K of C and Freemasons
Media
Part of The Cabletow
- Title
- K of C and Freemasons
- Creator
- Wilmarth, Raymond E.
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1968
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- Hands clasped. . K of C and Freemasons MW Raymond E. Wilmarth, PGM THE FIRST STEP OF A LONG JOURNEY It gives me great pride and pleas ure to give the Opening Remarks for the Freemasons on this memorable occasion. First I want to thank the Master of Ceremonies for his most inspiring introduction; second, I want to welcome all the Knights of Colum bus who are with us tonight and those who for one reason or another could not come, but would have, if they could; and third, I want to thank all the Knights and Masons who did turn out for the Golf Tournament this morning and made it such a success. Speaking of the Golf Tournament. I’d like to tell a brief story as did the Grand Knight in his Opening Re marks. Two weeks ago at our last Stated Meeting of the Luzon Bodies, one of our Brothers during the dis cussion of our plans for the tourna ment inquired whether I would play for the Masons or the Knights because of my relationship with the Univer sity of Santo Tomas. A few days later on another speaking occasion 1 was asked the question again. This time I replied that while I would be hitting the ball for the Masons, because I am such a horrible player, my score will be helping the Knights w i n. This morning I proved my point. In fact the son of the Grand Knight was on my flight and can testify to my unstinting "coopera tion", voluntary or otherwise, for the success of the Knights. This evening I want to speak about an old Chinese proverb that says: The longest journey begins with the first step. Today sve have taken the first step on a long, long journev. But this did not jusi happen by accident. It happened by design. It all started when I was Grand Master of Masons in the Philippines in 1966. I came upon a publication containing an address entitled "Let’s Scale New Heights of Ecumenism in Fraternalisin” by Supreme Knight John W. McDevitt of the Knights of Columbus before a brotherhood breakfast at Corman’s Resort, Sharon, Massachusetts, on Sunday, February 27, 1966, sponsored jointly by the Knights of Columbus and the Masons in tltc last paragraph of which Su preme Knight McDevitt extends an invitation to Masons throughout the world as follows: “Recalling again the noble ex ample of Pope Paul VI and Patriarch z\thenagoras, I say that the K n ig h t s of Columbus are eager to extend to brothers of the Masonic order an embrace of friendship, an embrace of un derstanding, an embrace of trust, an embrace of charity that will bring us to new heights of ecu menism in fraternalisin.” Inspired by the sincerity of pur pose indicated by Supreme Knight McDevitt in his address, as Grand Master of Masons in the Philippines, Turn to next pogo APRIL, F968 I decided to accept his invitation and on- December 23rd, 1966, wrote him asking how we could bring together our two great Fraternities in the Philippines. In his reply, he advised me to contact the State Deputy of the Knights here in the Philippines, which I did. We also requested our Bro. Jose Abejo to make contact with the Knights who were known to him. Time passed until today we have met 'together and enjoyed this wonderful friendship. That is why I say we have taken the first step, but there ■is still a very long journey ahead. A •century or more cannot be swept aside in one day, but we can set a Chicago March 12 (AP) — Th0 Roman Catholic Church has dropped quietly the penalty of excommunication against its mem bers who belong to the Interna tional Order Of Free Masons, The Chicago Daily News said in a story from Vatican City Mon day. Tho revocation was obtained by a group of Scandinavian Bishops, tho daily news said, but no formal announcement has been made in Rome. The Bishops of Norway, Den mark and Sweden, who obtained the ruling, reportedly are putting it into effect. Tho excommunication of Masons was codified in 1918. It imposed excommunication on "Those who enroll in the Masonic sect or in secret societies conspiring against tho church or the legitimate authorities.” Tho Masonic order was con demned first by Pope Clement XII in 1738, then by Pope Bene dict XIV in 1751. In 1884 Pope Leo XII in an Encyclical attacked the order’s aim of destroying the church. The dropping of the excommuni cation of Masona was first pro posed at the ecumenical council by Sergio Mendez-Arceo, Bishop of Cuernavaca, Mexico. new course for the coming genera tions in future centuries. A new direction is essential for mankind, if civilization is to survive. Man with his science has been able to invent and develop means to con trol the material world. He stands at the threshold of extending that control throughout the universe. God has been kind to man, but man has not been kind to himself. He erects great structures which will endure for generations, but continues to find more destructive means to des troy the products of his efforts and his fellow man in war, in politics, in business and even in religion. Man has yet to conquer himself. Man has yet to learn how to control himself. Man has yet to respect the law o( God above the law of man. We Masons arc builders. We op pose destruction of any kind.