Grand Master Roger L. Magoon

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Brother Roger L. Magoon
Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Wisconsin, 2005-2006 Brethren: I take this, my first opportunity to address you from the East, to thank you for your trust and for the honor you bestowed upon me by electing me as your Grand Master for 2005-2006.
I now have some mighty big shoes to fill, following in the footsteps of our most recent Past Grand Master, Keith D. Chamberlain, and of the many, many Past Grand Masters before him. With the corps of officers who have been elected and appointed last evening, I am confident that we will continue to make the future of Freemasonry flourish in Wisconsin.
There is no greater reward and grander honor for a Mason than to be deemed worthy by his brethren to assume the East of Grand Lodge. I remember being asked a couple of years ago if I thought I would be ready to assume the responsibilities of leading this Grand Lodge in the near future. At that time I didn’t think that I would ever be ready, and I answered accordingly. How could I assume such a great responsibility and follow in the footsteps of all those great Past Grand Masters who lead this Grand Lodge through the last 161 years. How could I hold the rudder wheel of this ship on which so many find sanctuary from an ocean of immorality, and from which so many derive the hope for a better shore of humanity?
The answer eluded me for a quite a while until I realized that the Captain is never alone, the Captain is always surrounded by a crew. And lucky is he who captains the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin, for he is surrounded by a crew unrivaled in dedication, experience, and love for this ship, for this journey. This thought gave me solace, supported my confidence, and comforted me for that big seat in the East. I ask each and every one of you, my brethren, to be part of this crew, to take part in this journey, and not to merely be spectators. The ship of Freemasonry, my brethren, carries no voyagers, it only carries crewmen who know how pleasant is this journey, joyful is this work, and plentiful is the bounty. I make no promises but this: this year’s harvest is going to be plentiful, and your trust will always be my commitment.
Our 2003-04 Most Worshipful Grand Master and current Grand Secretary’s theme was “Never Forget”…never forget the moral obligation, which is binding to the conscience and moral character of all of us. It is what unites all Freemasons around the world. He did this immediately after his installation in 2003, and then set up the first all-state re-obligation night later that fall.
Our most recent past Worshipful Grand Master, Keith D. Chamberlain, continued that theme, proclaiming October 27, 2004, as last year’s re-obligation night. If your lodge participated in that program, you individually and collectively re-obligated yourselves to our oath as Masonic Brothers.
This year we will continue with this theme, and I have set September 29, 2005, as this year’s re-obligation night. In addition to the re-obligation ceremony, it is my charge to all lodges to take each one of our ties and have an open discussion that evening. We should not just say them, we should live them!
As we individually take stock of our Masonic lives, our personal responsibilities and duties as Freemasons, we must look to our lodges. Our MWPGM Keith reminded us of the first step in the “branding” of our craft for his Masonic year. His theme was Constant, Caring and Committed.
Constant, Caring and Committed
Constant…in the fact that Freemasonry has been a tradition. We have been here as involved men since the beginning of this nation and even before that.
Caring…in the fact that Freemasonry is one of the largest charities in the world today. Freemasons by definition care about their brothers, their wives and children and those of their brothers. We care about the youth and the disadvantaged. We care about the sick and the infirm. We care about the free and the oppressed. We care about our nation and its struggle, and we care about, and for, the institutions that make us all more than we are without them…our churches, synagogues, temples, our schools, and our fraternity.
Committed...in the fact that Freemasonry does good work, as only men in the world can do when they live with a sense of purpose and are guided by principles that transcends them, and transforms them into Brothers of all mankind.
Constant, Caring and Committed also applies to our lodges. Our lodges are part of the fabric of America — its history, attitudes, and yes, even its very existence as a Republic. We must ask ourselves, what kind of a Lodge do we want ours to be now? Who is looking ahead?
We must live beyond our fingertips, Brothers. Do we all answer the signs and summons from our lodges? How many brothers do we initiate, pass and raise and then never or seldom see again? Are our meetings interesting, or just business? Are prayers said with reverence? Is the Pledge of Allegiance something we say, or a celebration of our rights to freedom? Are our openings and closings practiced and done right? Do our rituals add to the experience of a lodge, or do the officers view them as a necessary evil?
Upbeat Attitude & Involvement Key Ingredients
GMAA Qualifying Period Extended
Brethren, I ask you to think of the ATTITUDE you bring to your lodge. With a positive, upbeat, enthusiastic attitude, you can’t lose! It is time to light the fire in our lodges through involvement! Involvement is the key ingredient. Use your Grand Master’s Achievement Award program, it is a very good tool to get you going. It is one of the best planning tools available to create a lodge full of activities. I am a firm believer that if you use the structure of the Grand Master’s Achievement Award program to assist in your yearly planning, you will have a successful lodge. I am going to extend the the GMAA. It will run for all of 2005 through April of 2006.
After the Presidential election last fall, the news media constantly mentioned that it seemed that one of the most important issues on the minds of those who voted was MORAL VALUES. What a great introduction into our great fraternity! They opened the door for us to get out and explain in our communities what Freemasonry is all about! Every lodge member is a source for new members. “We need public awareness!”
Co-op Marketing Program to Continue
The success of Freemasonry is in our hands. We need public awareness! In the past, our prospective members came to us. Today it is not happening. We need to explain to the public what our great Fraternity is all about.
We were given by our Past, Most Worshipful Grand Master, Keith Chamberlain, a new set of tools to reach out into our communities. We plan on continuing that program for this year. I encourage you to use the Grand Lodge Co-op Marketing Program that was put together to help increase awareness of Freemasonry in your community. Our District Deputies will be available to help, in any way, to make this work.
For those of you, who are not familiar with that program, it consists of a set of computer discs, a DVD containing inspiring words by our Brother Lee Sherman Dreyfus entitled, “Freemasonry and the Fabric of America,” which is suitable for use at a variety of lodge-sponsored activities, and a CD-ROM disc about the program. The CD contains a cover letter and instructions on how to use the program, application forms and Masonic artwork for use by your lodge to promote itself within the community. This program will work, we just need to give a chance!
“As we individually take stock of our Masonic lives, our personal responsibilities and duties as Freemasons, we must look to our lodges.” We must identify good men and bring them to light. Leads must be identified and talked about among brothers. So, when you find a good man, who should be offered a petition, offer it; and when he asks what is Freemasonry?, tell him Freemasonry is a brotherhood, an organization of men from all walks of life who meet as equals, and to enjoy each other’s company, and that is just the basic. Then comes a desire for self-improvement, then community outreach as the brothers work together to meet the needs of others.

