On May 15th the Romans celebrated a festival dedicated to the god, Mercury
Friendship Masonic Lodge marked the occasion by conferring the Fellowcraft Degree upon Brother Matthew Goosen.
Hot on the heels of a perfect examination and his exemplary original lecture on the symbolism of the Entered Apprentice Degree, Brother Matt Goosen was exceedingly proficient and duly entitled to advancement in Masonry. By a turn of fate Bro. Goosen’s night happened to fall on May 15th; and though our own mystic rituals and traditions differ from those of ancient Rome it was certainly an auspicious night to confer the Fellowcraft Degree.
Amidst the ancient celebration’s focus on the commercial aspects of Roman life it’s easy to forget that Mercury was imbued with nobler attributes, too. Those most worthy of the admiration of a Mason being thought and learning.
With multiple brothers travelling abroad we were working with a bit of a skeleton crew, but by great fortune our A-team was available. We were especially delighted to see some of the newer, but familiar brothers step up to give this gift to Brother Goosen. In the end, it was one of the best degrees Friendship Masonic Lodge has ever conferred.
Some notable contributors were:
Special thanks are also owed to Brothers Dorje Kirsten (Six Rivers Lodge No. 106 in Arcata, California) and Aaron Vederman, both of whom added their talents in new roles.
A celebration through the night
After closing the meeting, the brethren moved up to the dining hall for refreshments and libations. With every plate full and most sleeves and collars relaxed, our Junior Warden rang us to attention, to begin our tradition of saluting the now-passed brother.
As is the tradition, the brother who’d received the degree was first to speak – Brother Goosen spoke of his background in liberal arts education, why he chose to become an educator, and how enriching his Masonic study has been for him. And how excited he is to have even more to digest and drill down into now.
As the evening wore on, we were delighted that every brother present shared deeply during the evening – not only of their joy for our newest Fellowcraft Mason, but also offering their own insights into the many lessons of the Fellowcraft degree.
There came a point when the cups, plates, and larders were all empty, but we couldn’t imagine ending the night. We retired to our favorite local venue to enjoy more fellowship, anecdotes, and debates well into the night.
As Brother Goosen grew in Masonic Light we all learned alongside him (as he and us will assuredly continue to do), and came away with a familiar experience – recognizing again how deep an impression our own degrees had made. How eager we are to give that to every man who comes after us. And reckoning with the fact that we had and hadn’t replicated what we each went through.
No one starts their Masonic Journey at the same point in life, so it can never be the same experience completely. But somehow each man comes away from his degrees feeling profoundly enriched, forever changed.
