A Memorial Service Program
Masonic Workshop
Program
Fall -- 1963
The Committee on Masonic Education and Service
The Grand Lodge of Texas, A.F.&A.M.
Foreward
It was Thomas Jefferson who said, "The measure of a people is the esteem and respect in which they hold their dead." With this in mind, it seems appropriate that the officers of Masonic Lodges which do not now do so, should consider instituting an Annual Memorial Service honoring those members who have passed away during the preceding twelve months.
The Committee on Masonic Education and Service presents herewith a suggested Memorial Service for the optional use of the Constituent Lodges of Texas. Upon study, it will be found to be completely flexible, and can be adapted for use in the smallest or largest Lodge.
It can be effectively presented in either a Tiled or an Open Meeting at the discretion of the Worshipful Master. While a Tiled Meeting for this purpose is perfectly proper, the Committee suggests that serious consideration be given to presenting it in an Open Meeting to which all Masons, their families and friends are invited, and the immediate family of each deceased member is especially invited. An Open Memorial Service will certainly tend to improve the image of Masonry in the Lodge's community by showing that we do remember and highly regard those of our members who have joined the ranks of the Silent Majority, endearing them in our memory, and reminding us as Masons that the inexorable march of Time leads each of us ever closer to taking our place in the Celestial Lodge above.
Several appendices immediately follow the Memorial script. These contain selections of invitations, invocations, musical numbers, eulogies, poetry quotations, Memorial Addresses, and benedictions. There are included in the hope that they will be useful; however, no hesitation should be felt in composing others if desired. It is felt that in many cases, ministers are Masons will be called upon to give the invocation Memorial Address, or benediction, and if so, will probably prefer to prepare their own selections.
The following suggestions may be helpful:
1. This type of service is covered in the Grand Master's General Dispensation on Open Meetings, so no special permission is necessary for an Open Memorial Service;
2. It is required, however, that the Lodge be opened and called off prior to the Memorial Service, and called back and closed at its conclusion;
3. Written invitations are desirable, especially for the families of the deceased, but do not need to be elaborate. A Lodge committee calling on the families could make oral invitations;
4. The Lodge room should be clean and neat, and aprons freshly laundered and pressed;
5. Dress for Lodge officers, and those who will participate in the Service, should be a conservative business suit, just as would be worn if attending a funeral;
6. Flowers are not required, but a spray or bouquet of fresh flowers on one of the steps immediately in front of the Master's station, can be very effective;
7. A table should be placed in the northeast portion of the working floor. This can be as simple as a folding card table covered with a clean white cloth;
8. The required number of tapers, in candleholders, should be placed in a line on the table, with a folder of matches at each taper. Inexpensive glass candleholders can be obtained at most variety stores. The tapers should be fresh and unused at the start of the service;
9. Ideally, lighting in the Lodge room should be subdued during the Service, which is simple if there is a dimming device for the lighting system. Otherwise, perhaps the same effect could be achieved by turning off the overhead lights, being sure to leave sufficient light for any participants who may have to read their parts;
10. Special seating should be reserved for the families of the deceased;
11. All Masons should wear aprons; officers should wear their jewels and be in their stations and places, and the Master should be covered;
12. While music and singing are not required, its use can add much to the Service. If desired, it can be by actual performers or by recording. The use of a sound system, if available, by those who speak in the Service, as well as those who furnish music and/or singing, will add to the beauty and effectiveness of the Service;
13. Those who have speaking parts in the Service should be Brethren who have good voices and can speak clearly and distinctly. It is not necessary that they be Past Masters, but if one or more of the deceased Brethren was a Past Master, then a Past Master should give the memorial to him or them;
14. It is certainly desirable that memorials be given from memory, but may be read if necessary, and if so, it is suggested that each be typed out on a slip of paper and placed in front of each memorial taper, and each such slip should contain the name or names to be memorialized by the lighting of each particular taper;
15. If five or less Brethren are to be honored in the Service, a separate taper can be used for each. If the number of Brethren is larger, then they can be divided into groups such as members, charter-members, 50-year members, past or present Lodge Officers, past or present Grand Lodge Officers, etc., with a taper to be lighted for each group;
16. It is suggested that each Brother who is to give a memorial, light the taper first, then give the eulogy, then the poetical selection, and then be seated. Tapers should remain burning until the audience has been dismissed;
17. If desired, it is entirely appropriate to serve light refreshments in the banquet room immediately upon the close of the Service.
