The 4th Section of the DeMolay ritual speaks that the way we live DeMolay is not what they do inside the chapter room, but rather the life and service they do outside the Chapter Room. This commitment to service is built into our state events by adding a service learning component. This past weekend as part of our LeadCon, New York DeMolay set aside time to spend with the residents of the Masonic Care Community and collected puzzles and games for the residents.
After a delicious lunch prepared by the MCC staff and an incredibly inspiring talk by “Dad” William M. Sardone, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New York and our First State Master Councilor, the young men headed over to Wiley Hall to visit with the residents. Divided up in groups of two or three with an advisor they went and spoke to the various residents.
The conversations the youth had with the residents was amazing. One group met with Tony, a World War II Veteran who shared about his service and experience serving on the Navy in the Mediterranean. For this group of young men it was their first time meeting and talking with a WWII Veteran. Tony had a great life story how he joined the Navy at age 17. His bootcamp experience was cut short because the nation needed its young men. He started out in the laundry because that’s what needed to be done. Later he worked with the pilots. The DeMolays have heard about youth rising up as the defender of our nation, here they met a man who at their age went and did that very thing.
Another group met with Victor, a Mason from Wadsworth Lodge in Albany. Victor talked to them about his fraternal experience and his family’s connections to Masonry. He shared about his experience working with the Knickerbocker News, his service to his church, the Boy Scouts and even his labor union. Victor talked about the joy of brotherhood and what being a Mason has meant to enrich his life and make it a more special experience.
Another resident was celebrating his 50 years of being a Mason. He shared how his family had a rich masonic tradition going back generations. His son was a PMC of one of our chapters back in the 1960s and how it positively impacted his family. As we were finishing up he asked if the Grand Master was at the Care Community that weekend. The young men shared that “Dad” Sardone was and just finished talking to them for lunch. The man’s face lit up! Recently the Grand Master set aside time to visit with him and formally present his 50 year pin. It was a great lesson for the DeMolays because they saw what the personal touch does for a person.
Another group of young men met a Senior DeMolay, Br. Marshall from Mohawk Valley Chapter. They had a great conversation about how DeMolay has changed and what the lessons meant to Br. Marshall.
During the post-service reflection the young men were asked to reflect on the service experience. One of them shared that it made him feel happy, but it also made him feel sad. He was happy because he enjoyed visiting with the residents and learning about their lives. He was sad because the resident he visited with had not had a visitor in some time. Other DeMolays shared that they learned more about what the Masonic fraternity does in caring for the elderly.
We look forward to visiting with the residents in the future and engaging more with Masonic Care Community.
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