William J. Mollere, 33°, Deputy in Louisiana

Scottish Rite Freemasonry is not a destination; it is a journey! I have heard this phrase used over and over, and it has become central to my view of our Craft. Not too many years ago, I remember beginning my journey into Scottish Rite Masonry—going out to my home Scottish Rite Valley during Reunions and meeting new members, renewing friendships with old friends, drinking an ice-cold “Delaware Punch” from a little glass bottle, eating some “Jack’s Butter Cookies” (you know, the ones with the fluted edges and the hole in the center), and standing around watching a Saturday or Sunday fall football game on the TV, its volume turned low, in the lobby. That was where the majority of the 32° Masons were during a four-day Reunion. It was a wonderful lobby with a big coffee pot. Most of the older members drank lots of coffee on those weekends. Along with jokes and wonderful fellowship, there were anecdotes from “The War” (WW2) and stories from the industrial plants where many worked. We would have our part in a Degree and maybe get recruited to be a “stump-sitter” in another Degree.

Those were the best days in my memory of Scottish Rite Masonry. Most men came to visit and see friends. Many came to put on “their” Degree. Some came to eat lunch and just hang out on a weekend. But all were at the Reunion of the Scottish Rite participating in fellowship and experiencing brotherhood at its best. Those wonderful, successful Reunion weekends were a journey for me. I learned at the feet of many great men who shared their knowledge, interests, enthusiasms, and love of the Fraternity, and they, in turn, shared the journey with me.

But then something happened. The “Delaware Punch” was no longer available in those little glass bottles, somebody forgot to pick up the “Jack’s Butter Cookies,” and the TV broke. It became too much trouble to clean up the lobby area. The “powers” began to notice a drop in attendance and wondered why people stopped coming to the Reunions and why there was also a drop in the number of Candidates. The “powers” thought some more and finally decided that those Reunions had been going on for so long that people were just tired and “burned out”—that overused and under-thought word. Men, they said, didn’t have time to devote two weekends twice a year to Scottish Rite, so why not “change and have a One-Day Reunion!”

So the Reunions were shortened, and all of the Degrees were no longer performed. Strangely, the people who had performed those “other” Degrees for 25+ years went home, and some even quit. They were no longer needed. Besides, there weren’t any “Delaware Punch” or “Jack’s Butter Cookies,” and the TV wasn’t replaced. When somebody decided the members were “burned out,” Reunion weekends became a destination. When they reached it, their Masonic journey was over.

The story that Masonry peaked in the early 1960s and then began to decline is reported in every publication printed today about Masonic numbers. Many papers have been written on the reason for this loss of membership. Clearly, when you lose members and don’t replace them, there is a loss of membership. Death takes quite a few, and most of those members fail to give two-weeks notice. It is hard to replace those people. Some quit because they got into something and then decided it wasn’t what they thought it was. Why? Did Masonry do a bad job explaining from the start, or did Masonry change, or did that member change? Various explanations were offered: “Oh, he had burnout.” “He was in too much, and his wife wanted him home at night.” “He got so involved with his church, he didn’t have time for Masonry anymore.” “He worked all day, was tired, and just wanted to go home.”

Masonry never wanted the idle, indolent, or unproductive. Masonry was to seek the active, responsible, and productive, so the member should have been involved in other things from the beginning. The member’s religious life was always important—it was emphasized from his start in Masonry (remember “In Whom do you place your trust?”). Having a relationship with God and pursuing that relationship have always been central to Freemasonry.

So why did he burn out? That member reached his destination in Masonry, and Masonry let him walk away.

What was your reason for beginning your journey in Masonry? Why did you continue into the Scottish Rite? You probably wanted to join with good men you knew and respected. You probably saw the best men in the community belonging to the Masonic Lodge, and you wanted to be a part of what those men shared. You joined a great organization that attempted to improve all who entered and became a part of it, so you began your Masonic journey. The lessons taught were impressive and worth living. Your journey into those lessons—trying to be a better man, husband, father, neighbor, citizen, and to worship God as best you could—was an exciting adventure. Your journey took you into the lessons of friendship, morality, and brotherly love. You tried to understand that faith, hope, and charity could be practiced daily using wisdom, strength, and beauty in your life. You attempted to relate to the liberty, equality, and fraternity that all men wanted. Your journey in Masonry was through Masonry itself. You, no doubt, became a better man, husband, father, neighbor, citizen, and supporter of your church, synagogue, or temple.

So where are you today? Are you still on a journey, or have you reached a destination and use the excuse of burnout? Are you a paying Mason and also a participating Mason in your Scottish Rite and any other Masonic group to which you belong? Is your journey still exciting and full of adventure?

There is no such thing as burnout. That is an excuse. Have you exchanged your journey for a destination? You can become tired or have reasons for not participating, but your journey does not have to be over. Remember back to those days when you joined Scottish Rite. If you do not have those same feelings today, then you need to get back to your journey in Scottish Rite.
To all of you on the journey, thank you for continuing to be a practicing Scottish Rite Mason.

William J. Mollere has been a DeMolay since age 14 and served as Grand Master and is Grand Secretary Emeritus of DeMolay International. A member of the Valley of Baton Rouge since 1968 (KCCH, 1977; 33° 1991), he was appointed Personal Representative for the Orient of Louisiana in 1996 and Deputy in Louisiana on October 13, 2003. Continuing a civic career in Louisiana state government, Deputy Mollere is now the Senior Technical Advisor for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Ill. Mollere is active in many Masonic groups, including two Blue Lodges. Contacts: P.O. Box 15766, Baton Rouge, LA 70895-5766; gm6275th@eatel.net.