GRAND
MASTER'S URGENT APPEAL FOR HAITIAN RELIEF ...
Most Worshipful Edward G. Gilbert, Grand Master of Masons
in the State of New York, has issued an urgent
appeal to all Masons in the jurisdiction for all individual Brother Masons
and Masonic Lodges to come to the aid of
those who have been devastated by the disaster in Haiti.
The Grand Master is requesting that tax
deductible contributions be made in the form of checks to the Masonic
Brotherhood Fund, Inc and marked "Special Haitian Relief Fund" and
mailed to Masonic Brotherhood Fund, Inc., 71 West 23rd Street, New York,
NY 10010.
These monies will be made available directly to provide and augment aid
and assistance to those members of our Masonic family that hail within the
Grand Orient d’Haiti that have been devastated by the
earthquake and its collateral damage in the Caribbean.
The full text of the Grand Master's appeal follows:
January 20, 2010
My Dear Brethren and Friends,
This past decade has seen the world stage beset by a
multitude of cataclysmic events caused by Nature and others far too frequently
caused by the consequents and interventions of Mankind. The Masonic Fraternity
has consistently and swiftly hastened to the calls of the needy and the
distressed as is wont by our basic tenets and obligations. A code of belief
that emanates from that enduring biblical verse, “and now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity, these three: but the greatest
of these is Charity.”
Today, we have barely set foot upon the path of a new
decade; when Nature has tested our resolve by unleashing a devastating
earthquake of monstrous proportions, which has rained havoc, destruction and
ruin upon our fellow brothers and sisters of the human family in Haiti.
We at the Grand Lodge of New York shall do our
part toward answering the call of these distressed Masons and their families in
providing a source of much needed help, support and comfort. Together, we will
stand united with our fellow brethren in Haiti, providing them with
brotherly love to cement and heal their current hardship, and to offer a beacon
of hope to rebuild stronger bonds of friendship for a better tomorrow.
Heeding the call I have established a Special Haitian
Relief Fund under the umbrella of the Masonic Brotherhood Fund, to
provide and augment aid and assistance to those members of our Masonic family
that hail within the Grand Orient d’Haiti that have
been devastated by the earthquake and its collateral damage in the Caribbean.
In an effort to help supplement and thereby better enable
our Grand Lodge to offer financial assistance, I
am appealing to every Lodge to keep these unfortunate Brethren and their
families paramount in your prayers and to give genuine consideration in
supporting this Special Haitian Relief Fund. Checks and Money Orders
should be made payable to the Masonic Brotherhood Fund earmarked
for the Special Haitian Relief Fund and mailed to the Masonic
Brotherhood Fund, 71 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010.
Brother James Buchanan, fifteenth President of the United States,
once said, “The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity,
but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.” Brethren, as members
of our gentle Craft, I know that I can depend on each of you to lead with your
heart, because you are truly a great brotherhood.
With kindest fraternal regards, I remain your friend and
brother,
Edward G. Gilbert Grand Master
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