Various images of St Mary's Church, Gateshead, and its adornment on our Lodge Summons. The Church is located in a prominent position on the Gateshead side of the Tyne Bridge and is recognised as the principal Church of Gateshead. Now a Heritage and Craft Centre, it is well worth a visit. The bottom image is one taken more recently. See more about this magnificent building within our website
Below is a watercolour painted by W.Bro. James Alfred Armstrong, PPGReg, a Joining Past Master from Saltwell Lodge and our Lodge Chaplain who is an accomplished painter
4864
WELCOME TO
St. Mary’s Lodge
COVID-19 / CORONAVIRUS
Total code is 2011, £30.02pp
Please read this Letter from our Worshipful Master
We will return to our Regular Meetings starting in September. On FRIDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER 2021 our Masonic Hall in Gateshead will open for the first time in over 18 months. Our WM and Officers will carry out a First Degree Ceremony with Two Candidates after the reappointment of the Officers. More details on numbers attending and dining arrangements will come soon.
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In March 2020, the Grand Master made the announcement that all Masonic activities are to be suspended for a period of FOUR months
On the 17th of July 2020 UGLE announced the resumption of Masonic Activities. However, these were on condition of many guidelines which are in discussion within Provinces, Hall Management and Lodges. Further restrictions were announced just before Christmas and reviews would be ongoing into 2021
UGL announced in late March 2021 that from the 21st of June the current restrictions on Masonic meetings and dining will be lifted, although it is not yet clear what restrictions or Government guidance will take their place
With this in mind, St Mary's Lodge has made the (reserved) decision to resume our Meetings in September, Friday the 3rd. Details have gone out to all Officers and Members informing them what will happen from September onwards. Please lookout for more correspondence from our Lodge Secretary
St Mary's and Visiting Brethren can be assured that the health, safety, and welfare of everyone will be our only concern when making any decision to return
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During the Covid-19 restrictions, we have lost three of our Brethren: Bro. DEREK BELL, PPGStwd, BOB GIBSON, PGStdB, PPJGW., and in May 2021 Bro. FREDERICK L. CRAWFORD, PM, PPJGW. These Brethren are a significant loss to our organisation and our Lodge. St Mary's Lodge were well represented (Covid permitting) at their funerals. We send our sincere condolences to their families and will pay our respects at our first Regular Meeting.
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It is with regret that we announce the death of HRH, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. We send our condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and to the Royal Family on the loss of an individual who has been so prominent during our Monarch's lengthy reign
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Please keep yourselves, your families and your friends safe and secure and spare a thought and perhaps consider a call, email or text to your fellow Brethren
Our Lodge Almoner, Paul McKie is very busy contacting Brethren regularly during this difficult period. If YOU need HIM get in touch
Sincere congratulations to PAUL McKIE, who has been awarded the rank of Past Provincial Grand Steward by the PGM. Unfortunately the Annual Investiture Meeting in June 2020 could not be held, but Paul is delighted at this honour conferred on him
The October 2020 Promotions Meeting did not take place but congratulations are extended to our Worshipful Master, Bro. S.A. LEE on his Promotion to PPJGW. Congratulations are also shared with Ryton Holy Cross Lodge as our SW,
Bro. D. ANDERSON is also to be promoted to PPJGW. Our best wishes to both these Brethren
Bro Andrew HEDLEY will be honoured in Provincial Grand Lodge in 2021 with the rank of PPAGReg, our sincere congratulations go out to Bro. Andrew
Bro. Alf FOX, a Joining Member of St Mary's Lodge and our Durham Benevolent Representative will be promoted to PPGSwdB in Provincial Grand Lodge in 2021. Our congratulations go out to Bro. Alf
Our long-serving Secretary was promoted to PPJGW in Provincial Grand Lodge in 2021. George carries out a tremendous amount of work for our Lodge and for Freemasonry in Gateshead and our congratulations go out to him on his promotion
If you have any concerns or need any assistance please call or contact Paul McKie, or our Lodge Secretary George Tatters, or our WM Steven Lee, who will be happy to assist in any way
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WELCOME TO OUR FREEMASONS LODGE WEBSITE UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND
Our next meeting is on a day and date to be advised but we will commence at 6.45pm. We also welcome Visiting Brethren (with current guidelines and restrictions to be observed) to attend any of our Meetings in our Masonic Year
