Concord Lodge No. 307
Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, Chartered February 10, 1910
My Brothers and Friends,
Last year was a tremendous year of growth for our lodge. It absolutely brings joy to my heart to walk into lodge every Tuesday and Thursday evening and see good men working to make themselves better. This focus, this attention to detail, becomes part of us, and changes us. Every December we elect our line, install our line, and just when all the officers master their roles we change again. This constant change encourages us to look forward, think constantly about where we are going, and to learn from our RW and Wor brethren who are the foundations of our success. This constant polishing of the ashlar is a foundation of our craft.
Masonry is about improving. Improving ourselves, our communities, our families, our friends, and our lodge. Beginning this month we will start a series of actions that will be part of a strategic plan to improve our beloved lodge. On Saturday, April 14th we will be holding a lodge restoration day to apply some new paint and make general improvements to the outside of the lodge. This will be the first of many such work days to improve our lodge.
We have also begun the historic restoration of our 102 year old original charter. A process which involves months of work by a conservator to gently lift the original paper from the parchment it is currently adhered to, and then to restore it. Before initiating this investment, hours of research were performed, and our Grand Lodge consulted, by our brethren ensuring every detail was accounted for. In the end, our lodge decided to make the approximately $1,200 investment in its restoration as well as an additional approximately $400 necessary to frame the restored artifact in a sealed, museum quality, frame.
As we do every Memorial Day weekend, we will work to improve our communities by offering Child ID services (VACHIP) at the Viva Vienna celebration. Masonry has long held a commitment to children and families. A parent’s worst nightmare is the disappearances of a child. In today’s society with over one million children being reported missing each year, the problem cannot be ignored. VACHIP is designed to give families a measure of protection against this ever increasing problem. The process entails simply taking high resolution photographs to be placed on a CD in the shape of a credit card for easy access. This CD is then given to the child’s parents who can quickly provide it to police, should the unthinkable occur.
Improvement can also be a blast. This Saturday, April 21st at 9:00 am we will gather at Bull Run Park to enjoy a morning of sporting clays. Bro Hoffman has done an outstanding job ensuring that we have events that challenge and engage. If you are interested in learning sporting clays or an avid pro come join in a morning of fellowship.
On Saturday, May 5th from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm Concord will be hosting the canteen for the District 54 Blood Drive to be held at Kemper Macon Ware No. 64 (map). To schedule an appointment please visit the Red Cross website here.
These activities impact our lodge, our families and our communities. However, they are just the beginning. I have spoken to several members of our lodge about the creation of a multi-year planned approach for our lodge and a plan to fund major initiatives. My objective for 2012 is to make improvements where we can, create a vision for the future, and to create a plan to make the vision a reality. However, a plan is only a dream without the dedication of our brethren who, through action, turn it into a reality. I’ve seen Concord’s dedication to action to improve ourselves and our communities – and I’m looking forward to seeing our actions improve our beloved Concord lodge.
In the Most Friendly Manner. . .
Bro Aaron, WM
Worshipful Master 2012, Concord Lodge, No. 307
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| 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 |
| Musician: | Mario Alberto Beauchamp |
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.
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.
Below is a historical sketch of how the Concord Lodge 307 arose, Phoenix like, from the ashes of Crescent Lodge No. 236.
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.
The video above is 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.
