Dedicated to the memory of all Master Masons
This website is dedicated to the memory of all Master Masons who have escaped their earthly bonds and crossed over into that land from whose bourne no traveller returns. As Freemasons, we cherish their memory and embrace them with the broad mantle of Masonic Brotherly Love and Charity. When conducting the Masonic graveside service, the following is the way we say a final goodbye to a brother:
Soft and safe to thee, my Brother, be this thy earthly bed. Fragrant be the acacia sprig that here shall flourish. May the earliest buds of spring unfold their beauties on this, thy resting place; and here may the sweetness of the summer rose linger latest. Though the cold blast of autumn may lay them in the dust, and for a time destroy the loveliness of their existence, yet the destruction is not final, and in the springtime they shall bloom again.
So, in the bright morning of the world’s resurrection, may thy mortal frame, now laid in the dust by the chilling blast of death, spring again into the newness of life, and expand in immortal beauty in realms beyond the skies. Until then, my Brother; until then — farewell.
Freemasonry is a fraternal Order founded upon the Brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God. Masonry is not a religion because it does not provide a system of faith nor offer a plan of salvation. However, it does require that a man profess a belief in God before he can become a Mason. Being a system of morality, Masonry teaches its initiates brotherly love, relief, truth and charity, especially to the Widows and Orphans of its Brethren. Its universal objective is to take good men and make them better men. Freemasonry teaches us that there is life after death – it doesn’t define the steps necessary to attain eternal life, Freemasonry leaves that up to an individual’s religion. Below is a statement regarding eternal life taken from the Masonic Funeral Service:
One subject upon which Freemasonry sounds no uncertain note is the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. We have implicit faith that we shall meet again and be reunited with those whom we have long loved and lost for a while.
Memorial Lodge No. 18 has been formed for the purpose of conducting Masonic Funeral and Memorial Services for deceased, sojourning Brethren and to assist all the Regular Lodges in the Eighteenth Masonic District in conducting Masonic Services for their departed Brothers. We meet at Tarpon Lodge No. 112, located at 28 North Ring Avenue, Tarpon Springs, Fl., 34689 on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM. All Master Masons are always welcome.