Disco Night

First Meeting of Phoenix Lodge #168

On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, the first Regular Communication of Phoenix Lodge #168 was held with WB Thomas J. McGurr in the East. There were 23 brothers present, as well as multiple guests.

1st Closing Gavel of Phoenix Lodge #168
(RW Roy Simpadian, MW Walter Kaulfers, WB Thomas McGurr, WB Michael Vandevander)

Phoenix #168 Gold Token Night

Three brothers received their Gold Tokens Brother Jerry Bello and Brother Tom Saraffian for 50 years and Worshipful Brother Bob Wright for 55 years. These awards were presented by RW Brother Roy Simpadian, DDGM, with the assistance of MW Walter Kaulfers, PGM. Each recipient reminisced about their time in Freemasonry.

WB Bob Wright (55 Years)

Jerry Bello (50 Years)

Tom Saraffian (50 Years)

Butler Masons hold pig roast to benefit Tri-Boro First Aid Squad

It was their first pig, but it won't be their last.

The Butler Masons' pig roast, held earlier this month as a benefit for the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad, raised more than $300 for the ambulance corps, said Mason Jerry Bott.

"We think it was quite a success," said Bott.

The Masons roasted an entire pig under the direction of "Master Roaster" Saul Santiago, said Bott. Ten people assisted him on the roasting team.

While the Masons have worked with Tri-Boro at different times in the past, this was the first of what Bott said the groups hope will become a regular event. More than 70 people attended the roast, Bott said. It was open to all members of the community, including adults and children.

"We had many senior citizens attending as well," Bott said.

The event was held at the Masons' headquarters on Main Street, at the corner of Arch Street.

The Butler Masons, or Silentia Lodge No. 168, Free and Accepted Masons, as they are formally known, have been a part of Butler for more than a century. This year marks the 120th year they have been at their Main Street location.

That's just a fraction of the time the Masons have been in existence. Documents date the Masons as far back as the 13th century, Bott said.

Notable Masons have included 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence and 14 United States presidents starting George Washington. Other members include astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Adrin, the second man to walk on the moon, as well as Benjamin Franklin, musician and composer Duke Ellington, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

The Masons of today are descendants of actual bricklayer masons from 700 years ago. Freemasonry was the organization that trained and looked after the interests of masons who worked in the trade. It evolved into a fraternal organization over the centuries, with the first lodges in the United States appearing in Pennsylvania as far back as 1715.

The Tri-Boro First Aid Squad serves Butler, Kinnelon, and Bloomingdale. The all-volunteer organization answered more than 1,600 calls in 2013.

http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/tri-boro-pig-roast-by-masons-beginning-of-beautiful-friendship-1.1144053