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If he asks you, “Why should I become a Freemason?” Your answer should be, “I don’t know why you should be Freemason.” Tell him only he can ultimately answer that question, and he will only be able to truly answer that question after he is a fellow brother. You can only tell him why you are a Freemason, and each of us has our own answer for that! I can only tell you why I am a Freemason...because it fortifies my personal adherence to Love of God, Country, and Love of Freedom…because it ties me directly over the ages to the men of my family and the men of greatness that shaped our nation and today’s world…. because it extends to me in great numbers, the warm hand of friendship, fellowship, and brotherly love wherever I may go…because I believe in men living by a code of conduct, and one brother watching the other’s back. I am a Freemason to guide my self-improvement, reflecting on my weaknesses, strengthening my character, and using my strengths to benefit mankind…and finally, I am a Freemason because through fellowship and teachings there is an added inner meaning to my daily relationships with family and friends. Freemasonry is a way of life, it is time to share our beliefs!
Clergy Program Initiative To Inform Clergy About Freemasonry
Another way of building public awareness is to set up Clergy Programs within our Districts. Our Grand Chaplain, Rev. Ray Heilborn, is in the process of instructing the newly assigned District Chaplains within their Districts, to conduct these Clergy Meetings. This is not going to be done to try and recruit the clergy, but to INFORM them of what FREEMASONRY IS so if someone from their congregation, or synagogue, etc., asks them if they know anything about our Fraternity, they will be able to answer with the RIGHT message.
The work in lodges must move the Fraternity into our communities as a positive visible force. People in our communities should know that a Freemason believes there is one God, the father of all men…that the Sacred Book of divine laws is the Great Light in Freemasonry and the rule and guide of our faith and practice...that Freemasonry is NOT a religion, Freemasons practice their own religions faithfully.
A Freemason believes in immortality and that after we lay down our working tools here, we will move on, and we want to be proud of how we acted here. We believe that character determines the destiny of a man, an organization, or a Nation. That Freemasons believe that next to the love of God, man’s first duty is the love of mankind. We must get this message through to the people in our communities. I submit to you that an enthusiastic, eager Fraternity can be on the brink of the new golden age of Freemasonry.
Remember! Never Forget, Constant, Caring and Committed. Freemasonry is a Way of Life!
Again, I want to thank all of the brethren for allowing me the opportunity to captain the ship of Freemasonry, and I ask you all to assist me in keeping this ship on the right course.

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Below are some of the resources available for Wisconsin Masonic Education. The free Adobe Reader is required to view these files (available here), and some may also require WinZip (or a similar extractor). WinZip is available here.

The Wisconsin Masonic Handbook (Green Book) is available in the following formats:

Green Book-Adobe pdf

Green Book-Adobe pdf without pictures

Green Book-Microsoft Word doc

Green Book-Microsoft Word doc without pictures

The Grand Lodge Proceedings are available for the following years:
2003 2004 2005


Wisconsin Masonic Code 2004-2005 Revision


Lodge Chaplain's Prayers The Three - Minute Mason