Covid -19 Update 12th November 2021 GMM Bro William Ramsay McGhee

 poppy2021

 They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

 

SCFS

 

The Group saw its membership rise to 5888 Brethren from not only the Scottish Constitution but from many of our Sister Constitutions throughout the world.

This week saw the total examples of charitable giving recorded within the group rise to 966, submitted by 319 of its members.

These updated contributions can now be attributed as to being made on behalf of 338 Lodges, from within 55 of its Provincial Grand Lodges, District Grand Lodges, Superintendencies and Lodges abroad under the direct supervision of Grand Lodge. 

This week posts were submitted by group members representing the Provinces of Inverness-shire, Lanarkshire Middle Ward, Linlithgowshire & Perthshire West.

The total identifiable monetary value of the contributions now recorded has risen to £1,762,840.

 

SCFS Overseas Report  

 

  • Three outstanding posts, highlighting the support to charity and within the community by our Overseas Brethren, were published this week. 
  • A donation of over £1100 to Breast Cancer by Lodge St. Andrew, No. 829, and the Scottish Masonic Charitable Foundation of Western Australia (SMCFWA).
  • A donation of 10 tablets by Lodge Calabar, No. 1844, in the District of Jamaica, to needy students at Calabar College.
  • Donations by the District Grand Lodge of Western Australia, the Daughter Lodges and SMCFWA of over £6500 towards a mobile skin cancer screening bus and the Special Children’s Big Day Out. 
  • Our Overseas Membership has now reached a total of 1643 brethren with new members joining from Lodges in the Far East (Philippines), Jamaica, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada. The largest increase in membership was from the District of Nigeria, with the most Brethren joining from an individual Lodge coming from Lodge Itebite, No. 1619, in Nigeria
  • Our ICMs (International Constitution Members … brethren who are members of Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS) play an important role in spreading news of the excellent charity and community support being provided to so many. This week we reached the milestone of welcoming our 1000th ICM, with our ICM total now standing at 1009
  • Many congratulations are extended to our 1000th ICM who is Brother Norberto Gamarra, IPM, Asunción Lodge, No. 124, Symbolic Grand Lodge of Paraguay. 
  • During this week, new members joined from 13 different Masonic constitutions, including the Grand Lodges of California, Canada in the Province of Ontario, Massachusetts, Quebec, Nigeria, India, Alberta, Philippines, UGLE (South Africa, Nigeria), New South Wales and ACT, and Ireland.
  • In addition to the above, a special welcome was extended to BrotherJorge Zeledón-PachecoPastGrand Master of the Grand Lodge of Costa Rica

Next week there will be a meeting of the Administration Committee who, once again, will have a full agenda to deal with, and that of course, will be followed the following week by the Grand Lodge Installation. The Installation will obviously be a bit different to normal with numbers limited and no Festival of St Andrew to follow. However, it is good that we are getting back to some form of normality and actually having an Installation. Hopefully by November 2022 we will be in full flow once again.

My sincere thanks to the Brethren of Lodge Thorntree for a superb day in Nitshill as we celebrated 150 years of Freemasonry in Thornliebank.

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other.

Ramsay McGhee

Grand Master Mason