Those Lodges which do decide to have a Memorial Service, in presenting it, will no doubt discover many ways and methods of making it even more effective than the Service here suggested. In such cases, the Committee will especially appreciate your sending in your suggestions for improving the Service, so that we may consider passing such suggestions on to all the Constituent Lodges of Texas.
Memorial Service Script
Worshipful Master: (Standing) Ladies, friends, and Brethren. We come to the solemn hour of memorial with reverence and a heavy heart, but never the less, a people with hope.
Music: (See Appendix C) Taps-Recorded or live Hymn-Recorded or live
Worshipful Master: (Standing) We pause in our labors to pay our tribute of love and esteem to our departed Brethren who, since the last service of this Lodge, have passed from the cares and troubles of this transitory existence into the Celestial Lodge above. We approach this solemn hour in a spirit of reverence and solemnity, our hearts heavy with the awareness that never again in this mortal life shall we experience the warm spirit of friendship and brotherhood that these, our deceased Brethren, extended to us, but secure in the knowledge that they live eternally in the Lodge above and in our memory. Ladies, friends, and Brethren, you will please rise for the Memorial Invocation to be pronounced by our Chaplain. (Three gavels.)
Chaplain: (All standing) Memorial Invocation. (Choose one from Appendix B or compose your own.) (One gavel.)
Opening Musical Selection: (Select one from Appendix C.)
Worshipful Master: Brethren, we now come to the moment of lighting the Memorial tapers in memory of those we have lost in the last year. Brother (name) will light the first Memorial taper.
(Participant lights taper, gives eulogy and poetical selection and resumes seat.)
Worshipful Master: Brother (name) will light the second Memorial taper.
(Participant lights taper, gives eulogy and poetical selection and resumes seat.)
Worshipful Master: Brother (name) will light the third Memorial taper.
(Participant lights taper, gives eulogy and poetical selection and resumes seat.)
Worshipful Master: Brother (name) will light the fourth Memorial taper.
(Participant lights taper, gives eulogy and poetical selection and resumes seat.)
Worshipful Master: Brother (name) will light the fifth Memorial taper.
(Participant lights taper, gives eulogy and poetical selection and resumes seat.)
Worshipful Master: Brother (name) will light the sixth Memorial taper.
(Participant lights taper, gives eulogy and poetical selection and resumes seat.)
Worshipful Master: My Brethren and guests, you will give attention to the Memorial Address to be given by Brother (name)
Orator or Minister: Memorial Address (Select one from Appendix F or compose your own.)
Music: (Choose a selection from Appendix C.)
Worshipful Master: (Standing) My Brethren and guests, you will please rise for the Memorial Benediction by our Chaplain.
Chaplain: Memorial Benediction (Select one from Appendix G or compose your own.)
Worshipful Master: (Dismisses audience.) (Invites to light refreshments if applicable.)
Appendix "A" -- Invitations
Invitation No.1 (For
Lodge members)
(To be used for Tiled Memorial Service only.)
You are cordially invited to be present at (time) P.M. on (date)
for the Memorial Service of (Lodge Name) Lodge No. (number)
A.F.&A.M., to pay our tribute of love and esteem to our
deceased Brethren.
(Signature and Name), Worshipful Master
(Signature and Name), Secretary
Invitation No.2 (For
Lodge members)
(To be used for open Memorial Service)
You are cordially invited to attend the open Memorial Service of
(Lodge Name)Lodge No. (number), A.F.&A.M., to be held at
(time) P.M. on (date) at the Lodge Hall. Your family and friends
are invited to join us on this occasion.
With kindest personal regards, I remain,
Sincerely and fraternally,
(Signature and Name), Worshipful Master
Invitation No.3
(To be used for Widow or other family members)
(To be used for open Memorial Service)
The Worshipful Master, Officers, and Brethren of (Lodge Name)
Lodge No. (number), A.F.&A.M., wish to take this means to
invite you and your family to the Memorial Service of our Lodge
to be held at (time) P.M. on (date) at the Lodge Hall, (address).
This is the annual service, in which we pause to pay our tribute
of love and esteem to those of our membership which we have lost
for a little while. We trust that it will be possible for you to
be with us on this occasion.