- Our ancestors were Operative Masons and as such built many of the beautiful church structures still standing as monuments to the centuries when perfect harmony existed between Ma sonry and the Church. Then with the industrial revolution came tran sition and Masonry became specula tive. Instead of building temples to house men, we now build temples in the hearts of men. Once the most trusted defenders of the faith against the Saracens was the Order of Knight Templars. After falling into disfavor they were disbanded. When the age of darkness had passed, they emerged as the Christian branch of Masonry, and still continue as such today. Masonry is a religiously oriented brotherhood of men under the father hood of God. It is no more a religion than the Knights of Columbus. But I venture to say that the Knights of Columbus is every bit as much a re ligiously oriented brotherhood of men Turn to p«9« 6 The Cabletow *7icel fa* 'Place...9* *7Acit ‘ZfavrtA They wore red and blue caps, forty eight of them: 24 Knights of Co lumbus and the same number of Freemasons, in a golf dual meet on the fairways of Camp Aguinaldo. On the caps, were words and symbols: top line, “K of C — Freemasons’ Dual Golf Meet”; middle line: the K of C insignia, hands clasped and the fa miliar square and compasses; bottom line, "Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club, March 9, 1968”. In the evening, at the Camp Agui naldo Officers’ Clubhouse, they wore white tags, their nick names written in red ink for K of C; blue for Ma sons. Close to a hundred Knights and Masons with their ladies were in at tendance at the dinner-dance and awarding of prizes. Speakers in the program were: Bro. Rodolfo Leja no, KC; Bro. Raymond Wilmarth, I’GM; Bro. Oscar Ledesma, KC; and Bro. Conrado Benitez, PGM. Itev. Fr. Damian Ray of the Passionist Fathers gave the invocation and WB Teofilo Abejo, Grand Prior of the Supreme Council, AASR, gave the benediction. Musical numbers were rendered by the Scottish Rite Chorale and some Knights of Columbus who sang the lilting “De Colores”. WB Abejo. a Mason and Cursillista, sang with the Knights. The trophies given away as prizes were donated by Ambassador Oscar Ledesma, Justice Makalintal, Judge Antonio, Bros. Luis Valencia and IIdefonso Yan, Dean Conrado Benitez and Bro. Jose Abejo. Masters of Ceremonies were Bro. Lauro Cruz for the Knights and Bro. Jose S. N. Navarro, Jr. for the Masons. zXgreeably, the speeches of Ambassa dor Ledesma and Dean Benitez dwelt on community improvement pro grams in which Knights and Masons can cooperate, collaborate or coordin ate. Ground work for the culmination of this dual meet were laid out by Bros. Turla, Lejano and Castro of the Capitol City Council No. 3695 for the Knights and Bros. Pat Gon zales, Jose Abejo and Bautista of Luzon Bodies, AASR, for the Masons. Surprisingly, the perpetual trophy for the lowest score by teams was not awarded this year as the two teams tied at 863. Trophies for the lowest net scores were awarded to Bros. Ca they, Mason; Capl. Octavio, KC; and Judge Antonio, KC. For the most pars in the 18-hole play, trophies went to Bros. Lacuna, KC; Verzosa, KC; and Morle, Mason. Bro. De Guz man, Mason, got the trophy for the most birdies. The trophies (?). two good-sized squashes which could make delicious pumpkin pies, one each went to Bro. Verzosa, KC, and Bro. Wil marth, Mason, who tied lor the high est score. The team scores stood at: Knighes of Columbus: Masons: Rodriguez 76 Alejo, F. 79 Lacuna 81 Veneracion 80 Fr. Ortiz 84 Rivera 85 Silverio 85 Del Mundo 86 Makalintal 87 Espejo 88 Bueno 88 Bascarra 88 Lejano 90 Morfe 88 Lira 90 Jaramillo 88 Pilapil 91 Gonzales 90 Wico 92 Abejo, J. 90 Total 863 Total 86? * * „ * A WILMARTH... From page 4 under the same fatherhood of God as we Masons. It is therefore my sincere wish that the journey we started here today with this first step be pursued vigor ously. hand in hand by Knights and Masons. We must stand out as a working team to manifest to the comThe Cabletow VATICAN CITY, March 12 (UPI) - The Vatican has virtually scrapped an old church law excom municating Catholics who join the order of Freemasons, Vatican sources said Monday. The sources said Catholics now are free to join the Masons in the United States, Britain and most other countries of the world. But the European grand orient lodge form of Masonry, established primarily in Italy and France, is still considered anti-Catholic or atheistic, they said. Freemasonry, which dates back t<> medieval times, describes itself as a nonpolitical, nonsectarian movement dedicated to the ideal of universal brotherhood. 5-Million There are more than live million Masons in the world, most o[ them in English-speaking lands. The United States alone accounts fot nearly lour million members. Pope Clement XII condemned the order in 1738 as atheistic and anti Catholic. and his action has been af firmed by seven other Popes in 16 dilferent pronouncements, Fhe Eastern Orthodox Church and some Protestant bodies also have op posed Freemasonry. But a move to re-evaluate the Ca tholic Church’s position on Freema sonry began during the second Vati can Ecumenical Council which ended in 1965. Unofficial Vatican sources said there had been no official revocation of the excommunication law but the Va tican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has let it be known Catholics joining Free Masons or ders are no longer automatically ex communicated.” •■'Fhe church’s new attitude has been in effect for more than a year,” they said. The church’s code of Canon Law. drawn up in 1918 and presently be ing reformed, provided for automa tic excommunication of Catholics "who enroll in the Masonic sect or in secret societies conspiring against the church or the legitimate author ities.” Vatican sources said this wording would be changed to modify the church position on Masonry when the new code of Canon Law is com pletcd. A WILMARTH. . . muniiv about us. how differences can be forged into unity, when the broth erhood of man is valued more than the individuality of man. Let us engage ourselves in positive action to discover more similarities, instead of reviving old differences. Let us not let good ideas remain dormant but translate them into good deeds through action. Let us be a dynamic force for good rather than passively ignore the evil that* is rampant about us. Let us join hands together, giving birth this day to a new direction de dicated to extending the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God throughout this land of ours, and in time throughout the world. Let today be the beginning of the Order of Knights-Masons dedicated to the accomplishment of these things which we as Knights and Masons hold dearest to our hearts. APRIL, 1968