The Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master, Peter Connolly Congratulates

Bro Alan Foster on completing his mission to visit every WL Mark lodge (60) ,

and is glad he found them in such good heart.

 
 

'And the Lights Went Out on Alan Foster’s Trek Round the 60 Mark Lodges'
 
It was supposed to be a happy occasion with another Advancement ceremony, but the visit to my 60th
West Lancashire Province Mark Lodge, Semper Fidelis No. 880, was a memorable anticlimax.  Arriving early
at the St Anne’s Masonic Hall, the electricity failed just as we were walking in the building.  Local workers
had severed the power cable and a return to power was estimated as being after midnight.  For safety
reasons the ceremony had to be cancelled and the Lodge opened, conducted a minimum of business and
then closed, all under the light from hastily assembled candles.  I will obviously have to visit Semper
Fidelis on another occasion.
 
The simple statistics of my efforts are as follows:
 
- Visited the 60 Mark Lodges in West Lancashire Province
- First visit to Temperance Mark Lodge in Liverpool, on 6th September 2011
- Last visit to Semper Fidelis Lodge, on 15th October 2012
- Time taken = 57 weeks and 4 days
- 3177 miles covered
- 26 Installations
- 15 Advancements
- 6 Demonstration advancements
- 6 Lectures
- 1 Celebration of 50 years in Mark Masonry
- 6 Basic meetings
 
On several occasions I bumped into the Provincial Team, which gave one wag the opportunity to say that I
might be regarded as the Provincial ‘groupie’.
 
So what were the highlights of this sojourn?  The one that readily springs to mind is the friendliness I
encountered and the number of people who gave the impression of being really nice guys (even behind the
banter).  My experiences really did display Mark Masonry at its best, the Friendly degree, or to quote our
ritual, “among Mark Master Masons you will ever find friends”.
 
Another highlight is the fact that I was able to help out and do some work (IG, JO, SO, MO, Register of
Marks and JW) when visiting some of the Lodges.  I would recommend that all visitors should take their
ritual book, since helping in Mark Lodges is often required.
 
Despite being regarded as a more relaxed degree, I was very pleased to see the almost universal desire to
produce good ritual.  It was easy to see those people who were annoyed (with themselves) when they
made small errors.  They obviously cared and took a pride in what they were doing.
 
Finally I regard it as a highlight that I was visiting villages or parts of towns to which I had never been. 
This has helped me to improve my ‘regional’ geographical knowledge and also given me the benefit of

seeing the local countryside and many ‘new’ Masonic Halls (I had previously only been to 4).
 
Well done Alan mb
Alan Foster 18th October 1012