Whenever the next meeting is held, a First Degree Ceremony will be worked with a Candidate
St. Mary’s Lodge meet and are located within The Masonic Centre, Alexandra Road, Gateshead NE8 1RB (https://www.gatesheadmasonic.co.uk/) and we are part of the large masonic family of Masonic Lodges in the former County Durham area of the UK, known as the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham, being Lodge Number 4864
As supporters of the Durham 2021 RMTGB Festival, we are delighted to have obtained our Gold Award, raising over £15,500 through our Members efforts
‘‘4864 NEWS’’ is the Newsletter of St Mary’s Lodge. The latest edition is available in printed format at the Gateshead Masonic Hall or a PDF version is available from the ‘About the Lodge’ section below or on request from Bro W. Baty (wbaty@aol.com) for anyone interested in our Lodge and Freemasonry
St Mary’s Lodge have Candidates for all our meetings in 2021-2022
VISITING BRETHREN WILL ALWAYS RECEIVE A
WARM WELCOME IN ST MARY'S LODGE
Remember Brethren that if you cannot attend a Lodge Meeting or a Lodge of Instruction, please submit your apologies by contacting our Secretary, George Tatters. If you are an Officer please notify our Director of Ceremonies Bill Baty (contact details on the Lodge Summons) so that alternative arrangements can be made if necessary
In both these cases, our Almoner, Bro. P.J. McKie, can then be notified of all absentees and these can be included in the 9.30pm Absent Brethren's Toast on our Lodge Night
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If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Freemason please refer to the ‘Contact Us’ area of our Website, indicating ‘Membership’ in the subject area. A return call or correspondence in confidence will then be made to you
About the Lodge
Location
We are based within the Masonic Centre, Alexandra Road, Gateshead NE8 1RB, Tyne & Wear, where several other Lodges also meet. Search online for the Gateshead Masonic Hall (https://www.gatesheadmasonic.co.uk/) and follow the Link from this Website for more details of this splendid building. You can find out who meets here and how the premises and its excellent facilities can be hired by anyone for their function, wedding, celebration, meeting, christening, birthday, seminar or any family gathering etc.
4864 News
St Mary's Lodge produce a Newsletter for our Members, Visiting Brethren and anyone else who is interested in who we are and what we do. It is attached below in PDF format for you to download. If it is of interest to you then please let us know. If you want to find out more about St Mary’s Lodge and Freemasonry generally then get in touch. If you wish to contribute contact Bill Baty
Date and Times
St Mary’s Lodge meet nine times per year on the first Friday of each of the months of February (Installation meeting), March, April, May, June, September, October, November, and December. We always have an Annual Lecture in December with a good speaker delivering it
Regular Lodge Meetings always commence at 6.45pm
The Annual Festival Meeting in February commences at approximately 5.30pm, with the Annual Festival Dinner following at 7.30pm
Next and Future Meetings
CORONAVIRUS SUSPENSION. Our next Lodge Meeting will be held, Covid-19 permitting, on FRIDAY, 3rd SEPTEMBER, 2021 commencing at 6.45pm prompt. Our WM and Officers will work a First Degree Ceremony with a candidate after the reappointment of the Officers
CORONAVIRUS SUSPENSION. Our Lodge of Instruction always meets on the ‘‘Last Thursday of the Month’’. The next Lodges of Instruction will be held, Covid-19 permitting, on THURSDAY, 19th and THURSDAY 26th of AUGUST, commencing at 6.00pm in the Main Lodge Room at Gateshead
When this meeting is rearranged, Bro S.A. Lee, WM, assisted by the Officers and Past Masters will work a First Degree Ceremony. All Brethren taking part in the Ceremony and Lodge Officers are expected to attend
The Lodge Summons for the next Regular Meeting will be displayed below when the date is known. All Lodge Summons are currently suspended
Forthcoming Events
LODGE OF INSTRUCTION
Thursday,
19th & 26th of AUGUST 2021,
6.00pm
CORONAVIRUS SUSPENSION. Always on the last Thursday of the month. The business of the next Lodges of Instruction (please note there will be TWO) will be a Practice of the First Degree Ceremony by the WM and Officers at Gateshead
All Officers and Past Masters are requested to attend. A cordial invitation is extended to all MM’s
Lecture Master will be Bro W. Baty, PM, PProvSGW, Director of Ceremonies
LODGE MEETING
Friday,
3rd of SEPTEMBER 2021,
6.45pm
CORONAVIRUS SUSPENSION. Followed by Supper afterwards in the Dining Room at approximately 8.15pm. More details to come about numbers able to attend and dining arrangements
Visiting Brethren will always receive a warm welcome to St Mary’s Lodge. There is no need to pre-book a meal, just come along, sign the dining sheet and enjoy a great masonic evening