With kindest personal regards, I remain,
Sincerely and fraternally,
(Signature and name) Worshipful Master
Appendix "B" -- Invocations
Invocation No.1
Our gracious Heavenly Father, we come to Thee now at this time
invoking Thy blessings on each of us who are present in this
Grand Jurisdiction in the land of the living. But there are those
who have been transferred, who have been translated, and carried
to Thy bosom by the angel messengers, to the bosom of our Great
Architect of the Universe, and we pray Thee that as we come with
hearts filled with gratitude for the memory that we have of those
who have gone before, we bless Thy name because of their
influence, because of their lives, because of the fellowship they
have had with the others in this world and for those we have
known and lost awhile we pray, our Father, that we may emulate
their example, fidelity and faithfulness to duty in all the days
that shall be given us. In Thy name we pray. Amen.
Invocation No.2
May the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart, the
works of our hands and the administration of our talents be
acceptable in Thy sight, Oh, Lord, our strength and our Redeemer.
Amen.
Invocation No.3
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of
the Lord. Let us pray. Thou, 0 God, art the creator and sustainer
of this universe and all life within it. Thou hast given us life.
Thou hast determined the number of our days and our months. We
stand now before Thee in this sweetly solemn moment,
acknowledging Thee and remembering our fallen Brethren as we
honor their memory, reaching forth in expectation to commit them
for eternity to Thy care and keeping. Bless us in these moments
that we shall take from them renewed inspiration, courage and
dedication to our faith and to our Masonic principles.
Amen.
Invocation No.4
Thou, 0 God, knowest our downsitting and our uprising, and
understandest our thoughts afar off. Shield and defend us from
the evil intentions of our enemies, and support us under the
trials and afflictions we are destined to endure while travelling
through this vale of tears. Man that is born of a woman is of few
days and full of trouble. He cometh forth as a flower and is cut
down; he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. Seeing his
days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee; Thou
hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; turn from him that
he may rest till he shall accomplish his day
For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will
sprout again, and the tender branch thereof will not cease. But
man dieth and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and
where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood
decayeth and drieth up, so man lieth down and riseth not up till
the heavens shall be no more. Yet, 0 Lord! have compassion on the
children of Thy creation; administer them comfort in time of
trouble, and save them with an everlasting salvation!
Amen.
Appendix "C" -- Memorial Musical Selections
Opening Music
Hymn -- Author
"Assembly" -- Traditional
"The 23rd Psalm" -- Crimond
"Sweet Hour of Prayer" -- Walford
"Holy, Holy, Holy" -- Heber
"Come Ye Disconsolate" -- Moore
"Lead Kindly Light" -- Newman
"When the Morning Comes" -- Tindley
Closing Music
Hymn -- Author
"Taps" -- Traditional
"The Lord's Prayer" -- Malotte
"Abide With Me" -- Lyte
"Rock of Ages" -- Toplady
"Near to the Heart of God" -- McAfee
"Blest Be the Tie That Binds" -- Fawcett
"Hymn of Joy" -- Beethoven
Appendix "D" -- Eulogies
(For one member) I light this taper in loving memory of Brother (name) who was born on (birthdate), became a Master Mason on (date of raising) and departed this life on (date of death). (Select a verse of poetry from Appendix E that would fit this individual. This should be used when there is only one Brother to be Memorialized.)
If there is a large number, use: I light this taper in loving memory of Brothers (list of names); who served this Lodge well and faithfully during their lifetime and were called to the Celestial Lodge above during the past year. Poetry (See Appendix E)
(For fifty-year members) I light this taper in loving memory of Brother (name), who was born on (birthdate), became a Master Mason on (date of raising) and entered the Celestial Lodge above on (date of death). He served his fraternity well and long, having been honored by the Grand Lodge of Texas by receiving the fifty-year service award on (date of award). Poetry (See Appendix E)
(For Charter members) I light this taper in loving memory of Brother (name), who was born on (birthdate), raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason on (date of raising), became a charter member of this Lodge on (date), and entered into the Grace of our Heavenly Father on (date of death). Poetry (See Appendix E)
(For Past Masters) I light this taper in loving memory of Brother (name), who was born on (date of birth), raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason on (date of raising), served this Lodge with distinction as its Worshipful Master in (date of service), and passed to his eternal reward on (date of death). Poetry (See Appendix E)
(For current Lodge Officers) I light this taper in loving memory of Brother (name), who was born on (birthdate), raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason on (date of raising), and entered the Celestial Lodge above on (date of death). At the time of his death, he was serving in the official family of this Lodge, holding the office of (office). Poetry (See Appendix E)
(For Present or Past Grand Lodge Officers) I light this taper in loving memory of (title) (name), who was born on (birthdate), raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason on (date of raising), and entered the Supreme Grand Lodge above on (date of death). His service to his fraternity transcended the bounds of his own Lodge. He belonged to all of this Grand Jurisdiction, serving as (grand lodge office) of the Grand Lodge of Texas in (year of service). Poetry (See Appendix E)
(It is entirely appropriate to add to these own, or redefine the above categories if you choose.)
