Official Visit Granite Lodge #352 – April 21, 2010
By R.W. Bro. Terry M. Hornibrook, DDGM

A RECAP OF MY TENURE AS DDGM

To night I am taking the opportunity to recap my tenure as DDGM of this great district. The honour bestowed upon me by you and the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of so many great Masons; I will always cherish the experience. Indeed, this year will always be one of the highlights of my Masonic journey. I thank everyone for their support, personal friendship and dedication to our craft. Your encouragement made the journey swift and enjoyable. Thank you.

At his installation, our Grand Master set out three goals for his term: one, to improve and standardize the ritual throughout our jurisdiction, two to establish a center of Masonic learning and study, three to encourage all members to get understanding and wisdom. As well as supporting his initiatives; I had my own goals for the district; first, to create a higher positive profile in our own communities and second to encourage fraternal visitation between lodges. How did we do?

The standardization and improvement of the ritual is of great importance to our future. We are experiencing an increase in the growth of our membership. The Grand Master stresses that these new members are more demanding and inquisitive than those of the past. They are seeking enlightenment, self-improvement and fulfillment, if we do not provide the environment allowing this to happen they will move on and the craft will be the losers. The Lodge of Instruction held here in January demonstrated that members in our district are willing to support this path of improvement.

We must continue to expand the opportunities available to our members. We must always remember that it is a privilege to take part in the ritual and we should take pride in doing our best.

The establishment of the Charles S. Sankey Center for Masonic studies at Brock University and continuing endowment is the Grand Master's project for his term of office. Donations to this project may be made by visiting the Grand Lodge website. Guest speakers and lectures have been scheduled and these times can also be found on the website. The preservation of our past for future generations is a legacy of which we should support.

Get Knowledge, get Wisdom, but with all thy getting, get Understanding. This is a continuing theme in the Grand Master's dissertations and it is directed at all masons. He is challenging every member to make that daily advancement.

He is also reminding us of the important duties which permeate throughout our ritual. We must live and act by the precepts laid out in the Volume of the Sacred Law. We are continually under scrutiny by members of society, some who are only too willing to publish the bad and ignore the good.

Our future rests also on how we are perceived and how we act. The challenge for all of us is to be the best that we can be.

Personally, I selected the MasoniChIP programme as the district project because it presented a natural opportunity for us to do good work in each of our communities and to raise our Masonic profile for a cause that should be close to every one's heart. The protection of our children is our number one concern. This project allowed each lodge to spend their resources in their community for the year. There are many benefits that can result from the MasoniChIP programme, you only have to stop and consider them. I hope that we continue to use this programme in future years. I urge every Mason in Muskoka Parry Sound district to promote this initiative.

Visitation between the lodges of the district has been good. Set a higher goal. In the coming year, I urge every Mason to visit one more time than you did this past year. Senior members of each lodge have to make that extra effort to exemplify this privilege and lead by example. Take a new member along and introduce him to this important aspect of Masonry. We must encourage and stress that the strength of our fraternity lies in visitation.

We must all strive to support the growth of our great fraternity. Our district report card would receive a passing grade; however there is room for improvement. Not all lodges have held MasoniChlp events in the area. There are some more planned in the coming months. If your lodge has not started planning yetd, I would encourage that start. Those lodges which have held an event, might look at following it up with a second. Do not allow the ground swell to falter.

Finally, I would like to thank all masons of the district for the great honour bestowed upon me by electing me DDGM. It has been a richly rewarding personal experience as well as humbling. The memories gathered will sustain me for the rest of my life. I have got to know many of you on a more personal level and I thank you tor that intimate trust. My circle of friends and brothers continue to grow, I cherish each of you. I would like to thank the district chairmen and my advisors tor their support and advice. I am deeply indebted to our district secretary W. Bro. Carpenter; his dedication to and love for our craft is immeasurable. Mere words cannot convey my gratitude and thanks for his guidance and encouragement this past year. Thank you to all.