Charities & Grants
These fall into three main categories:
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Masonic Relief Grants: financial assistance for Freemasons and their families who are experiencing hardship
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Grants to Charities: support for the important work of registered charities of all sizes. Community Support and Research grants are now provided by the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF)
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Other Masonic Charities: when justifiable needs arise, to support the work of the other Masonic charities
The MCF continues to donate large sums to areas that are suffering hardship, strife or natural disasters
The MCF is dedicated to helping people in need and has donated over £120 million since 1981
Each year, The MCF provides relief grants for hundreds of individuals who are experiencing financial difficulty, as well as donating millions of pounds to nationwide and international charitable projects
TLC, Teddy Bear Appeal, a Durham Initiative
The objective is simple: to provide TLC Teddies to all of the Accident and Emergency Units and Child Hospices within the Province of Durham. Since its launch, we have donated almost 100,000 teddies to local hospitals.
What are TLC Teddies?
TLC Teddies are a small Teddy Bear bearing a label simply stating ‘Donated by local Freemasons’ these are distributed to the Accident and Emergency Units and Child hospice and Respite Care Centres of Durham and are given at the medical staff’s discretion to young patients to help alleviate distress. The Teddy helps to distract the child while giving them a friend and someone to hug while allowing the medical staff to get on with their urgent work.
How are they funded?
The beauty of this appeal is in its simplicity. The fund collects donations from both Lodges and individuals and turns the money into Teddies, these Teddies are then distributed amongst the Accident and Emergency units within the Province. The success of the project relies on annual donations from each Lodge in the Province.
Benefits for the Community and Freemasonry
The appeal benefits the community through the A&E departments that serve them. The use of the teddies has been proved to have beneficial effects for children admitted to A&E units by relieving their distress and alleviating the fear of being treated by complete strangers. They also act as a tool to help staff befriend the child as well as a reward for being brave. It has also been found that the medical staff can perform tasks i.e. injections on the Teddy first making the child far less frightened
The appeal is a Masonic initiative and therefore no reward is sought, however, the simple nature of the appeal has benefited Freemasonry by raising our profile in a positive way.
The Durham 2021 Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys (RMTGB) Festival
This is the Durham 2021 Festival where we have been targeted to raise £2.7m concluding in February 2021
Lodges are given specific targets relevant to their membership at the start of the Festival and are encouraged to donate either by continuous giving or supporting the many events, initiatives and fundraising organised
Awards are given at Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum stages of achievement and appropriate recognition is made to those Lodges who reach this
The Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys aims to relieve poverty and advance education for children and young people. In addition to its main grant-making work, it also supports the exceptional talents of young people and those who need financial assistance to embrace life-changing opportunities. They award grants to both national and local children's charities and provide in-kind support to individual and separate charities
St Mary’s Durham 2021 Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys (RMTGB) Festival
St Mary’s Lodge have been awarded the Gold Award for all their efforts and Festival contributions. This equates to 100% of our target of £15,500 raised, a great achievement
Durham Benevolence
One of the three fundamental principles of Freemasonry is administered in our Province by the Durham Masonic Benevolent Fund, a registered charity number 279313
The Provincial Benevolent Committee consists of an elected member from every Lodge in the Province
As a Charity with assets over £8m, they are very proud of our low administrative costs mainly due to the time and experience freely given by so many dedicated and enthusiastic Freemasons and by the staff in Provincial Office in Sunderland
Their two residential housing properties at Fulwell, Sunderland and Bishop Auckland are flagships of the organisation
Durham Benevolence provides assistance in many ways to local causes or individuals. An application can be made to them for this assistance, further information is available by contacting them directly
What is Freemasonry?
