Brother Jeff Meade receives a Past Masters apron from Worshipful Master John Shaughnessy

On January 5th, Pewee Valley Lodge had its first meeting of the new year 2016 and what a busy night it was!  Worshipful Master John Shaughnessy presided over a full house and took care of a lot of business.  Several petitions were read and voted on, correspondence and minutes from two past meetings were gone over, new committees were established and a few awards were handed out. 

Brother H.I. Riggs receives a 50 Year Service Award from Worshipful Master John Shaughnessy

Also, the Worshipful Master from Fortitude Lodge in Lagrange, Tom McShane, was there and discussed the plans for their upcoming Master Mason degree on January 25th.  The brothers of Pewee Valley Lodge and the Louisville Scottish Rite will be assisting Fortitude Lodge with the degree and Pewee Valley has a Fellow Craft that will be receiving the Master Mason degree as well.  Please be sure to come out and show your support for these brothers!  Dinner begins at 6:30 pm with the Lodge opening at 7:30 pm.

Have you ever wondered about the meaning of the 12 Days of Christmas?

Our Brother Doug Flowers, PM shared this with us in the Lodge and we thought other brothers who weren't there would appreciate this.  Thanks Bro. Doug for sharing!

"TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially that partridge that won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning; the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.  Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit:  Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

Eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

Twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history lesson for today. I found this interesting and creative, and now I know how this "very strange" song became a Beautiful Christmas Carol."

(From left to right: Rob Henry, Phil Feigel, Harold Blandford, John Adkins, John Shaughnessy, Larry Mann PM, Rick Fletcher PM, Bob Strange & Jim Wright)

Pewee Valley Lodge No. 829, Free & Accepted Masons had their annual lodge officer Installation this past meeting with all of the new officers for the coming year of 2016 successfully installed and/or appointed to their new positions.  This is always a festive time in the Lodge and it was great to see so many Brothers, along with their families and friends, at the Lodge.

The Lodge is already off to a busy start with a Master Mason degree coming soon for the first part of the year.  If you're interested in assisting us with this degree, be sure to let one of the Brothers know.

We'd also like to wish our new Worshipful Master John Shaughnessy, a very successful and happy year in all that he pursues.  The Brothers of Pewee Valley Lodge will be behind you every step of the way!

If you'd like to see more photos from the Installation, you can do so by clicking on this link:  Pewee Valley Lodge Installation for 2016

Newly raised brothers Larry Pace, Robert Henry, (Worshipful Master Jeffrey Meade) and Nick McIntosh

Saturday November 7th, we had the honor to raise three new brothers to the degree of Master Masons!  Everyone did a fantastic job in conferring this degree and we even had a few brothers from out of town to come in and assist us with the work.

We also have a busy schedule for the remainder of the year.  Our next meeting, Nov. 17th, we will be conferring the Fellow Craft degree.  Then, the first meeting in December, we will be having our annual Lodge officer elections followed by our Installation for the last meeting in December.  Come out, support the Lodge and share in the Fellowship!