Appendix "E" -- Poetry for Eulogies
"Their smiling ways and
pleasant face
Are a pleasure to recall
They had a kindly word for each
And died beloved by all.
Some day we hope to meet them
Some day we know not when
To clasp their hands in the better land
Never to part again.
"Again a prince has
fallen in the fight
A stalwart champion of the truth and right:
Determined, honest, levelheaded, just,
Who broke no promise, nor betrayed a trust.
His genial face with courtly kindness beamed-
By his friends beloved, by all the world esteemed."
"Death is another life.
We bow our heads
At going out, we think, and enter straight
Another golden chamber of the king's
Larger than this we leave and lovelier.
"How fast they fall,
those we have known,
Yes, one by one they go, and leave us here,
Like leaves from autumn branches blown,
As leaves that fall and stray and disappear.
Sleep on, dear friends, such lives as thine
Have not been lived in vain,
But shed an influence rare, divine,
On those who here remain."
"Though from our chain
these golden links
Have fallen from our sight.
Yet we are sure that He knows best,
His will, not ours, is right.
Beyond the clouds comes stealing through
A rainbow bright and fair;
Oh, grant us faith to look beyond
And see our loved ones there."
"Night slipped to dawn,
and
Pain merged into beauty;
Bright grew the road their
Weary feet had trod.
They gave their salutations
To the Morning.
And found themselves
Before the face of God."
"Now the laborer's task
is o'er;
Now the battle day is past,
Now upon the farther shore
Lands the voyager at last.
Father, in Thy gracious keeping
Leave we now Thy servants sleeping.
"Last night we saw a
star fall out of the sky
And we heard a wild bird sing,
And from somewhere up the stairway heard a church bell ring;
Suddenly we felt the gleam that makes our faith revive.
0 God, it takes such simple things to keep the Soul
alive."
"They are not dead! They
have but passed
Beyond the mist that blinds us here,
Into the new and larger life
Of that serener sphere."
"God calls our loved
ones, but we lose not wholly
What He has given.
They live on earth in thought and deed as truly
As in His heaven."
"The voice that we loved
is silent now
And stilled is the helpful hand,
But we know that God will use them both
In that wonderful, heavenly land."
"Some workers quickly do
their task
Of service and of love,
So their promotion early comes
To higher work above.
"Not theirs to lift their fading eyes,
And find no comrades left,
Not theirs to dwell among the graves,
Forsaken and bereft.
"They pass from work to better work,
And rest before the noon;
Oh, God is very good to them
That do not die too soon.
Appendix "F" -- Memorial Addresses
Address No.1
"Show me the cemeteries of a people, not their public buildings
or forums, and I will tell you the health of their civilizations.
Men who honor the memory of those gone before are a part of a
healthy society." We sincerely believe this to be true of the
members of our Lodge. As we pause in the midst of the hurry of
the business of this great fraternity, we reflect on the memory
of our departed Brethren. We note that some have been thrust
before the eyes of their Brethren; they have proven themselves to
be good stewards; they have stood out as great trees soaring
above the lower clutter at their feet. We honor them today but we
realize that they could be great only because of the support by
many Brethren. Thus we remember the (number) of our Brethren who
have "served their generation," in humble capacities, "and have
fallen on sleep." The Scythe of Time moves steadily on. Sooner or
later it enters every household and leaves its mark upon the
hearts of the remaining occupants. Few of us have not felt a
measure of sorrow with the departure of some loved one, some
devoted friend or a fraternal Brother. We look about this
assemblage and immediately we see the vacant chair. We miss the
friendly face and the kindly smile of a devoted Brother who has
met with us from year to year. So today we add their names to
that long list of Brethren who now receive Master's Wages from
the hand of the Supreme Grand Master above. They were our
friends, our associates, our teachers, our advisors and above
all, our Brethren. We mourn their passing but we rejoice in their
serving in a more blessed realm. We enshrine their names in our
hearts and pledge to them fidelity in the tasks they have left
for us to do.
