Week of Action Begins with St Paul's Cathedral Service

"I am so grateful for the fundamental belief that unites all Freemasons in a Supreme Being. We may come from different traditions of faith, but let this be our starting point that the God in whom we live and move and have our being is the One in whom alone we can find our direction, our meaning, our destiny."
    So spoke the Dean of St Pauls, the Very Revd. Dr. John Moses, in a sermon preached to over 1600 Freemasons with their wives and friends at a special service of thanksgiving in that great cathedral which encapsulates the very heart of the nation.
    This service, on Tuesday 18th June, was given to launch the Freemasonry in the Community Week and was attended by the Grand Master, HRH the Duke of Kent, KG, and HRH Prince Michael of Kent, and the Pro Grand Master, the Marquess of Northampton, all of whom gave readings. Prayers were led by the Revd. Canon Neil Collings and Rabbi Stanley Brickman.
    The Dean of St Pauls based his eloquent and heart-felt sermon on the letter of James, I by my works will show you my faith : "faith and works", the Dean said, are words which "lie at the heart of Freemasonry". He stressed the importance of the masonic precepts, Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth: that we are all deeply interconnected; that "because life does not deal an equal hand to every one of us", assistance is needed; that the source of Truth can be found. His full sermon can be read on the Grand Lodge website: www.grandlodgeengland.org.

Photographic Exhibition at Freemasons' Hall

The exhibition of photographs by Alvin Langdon Coburn was opened by Lord Northampton in the crowded anteroom to Lodge No.1 in Freemasons’ Hall, London. This, the first such exhibition at Freemasons’ Hall, shows just over 50 photographs taken by Coburn from 1905 to 1964. It is open Monday to Friday, 11.00 to 5.00 pm, until September 20th. See the article on pages 22-24 in this issue.

National

The Masonic Classic Car Run supported Whizz-Kidz, the charity which provides mobility equipment for disabled children. Above are Clive Kingsley-Smith of Central Regalia, event sponsors, with British Lions rugby star Keith Wood, two Whizz-Kidz children and a 1969 E-type Jaguar. The Run ended with a gathering of over 90 veteran, vintage and classic vehicles at the Duke of York’s Headquarters, Chelsea where they parked to the delight of large crowds. Jubilant organisers announced that £32,000 had been raised!

East Lancashire

Coming from furthest away was Arthur Kaye who drove his restored 1972 MGB GT from Freckleton, Lancashire to Chelsea; and back again in the evening, sponsored on a pence per mile basis.

Devonshire

Torquay masons mounted a successful exhibition in a local hotel showing modern regalia together with examples of colourful 18th and 19th century aprons and certificates. The history of Freemasonry in Torquay was covered emphasising particularly the role in the community of members.

Suffolk

A double-decker bus was used to bring information about Freemasonry directly to the people of Suffolk to inform them of what Freemasonry is and what Freemasons do. A comprehensive exhibition including regalia, banners and tracing boards was mounted in the interior of the bus which was parked in the market squares of many towns.

Yorkshire West Riding

A multi-faith service including readings from Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Christian Scriptures was held at Ripon Cathedral under the direction of the Dean of Ripon who also preached the sermon. The service was preceded and followed by a civic procession.

A duck race in Sheffield. 1000 yellow ducks were released from captivity and jostled their way down the river through Endcliffe Park. Each was sponsored for £1.00 and the funds were matched by the Province. A cheque for £2000 was presented to a local children’s charity, Help a Hallam Child.

Dorset

Five local lodges at Kinson, accompanied by the Mayor of Bournemouth, provided a day out for over 90 special needs children and their carers at a local theme park. In the afternoon all crossed to Bournemouth International Airport where lodge members, joined by the Mayor of Poole, pulled a BAC-111 airliner for 50 yards. Over £8000 was raised to provide learning equipment for the Winchelsea Special School.

Bristol

33 lodges were asked to raise a minimum of £1000 each, the money to be given to local charities. At a special function at Freemasons’ Hall, Bristol a host of cheques were given to representatives of many charities.

Hertfordshire

A choral celebration of Freemasonry by the Abbey choir in the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban was attended by 600 Freemasons, family and friends. Hertfordshire Province applied to the MTGB who granted £6000 towards the choir’s trip to Fano Cathedral, Italy.

Durham

All provinces have reported positive support from local radio, television, newspapers and journals. BBC Radio Cleveland’s two-hour lunchtime programme was broadcast entirely from the Stockton-on-Tees Masonic Hall. Deputy Provincial Grand Master, Charles Marshal, was among those interviewed by BBC presenter Alan Wright.

London

Over 300 Freemasons took part in the annual Crisis Run in the City of London to raise funds for the Housing Charity. They were supported by Olympic medallists Chris Akabusi and John Regis, both of whom were pleased to don the Freemason’s T-Shirt. Through sponsorship some £50,000 was raised.

Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire

Provincial Grand Master, Nicolas Hart and his Deputy, Barrie Hall, answering questions at a Press Conference held at the Open Day in the Provincial masonic headquarters in Northampton. The conference was also covered by television. They stressed 47 events organised across the Province and noted that the 2002 festival had raised £2,002,000 for charity.