Above is a video from some Durham Freemasons, it gives their opinions on Freemasonry. There are other videos available on YouTube for the individual to view
Freemasonry
Means different things to each individual who joins or have an opinion on it. For some, it is about socialising and making new friends and acquaintances. For many others, it is about being able to help deserving causes – making a contribution to people less fortunate or assist a family. individual, the community or society in general. But for most, it is, and should also be, an enjoyable hobby
Freemasonry is one of the world’s oldest and largest non-religious, non-political, fraternal and charitable organisations. It teaches self-knowledge through participation in a progression of ceremonies. Members are expected to be of high moral standing and are encouraged to speak openly about their Freemasonry. The following information is intended to explain Freemasonry as it is practised under the United Grand Lodge of England, which administers Lodges of Freemasons in England and Wales and in many places overseas
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Freemasonry is a society of men concerned with moral and spiritual values. Its members are taught its principles (moral lessons and self-knowledge) by a series of ritual dramas – a progression of allegorical plays which are learnt by heart and performed within each Lodge – which follow ancient forms, and use stonemasons’ customs and tools as allegorical guides. These are performed in the Lodge Room and afterwards, Freemasons retire to a Festive Board Dinner for a meal and refreshments where they can relax, enjoy each other’s company and also acknowledge an informal side of Freemasonry through various toasts and responses
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Freemasonry instils in its members a moral and ethical approach to life. Its values are based on integrity, kindness, honesty and fairness. Members are urged to consider the role of the family as paramount but, just as important, Freemasonry also teaches concern for people, to care for the less fortunate and to help those in need
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The joining of a masonic lodge is a commitment to be a good citizen as well as a good member of the Lodge and to attend and to support all the things that are organised within the Lodge, the place one meets and Freemasonry generally. However that support is not just a financial one; assistance can be forthcoming by giving a helping hand, making a gesture, an offer of help, a thought, a telephone call, or giving up one’s time to assist in some way
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There are Three ‘Degrees’ in Freemasonry and everyone who joins has passed through these. They are symbolic ‘Ceremonies’ of Initiation, Passing and Raising which takes place over several months. Candidates for joining should also be made aware that membership of the Royal Arch Chapter is expected. This Order is directly attached to Craft Freemasonry and its ceremony forms the completion of a Master Mason’s membership. More information about this area of Freemasonry is available from the Lodge Secretary
Freemasonry used to play a very important part of community life in the 18th, 19th and early part of the 20th Centuries but has now had to come to terms with the popularity of other forms of socialising. Because of this, and other factors, membership of the organisation has reduced, but being a Freemason, the standards expected and the ideals it stands for have not, nor ever will be, compromised
Each Lodge, and there are about 160+ in the Province of Durham alone, have a group of Officers, led by the Worshipful Master (WM), who perform the ceremonies mentioned above. Others Brethren may assist in these ceremonies and all the words are expected to be learnt by the individual. Officers within the Lodge. Officers change every year, in a progressive system of advancement. The WM is the Senior Officer within the Lodge and is expected to represent the Lodge on all masonic occasions he attends. Of course, other Officers are expected to do the same. Freemasons visit each other's Lodges and friendships and relationships are struck with Lodges and individuals
St Mary’s Lodge meet on the first Friday of every month at 6.45pm, except January, July and August with the Annual Installation in February starting around 5.30pm
The costs associated with joining and staying a subscribing member of a Lodge are available on request from the Lodge Secretary or Lodge Treasurer but are not excessive. However, the individual must be aware there is a financial obligation and responsibility to becoming a Freemason
Freemasonry embraces family life and families are encouraged to participate. Many Lodges have meetings to which family members are invited and this is greatly encouraged
Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth are three foremost principles of Freemasonry and when put together with charitable work and good deeds, it is hoped that being a member of our organisation will make the individual a better person; respected and recognised as being a good and honest citizen and member of society
Freemasons support Masonic charities in a huge way, but also support many other charities and good causes. Freemasonry is one of the largest contributors to good and needy causes and emergency situations but it is rarely recognised or acknowledged. Freemasons donate, through United Grand Lodge and the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), huge amounts for emergency appeals, distress situations, research and hardships, educational grants, family assistance etc. Members are expected to support Charity but never in a way that is detrimental to themselves or their families
Further information on Freemasonry and St. Mary’s Lodge can be obtained from the Lodge Secretary, through our Lodge Website or Lodge Members
Lodge Secretary: George R. Tatters (0191) 4202079
Lodge Mentor: William Baty (07956 125851)