Address No.2
As Masons we do not ask the old, old question: "If a man die,
shall he live again?" We know the answer to that question. So,
today, there is no doubt in our minds about the continued living
of those who have passed from this vale of conflicting emotions
and situations to that promised land of well-being, happiness,
health, and all the things so many of us have longed for here. It
is our purpose now to bring back to our minds and recollection
the memories that rise and swell about us as we pause to think of
those who have gone on before.
Emerson once said: "Hope writes the poetry of the boy, but memory
that of the man. Your officers respectfully suggest that in
presenting this Memorial Service in loving recollection of our
dead, that the memory of the man and these men will be as poetry
to those of us here assembled.
"It is a wonderful journey from the old world to a new,
Where golden gates have opened to let our loved ones through.
There is a room where we just enter to sleep when God puts out
the light,
And in the morning when we awake, we have passed all earthly
night.
Somewhere yet on the hilltop of the country that has no pain,
He will wait at the golden gates to bid us welcome again.
We are grateful for the memory of those dear Brethren of the
Craft who have been thought worthy to step through the door to
the other side, and there receive the reward of their
stewardship. And, as we who survive mingle here, some word
spoken, a sound heard, a name mentioned, brings an overflowing
sense of the presence of some of them who are not here in the
body. How fine it is of our Father in Heaven to give to each of
us this capacity for retaining in our memories these
recollections. These memories cannot be taken from us, and as
Time goes on they become the brighter for the distance until that
happy day when we, too, pass through the door that presently
separates us from Eternity.
Address No.3
We have assembled in this sacred hour for the purpose of
rendering the last loving tribute of reverence and esteem and to
pledge anew our fidelity to the blessed memory of those, our
beloved Brethren who since last we met on a similar occasion,
have answered the last roll call, the final summons, marching out
of the night to the glories of an undying day.
"What doth the Lord require of thee, 0 man, but 'to do justly and
love mercy and walk humbly with thy God.'" "And one of the elders
sayeth unto me: 'Rejoice ye and be exceedingly glad-behold the
Lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed to open the book and to
loosen the seven seals thereof," reminding us of two of the great
symbolisms of Masonry - the white lamb-skin apron and the sprig
of acacia.
The white apron, representative of the lamb that taketh away the
sin of the world; emblematical of the sweet peace of God's divine
love, which passeth all human understanding and in the portrayal
of the Resurrection of the body, the immortality of the soul and
the life everlasting, and symbolical of the Fatherhood of God and
the brotherhood of man, and that the good Mason is constantly
reminded by the ever living sprig of Faith in the merits of the
Lion of the tribe of Judah which strengthens him with confidence
and composure to look forward to a blessed immortality and doubts
not but that in the glorious morn of the Resurrection, his body
will rise and become as incorruptible as his soul; and thus death
is not a cessation of life, but only an incident in it.
The Voice of the Holy Spirit reminds us that death is the narrow
starlit boundry between the companionship of yesterday and the
reunion of tomorrow.
Human existence continues after death, but under different
conditions, for now life enters on a new and higher phase. The
future state is one of spiritual growth, in which the soul has
room to expand and develop increased stature.
Human existence extends beyond the grave wherein the soul attains
eternity.
The question of what becomes of the soul of man can only be
answered in conformity to the question: "Where did it come from
and who gave it to man?"
"God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable and ever in
His being: wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and truth."
The dust returns to earth as it was, but the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it. Immortality is individual, as each
individual is created in the divine image, and thus is capable of
achieving immortality.
From the great prophecy of Isaiah, Chapter 26, Verse 19: "Thy
dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for the dew is as the dew
of herbs, and the Earth shall cast out the dead."
This wonderful message from the great prophet Isaiah presents us
a true spiritual doctrine of future life as that life stands in
organic and living relationship to our present life with our
Father, God, which the faithful enjoy on earth, and thus the
belief of resurrection is bound by the concept of personal
immortality.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all men of
good will.
Address No.4
It has become our custom to assemble ourselves at some time each
year, to put aside for a time the business of our Lodge, and to
pay tribute to the memory of those Brothers whose span of mortal
years came to an end in the year past. Thus it is that on this
day we give ourselves to this brief hour of memorial.
