On Saturday, February 11th, the appropriately named Justice Lodge 457 meeting in Alta Vista, KS will present a special, thought-provoking program entitled, "What if Freemasonry Disappeared Tomorrow?" Certainly a fascinating topic for us all to contemplate, and one that needs to be discussed on occasion in any jurisdiction or lodge, for the sake of periodically examining our own roles in our communities and the world at large. How we are perceived - by the public, as well as by our own members and potential petitioners - is vitally important for us to examine. Those who fail to plan for the future are surely doomed to extinction, so this program is certainly a timely one.
Justice Lodge is unusual in that it is an affinity lodge. These types of lodges, made up of members who share a profession or hobby or other common interest, are far more generally found in the U.K. than in the U.S. Justice's meetings travel around their state, but they were indeed properly chartered by the Grand Lodge of Kansas in 2011. Justice Lodge limits its actual membership to 45 Master Masons who are past or present Law Enforcement Officers, which include federal, state, county, or city law enforcement officers, federal, state, county, or city corrections officers, and past or present federal, state, county, or city prosecutors. Their members follow a dress code and wear tuxedos, while guests are requested to wear a tuxedo or dark business suit and tie. As a traveling lodge they do not have “courtesy” or communal aprons of their own, so visiting Masons should bring their own apron to wear. Regular Masons in good standing are invited to attend.The tyled meeting will be held at the temple of Alta Vista Lodge 357, located at 707 Main Street, Alta Vista, KS. The program begins at 3:30PM, and will be followed by a Festive Board at Trails Day Café in nearby Council Grove, and the cost is $20. Registration for the event is requested NO LATER THAN JANUARY 31st by visiting the reservation page HERE. (Don't be confused - the reservation page is actually hosted by a different lodge, Hancock 311, as a favor, since Justice Lodge doesn't have a site of its own.)
Alta Vista is located kind of in the middle of a lopsided triangle between Topeka, Salina, and Witchita (if you squint a little bit and stretch the definition of "triangle").
Oh, I'm sorry. I failed to mention the special guest speaker for the day's event. Silly me. My memory.
It will be former Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, Patrick Carr.
