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At Cafe Spiga today, President Rob welcomed 13 members and 3 guests, Will Dzvonar, Ronkonkoma Rotarian Michael Barba, and speaker for the day, Gary Gudzik, from the Port Jeff Masonic Lodge. By now, you should have received Mike Burghardt's email regarding this year's holiday gift program. The program, which is coordinated through the Open Cupboard and benefits local children in need, involves our members purchasing gifts for specific children (and being reimbursed for their purchases, if they wish), and then attending the Annual Gift Wrapping Party at Port Jeff High School on December 1st. If you plan to participate, contact Mike at mburghardt@northwell.edu to obtain the names and relevant information about the youngsters who will be receiving your gifts. We are reminded that each wrapped gift must include the recipient's name, assigned number, and also a description of what the gift is. Jen proclaimed this past Sunday's Annual Fall Clean Up at Camp Pa-qua-tuck to have been a phenomenal success. Over 50 volunteers - Rotarians, Interactors, Boy Scouts, and others- worked effectively together with the camp staff and had a great time moving leaves and then enjoying the luncheon meal together. (Kudos to the Mather Crew who donated and cooked the food: Nancy, Wayne, & Mike B.!) So successful was this venture that Jen will be working on setting up a Winter Clean Up at the camp with a date TBA. Sharon noted that Vicki, who presides over The Open Cupboard, plans to give out $50 Kohl's gift certificates to her clientele so that they can choose and purchase their own clothing items for Christmas, which is why we will be purchasing mostly toys requested by the youth who will receive our wrapped gifts. Sharon also brought samples of Christmas-themed face masks and scarves hand made by community members Bente and Flemming Videback. They created 1,000 pieces since the early part of Covid-19 and are donating them to the Open Cupboard. Bob announced that our club has so far donated $13,600 to The Open Cupboard (I believe that this is in addition to the monthly food & goods contributions collected every 2nd Tuesday of the month.) Wow! Rob next introduced Gary Gudzik- a name familiar to many Port Jeffersonians who are into boating. Gary grew up in Port. His grandfather, Ken Gudzik, was an active Rotarian and a Paul Harris Fellow, so Gary knows a lot about Rotary. Gary joined the Masons 25 years ago. Since passing through the 3 stages or degrees of Masonic membership in order to become a Master Mason, he has held many prestigious leadership offices- Secretary, Treasurer, District Officer, etc, and has enjoyed traveling afar, all the time meeting with and learning from other Masons. Gary briefly recounted the history of the Free Masons, which he referred to as the world's oldest fraternity. No one knows exactly how or when the Masonic Fraternity was formed, but according to a widely-accepted theory, it arose from the stonemasons' guilds during the Middle Ages- ie.,the men who built the great cathedrals. The language and symbols used in Masonic rituals come from this era. Masonic Lodges date back at least to the 1600's in Scotland, and soon after were publicly introduced in London. (Legends refer to the building of Solomon's Temple by masons who used the tools that are today the trademarks of Masons throughout the world.) Gary noted that Masonry is not a secret society- although there are secret handshakes, passwords, and the like for recognition purposes. Symbols have through the ages been learned to facilitate quick communication and transcend language barriers. In introducing a bit of Masonic history, Gary referred to the related Knights Templar and the great Templar Treasure that went missing on a Friday the 13th- now a symbol of bad luck. He next spoke of the founding of the Suffolk Lodge in 1797 at a tavern in Smithtown, where the library is now. After 4 years meeting there, lodge meetings were held in different members' homes between Stony Brook and Huntington. Members over the years included some of the most famous local leaders: Floyd; Jayne; Bayles; Vandermeulen. In 1910, the Suffolk Lodge purchased the Presbyterian church (that dated to 1854) in Port Jefferson. Suffolk Lodge #60 still meets in that building on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month, and hosts several other Masonic Lodges and Concordant Masonic Bodies, as well. Related Masonic groups include the Shriners, "the fun group", "the clowns", and also the biggest charity group that founded a number of famous free hospitals. Among local "pet charities", Gary spoke of the Masonic Medical Lab in Utica. Masons give over $2 million a day to charitable causes. There is no recruitment of members, although membership has fallen in recent years. Prospective members must be at least 18 years old, male, and "of good character". One must request membership. New members are thoroughly vetted by a committee for their fitness (and eagerness) and proof of good character. The Masons say that one of their goals is "to make very good men better." They say that they teach moral lessons to help members improve themselves. Masons are required to have a belief in God, but can be of any religion. There is a ritual that is practiced by Masons that sets them apart from other service organizations. Members have to memorize a lot of stuff in order to be in good standing as organization members. Responding to some myths about Masonry, Gary said that there is no plot by Masons to take over the world; no one knows where the Templar treasure is; Masons don't try to undermine religion; and not all U.S. Presidents were Masons- only 14 were. Among other bits of Masonic information: there are 51 Grand Lodges, with one in NYC that offers tours to interested outsiders; there are 15 lodges in Suffolk; the Port Jeff Masons actively participate in the Annual Dickens Festivals; they donate money to favorite charities such as the Medical Care Center in Utica, and 1,700 acre Camp Turk, located on a private lake in the Adirondacks, which offers 3-4 week sessions to youngsters sponsored by Masonic Lodges. The Port Jeff Masonic Lodge now has around 100 active members (down from 350), and is hoping to gain new, young members of good character, who believe in service to God, to neighbors, and to self, and who seek self-improvement. After his presentation was done, Gary was asked if it was time that the masons started admitting women. His response was that there are related organizations like the Eastern Star chapter for women and the International Order of the Rainbow for girls ages 10-21. (Some of us were reminded of the "Rotary Annies", who sued to have Rotary accept women members.) Saranto was our super sergeant today. After 1 question pertaining to an event that took place today in history, he proceeded to stump many of us (some more than once) with rapid-fire riddles. (ie., What is full of holes but holds water? Answer: a sponge) Happy/sad dollars were collected from nearly all attendees- including our guests. Yay, Saranto! REMINDERS: the PJStation/Terryville Chamber of Commerce will be busily welcoming the upcoming holidays with a number of community events. The 1st night of Chanukah is 11/28. The community menorah's first candle will be lit at a special ceremony by the Chamber's Train Car between 4-5 PM. Everyone is invited to attend. A Drive-Thru Santa Event will take place on Saturday, December 4th, 6-8 PM. You are invited to sponsor this event. Have your Company Logo on the "Letter to Santa" that will be circulated for attendees. ($250). Provide a Holiday Light Decoration in a designated area at the Train Car the day of the event, Set up is Sat, Dec.4th, from 10AM to 2PM. Electric is provided- you provide the decorations ($150). Have your Business name listed as an event Sponsor at the event. ($100) Register online at www.PJSTChamber.com . Questions? Contact Jen (516-383-3456). Jen is offering to local businesses daffodils that were donated by the PJ Chamber. Here's to a healthy, happy Thanksgiving! :) |