What we do and say is in no sense an empty form, nor should it be
considered as excessive veneration of the dead-but rather through
a true desire to again-and for the last time-call out the names
of those Brothers whose services to this Lodge have been
terminated by the intervention of death.
Such is the pattern of our society that we can scarcely have
known each of these Brothers as an individual. We could scarcely
have felt toward each of them that warmth and affection which
comes from great and lasting intimacy. But, if there was lacking
the property of active friendship, there existed between each of
them and each of us the more durable and less transitory property
of Masonic Brotherhood. It is as Brothers, then, that we
memorialize them.
Forget their faults, their foibles, and their failures. All that
is past. Remember them only as good men, for they were that else
they would have never been made Masons. Remember them only for
the strong clasp and the raising hand. Remember them for their
pledge of your defense. Remember them for their vows of generous
aid. Remember them for all the vows which bound them to us in
fraternity. If in life their hands never actually clasped ours,
or rose to our defense, or offered material aid, it is more
because we did not have to ask, than that they did not act.
Remember them for their every virtue and for their every evidence
of goodness. Do not ask why they have gone, and do not cry out
for their return. The will of God is accomplished.
In this time of memorial, however, it is not enough merely to
raise eulogies to the dead. With equal propriety we may look upon
their meeting with death as an opportunity to further perfect our
own philosophy, for we may be certain that a philosophy about
death must be a part of any satisfactory philosophy about
life.
Masonry, if it be anything at all, is a teaching experience, and
not the least of the lessons which it teaches is that of the
uncertainty of human life. Whether it be there where the acacia
gave way, or at the graveside of a fallen Brother, or here where
we sit in contemplation, Masonry says again and again, "Here we
view another instance of the uncertainty of human life
The Brothers whose memory we honor each came to the precise
moment in time when the breath departed and animation ceased, and
then we said of them: "They are dead." But what did we mean, and
what do we mean, when we say those words? By death do we mean, or
can we believe, that it is the end of all things and that, like
the ancient seaman sailing fearfully through the straits, we
should say, "Nothing more beyond"? If this is what we mean, then
we deny that the soul is immortal, and we rob them and ourselves
of all hope for the future and all reason for having lived
nobly.
But, because we are Masons, and because we hold to a belief in
the immortality of the soul, we can say, "They are dead," with
the certain knowledge that death is not the end but only the
termination of a phase which we call life, and the beginning of
another phase which, in our mortal present, is unfathomable and
beyond our comprehension. The dust of the mortal frame returns to
the earth, but the soul returns to God who gave it.
With such a belief we may call our Brothers' names and raise our
voices in their praise secure in the knowledge that the sound
does not rebound endlessly through limitless space, but is heard
and understood by those of whom we speak. Indeed, "in the night
of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the
rustle of a wing."
Appendix "G" -- Memorial Benedictions
Benediction No.1
Let us pray. Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, help us to
realize that we too are but men. Bless those who have gone
before, that the light of their countenances might shine upon our
pathway and assist us to help in any way we can to do the great
works that they made possible while they were with us. Let Thy
spirit rest and abide with us and with all for whom we pray
everywhere. Amen.
Benediction No.2
0 God, we thank Thee for these who have stood strong and tall in
our midst. We do acknowledge our loss in their being removed in
Thy wisdom and mercy from our earthly midst. We are grateful for
the influences they have exerted for truth and righteousness, we
rejoice in the blessed hope of immortality, the very anchor of
our soul. Hear this, our prayer of memorial. Amen.
Benediction No.3
Hold each of us, our Father, in the hollow of Thy hand so that
when the time shall come for us to answer the call, up higher, we
may hear those welcome words "Well done, thou good and faithful
Craftsman, thou hast been faithful over the few things in the
quarries of the world. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord
forever and ever." Amen.
Benediction No.4
May the blessings of heaven rest upon us and all regular Masons.
May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue
cement us. Amen.
Benediction No.5
Oh Thou in whom we place our trust, we thank Thee for the lives
of these Brothers whom you have seen fit to call to Thy service.
We pray that all the influences for good that do survive them
will grow more meaningful with time to bless other lives in all
generations to come. Give unto us that discernment and that
serenity of mind which will enable us to see Thy perfect will in
all things, so that when our names are called we may lay down the
things of life calmly and without fear. And, Father, while we yet
remain upon this scene, forgive us our wilful ways and lead us
from this moment henceforth in paths of faith and practice
becoming our vows as Masons. Amen.
