forth our hand to meet a hand in need. For it is in these actions, these instances that happiness is found. By doing so, let us come into Lodge ready to make a difference in our lives, our families, our community and our brethren.
In the Most Friendly Manner. . .
S&F,
Aaron T. Staley
Worshipful Master 2012, Concord Lodge, No. 307
| Worshipful Master: | Aaron Thomas Staley |
| Senior Warden: | Mourad Beni-ich |
| Junior Warden: | Michael James Pierce |
| Treasurer: | Howard Mark Svigals |
| Secretary: | Norman Alfred Mayo, PDDGM |
| Senior Deacon: | Jeremy Anthony Lombardo |
| Junior Deacon: | James Robert Cudney, II |
| Senior Steward: | Brian Frederick Foley |
| Junior Steward | Kurt Lawson Martin |
| Chaplain: | Matthew Gregory Hoffman |
| Marshal: | Morris Carroll Petitt, Jr. |
| Tiler: | Jacob Schindler |
Ten Master Masons plan lodge formation – March 1909
Under Dispensation – April 20, 1909
Chartered – February 10, 1910
Grand Master Presents Charter / Lodge Consecrated – April 15, 1910
100 Years of Brotherhood – February 10, 2010
Ten Master Masons met at a home in Vienna one might in March 1909, to discuss plans for the formation of a new Lodge. It was ascertained that all present were in accord and in sympathy with the movement and a letter was drafted to Most Worshipful Joseph W. Eggleston, Grand Master of Masons in Virginia requesting a dispensation. The name given at that time was Vienna Lodge. The Grand Master issued the dispensation on April 20, 1909, and it was presented by the District Deputy Grand Master of Masonic District No. 1, in which District the Lodge was included. The Worshipful Master named in the dispensation was O. F. Jones.
At the organizational meeting, an application was received from Brother John Collins, who presented a Grand Lodge “Certificate of Good Standing.” He was duly elected at the May 1909 meeting and thus became the first new member of the Lodge.
At the meeting of the Grand Lodge in February 1910, the Worshipful Master requested that the name be changed From Vienna to Concord in view of the fact that there had been concord amongst its members and of the spirit which should continue. The Grand Lodge concurred and on February 10, 1910, a charter was granted to Concord Lodge No. 307.
The District Deputy Grand Master presented the charter on April 15, 1910, and the Lodge was consecrated. Taking part in the ceremony was Right Worshipful Henry Knox Field who later became Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, for whom the Lodge in Alexandria is named, and Worshipful W. C. Shelly, the first Worshipful Master of Columbia Lodge No. 285 in Arlington.
Growth of the Lodge for a number of years was slow. Jurisdiction was limited, reaching halfway to Kemper Lodge in Falls Church to the east, Henry Lodge in Fairfax to the South, and Herndon Lodge in Herndon to the west. In 1917, it became halfway to Sharon Lodge in McLean on the north when that Lodge received its charter. Population of Fairfax County at that time was less than twenty-five thousand.
Concord Lodge has always met in the building at the corner of Church and Mill Streets. Below is a picture of our lodge circa 1910.
Although the streets and bulidings around our Lodge has changed over the years, our beliefs and sense of purpose has not. We continue to meet and enjoy each others company regularly as our brothers did nearly a hundred years ago.
The Masonic Home of Virginia is a vital, dynamic home environment for over two hundred and forty Masons, their wives and widows. Our residents live in a beautiful, healthy setting, surrounded by friends and cared for by professional staff in a supportive manner. The Home is designed to provide for all levels of resident independence, from independent living units in our Masonic Village to higher levels of medical assistance in our Care Center. Click HERE to view a short video of our Virginia Masonic Home.
The Grand Lodge Community Blood Program is designed to get every Lodge in the State to support the American Red Cross and to save lives. Our Lodges have been organizing and hosting blood drives throughout the State of Virginia for years donating thousands of units of blood.
The Grand Lodge of Virginia and Concord Lodge sponser Child ID throughout the communities of the commonwealth. Locally, Concord Lodge has provided ID’s to hundreds of local children through local festivals and events. Every year, Concord brethren participate by holding a Child ID tent at the Celebration of Viva Vienna and Vienna’s autumn fall festivals. Click HERE to view a short video of the Child ID program.
Click here for a terrific eight minute video from the Grand Lodge of Virginia.
No one knows just how old Freemasonry is because the actual origins have been lost in time. Most scholars believe Masonry arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the majestic castles and cathedrals of the middle ages. In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization when four Lodges in London joined in forming England’s first Grand Lodge. By 1731, when Benjamin Franklin joined the Fraternity, there were already several Lodges in the Colonies, and in Canada the first Lodge was established in 1738. Today, Masonic Lodges are found in almost every community throughout North America, and some larger cities there are usually several Lodges. A Mason can travel to almost any country in the world and find a Masonic Lodge where he will be welcomed as a Brother.
People sometimes refer to Freemasonry as being a “Secret Society.” In one sense the statement is true.
Any social group or private business is “secret” in the sense that its business meetings may be open only to its members. In Freemasonry, the process of joining is also a private matter, and its members are pledged not to discuss with non-members certain parts of the ceremonies associated with the organization.
Freemasonry does have certain handshakes and passwords, customs incorporated into later fraternities, which are kept private. They are means of recognizing each other–necessary in an organization which spans the entire world and which encompasses many languages.
The tradition of using handshakes and passwords was very common in the Middle Ages, when the ability to identify oneself as belonging to a building or trade guild often made the difference in getting a job or in obtaining help for yourself and family. Today, Freemasons make the same pledge to every member that he will be offered assistance if he, or his family, ever requests it.
Freemasonry can’t be called a “secret society” in a literal sense. A truly secret society forbids its members to disclose that they belong to the organization, or that it even exists. Much of the Masonic ritual is in books called “Monitors” that are widely available, even in public libraries. Most Freemasons wear rings and lapel pins which clearly identify them as members of the fraternity. Masonic lodges are listed in public phone books, Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and in many areas of the country Masonic lodges place signs on the roads leading into town, along with civic organizations, showing the time and place of meetings.
In terms of what it does, what it teaches, who belongs, where it meets, there are no secrets in Freemasonry! It is a private fraternal association of men who contribute much toward the public good, while enjoying the benefits of the brotherhood of a fraternity.