Masters Message Summer 2025

My Worthy Brothers,

This is the first day of many, whereby I humbly create for the brethren a year’s worth of Master’s Messages. As I’ve so often heard, it truly does take some time to get used to having been conferred the title of “Worshipful Master.” And, as many of you heard upon greeting me in that manner at our St Johns Steak Fry, just four short days post the SJ1P Annual & Banquet, I prompted you to say it multiple times, much to my delight. I thank all who indulged me with those precious moments. For me, those were legacy moments, and now, forever memories. As noted in my acceptance speech, I respectfully thank each and every SJ1P Brother who thought enough of my character and my ability to lead this Lodge for the ensuing year and to put that thought to paper. And now we get to the work of the Lodge.

As many, if not all, Past Masters before me have experienced, the last two weeks of June are unavoidably structured to be a very busy time for SJ1P. Now, I too, know this all too well. In early 2025, while the Senior Warden in the West, bookings were made for the Holiday Party, the Steak Fry, the Past Masters Dinner, the Annual & Banquet and the Family Picnic to name them.

For your planning purposes, SJ1P’s 2025 Holiday Party is scheduled for Saturday December 20th, 2025 (NO storms please) at Quidnessett Country Club, where a great time was had by all this past December. This coming December will be no exception.

The Past Masters Dinner was held at Iron Works on June 16th, a scant week prior to the annual. As was hoped for, I was able to leverage the assessment and opinions of my initial plans of what to do, and conversely, what not to do for the upcoming year by the attending Past Masters. The fellowship and counsel given was warmly accepted and appreciated. The food was phenomenal as well. It was another memorable evening, only exceeded by the wisdom of our Past Masters. THANK YOU!

The Saint Johns 2025 Annual & Banquet was held on Sunday June 22nd at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the Metro District installation team of District Deputy Grand Master, in his Mother Lodge, St Johns very own R∴W∴ Mazen Alsabe and his Worshipful Master of Ceremonies Anthony M. Amaral, for the precision floor work and oration of the ritual so critically necessary to facilitate the timeless Masonic obligation, installation and proclamation of Officers. THANK YOU!

I’ve often wondered what the impression and take away is of the profane who witness our time-honored ceremony, many for the first time, might be of it. So, I asked. One daughter stated, “I thought the memorization was impressive.” She definitely offered a profound thought as I think we Masons might on occasion take that aspect for granted since it’s a requisite necessity. My son-in-law commented on how noticeable it was that Masons from other Lodges were there to offer well wishes/congratulations. I think we all lovingly call that ‘Grand Lodge Introductions.’

To my Prologue team, I could not have been more honored by your presence on that special evening. MWPGM Dennis Pothier, your historical overview of the origins of Freemasonry, still shrouded in the mystery and unknown that are part of its charm, were, and will always be, an invaluable gift to our guests, who might otherwise be unaware of where we began the laudable work that this fraternity performs. No less meritorious, WPM of St Johns 1P, John B. Paliotta along with WPM of Daylight #48, Past Grand High Priest, Past Eminent Commander St John’s Commandery #1, Past Commander in Chief of Consistory at Scottish Rite Freemasonry, Bob Fish. THANK YOU!

Now, for some current and pending Masonic activity, the Annual St Johns 1P Family Picnic will be held on Sunday, August 3rd, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM at the Masonic Youth Center in Buttonwoods. Please see the incorporated flyer for further details, or reach out to myself or Worshipful Brother Junior Warden Scott Miller with any questions. Please mail your RSVP to W∴ Brother Miller in a timely manner but no later than Sunday July 27th, 2025 in order for us to have plentiful food and refreshments for your enjoyment. We will cherish the time we get to spend with members and their families and prospective new SJ1P candidates on that day.

The progressive line officers will meet on Tuesday, July 15th, at 6:00 PM for our Organizational Meeting, to earnestly begin preparing to implement the plans and scheduling requirements for our 2025-2026 Masonic year.

For Masonic year 2025-2026 and beyond, I’ve adopted, and presently in the beginning stages of, planning fundraising activities and methodologies for charitable donations to the Jimmy Fund. The Jimmy Fund began in Boston in 1948 as a way for the community to raise money in support of Dr. Sidney Farber's groundbreaking cancer research and care. Personally, I’ve been a regular donor for multiple decades. For one simple reason. Those 3 daughters that I introduced to you at the annual, and hopefully the 2 grand babies to follow. All healthy at birth, with all the functioning parts. I will never forget those fortuitous birthing moments that I witnessed in real time and want to help those not blessed with that same good fortune.

I do hope that the gavel in the picture of your newest WM caught your eye. To my knowledge I’m the 3rd SJ1P Master to receive a handmade gavel from craftsman and Brother Len Doeg. Look at that beauty. The motif is that of a motorcycle, which was casually mentioned to Br. Len around one of his nearly year-round campfires, literally 2+ years ago, when he asked me when I might be elected as Master. The rest is history. If you were in attendance when it was presented to me, you and I both saw it for the first time at the same moment. After any given meeting, I invite you to stop by to view it and feel it for yourself. It’s stunning. It’s heavy. I can’t thank you enough for this gesture Br. Len, I promise to strike it with pride. And I thank you for your military service, Finally, although I pledged to you yesterday, today, and every day, to do the job that’s been bestowed on me of leading this legacy-filled Lodge to the best of my abilities with vigor and zeal, neither I, nor any of the other SJ1P Worshipful Masters, past, present and future can do it alone. To the brethren and to my progressive line Officers, elected and appointed, I will support you, prepare you, encourage you, challenge you, and most importantly………..rely on you. And I plan take this remarkable journey with you. All I ask in return is the same of you.

With all of that said, and as with any other SJ1P Masonic year, we have a lot of work ahead of us, packed with the requisite monthly meetings, rehearsals, more rehearsals, degree work, visitations, educational forums, social and charitable events.

And it begins right now.
Yours in the Craft,

W∴Robert James Larrabee
Robert James LarrabeeMaster, St. Johns No. 1 Providence