Lady Puja Mullins, COT Named Distinguished Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Lady Puja Mullins, COT on being named Distinguished Teacher of the Year by the Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti Regional Chamber. This was announced today to a crowd of her students at the Brick Elementary School Auditorium and a breakfast recognizing her along with other educators from our area will be held on May 18th. Tickets are available on the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti Regional Chamber Website.

Knights Templar Educational Foundation Scholarship Renewal Presented to Ms. Katherine Ellis of Ann Arbor

On Thursday 21st April S.K. Art Davidge, KCT, Recorder of Ann Arbor Commandery had the honor of presenting a Knights Templar Educational Foundation scholarship grant check to Ms. Katherine Ellis of Ann Arbor. Ms.Ellis is completing her 1st year at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering where she is majoring in Chemical Engineering. She is an active Rainbow with Phoenix Assembly #49 and recently became a member of her family's OES Chapter in Ohio.

Sir Knight Brandon Mullins, PC, OC Published in Knights Templar Magazine

Be sure to check out March's issue of Knights Templar Magazine for a special article by our very own Past Commander, Brandon Mullins, where he discusses "A Place of a Skull." This is a version of the paper he presented at the 68th Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment Knights Templar USA where he was inducted as the first member of a new order of Templar scholars, the Order of Clairvaux. You can find all issues of Knights Templar Magazine at: https://www.knightstemplar.org/KnightTemplar/archive/

Dr. Warren Pan from Michigan Medicine's Kellogg Eye Center awarded $70,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Inherited Retinal Disease Research

Dr. Warren Pan from the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center was awarded a $70,000 grant to study: Pharmacologic activation of PKM2 for photoreceptor neuroprotection in inherited retinal diseases.

A leading cause of childhood blindness is due to a collection of over 280 inherited mutations that disrupt the photoreceptor cells of the eyes from converting light to vision. These photoreceptor cells are very active and require significant energy to perform their functions. They will examine PKM2, an enzyme important in energy production that is also linked to a gene mutation that results in childhood blindness.

The research goal is to pharmacologically increase the activity of PKM2 to improve photoreceptor health and subsequently vision. Dr. Pan will continually treat an animal model of inherited photoreceptor degeneration with our PKM2 activator drug and evaluate visual function, photoreceptor survival, and photoreceptor metabolism over the disease time-course. By studying these changes over time with and without the drug, we will begin to understand the cellular and metabolic mechanisms responsible for this devastating group of diseases that cause childhood blindness. These studies will move us closer to developing a novel drug capable of treating vision loss in this diverse set of inherited diseases regardless of gene mutation.

New Knights Templar Eye Foundation Video Premiered at Grand Encampment

Take a look at the great work the Knights Templar Eye Foundation are doing to cure childhood blindness.

Sir Knight Brandon B. Mullins, PC Inducted as First Member of a New Order of Templar Scholars, the Order of Clairvaux

Congratulations to Sir Knight Brandon B. Mullins, PC on being inducted as the first member of a new Order of Templar scholars, the Order of Clairvaux. Admission to this prestigious institution is restricted to just one Sir Knight each Triennium. In addition, he presented the paper which merited his selection before all those present at the 68th Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment Knights Templar USA and was recognized at the 165th Grand Conclave of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Michigan.

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Paschal Message from the Illustrious Grand Chaplain

The other day I came across an unassuming line in a book I was reading which described Easter as a holiday that had “largely faded away.” I wasn’t surprised by this assessment and unfortunately, I tend to agree, that for your average American, Easter probably ranks below Halloween, and perhaps just above St. Valentine’s Day. However, it did remind me of something I’d read years prior which changed my life for the better. It spoke in a similarly causal way of Easter being the preeminent Christian holiday. I remember this making sense from a theological perspective but found it really didn’t match my experience. I grew up in what most would call an evangelical church today, and while we certainly didn’t ignore Easter, we lacked much in terms of a formal observance outside of an Easter morning service the day of, and Easter clearly played second fiddle to Christmas.

This got me thinking, what if I decided to take it seriously? What if, instead of going along with Easter’s decline, I researched it, and did my best to participate in the rites and customs that had been left behind by the tradition I inherited? It was then, now six years ago, that I first began observing Lent and committed myself to taking Easter seriously. As an ostensibly western protestant I took it upon myself to follow Anglican Lenten practices, and did what I could to adhere to them as closely as possible. As a result, I quickly learned that I got more out of the holiday than I could have ever previously imagined. A holiday season that was often focused primarily on something like running an egg hunt quickly became a time where I found myself truly growing in discipline and my Christian faith, followed by a unique joy when Easter finally arrived, a joy that was never available before I started taking the Easter seriously.

In addition, I began looking into Eastern Lenten practices as well, learning much about how Easter has been traditionally celebrated around the world. I learned of the various debates about the proper date of Easter, and how calling the holiday Easter is a largely English and German phenomenon with Easter being called Pascha or some variation in most other languages.

As a result of this division over the date and name of this feast, Easter is celebrated twice a year and today is Easter for the Eastern Orthodox Church, or as they generally call It, Pascha. Today, the most rigorous fast of the Christian faith ends. The oldest and some of the most beautiful liturgies known to the Church have been performed and the Paschal greeting, and response “Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!” in one language or another will be said countless times. The fruit of taking the season seriously will be harvested, and they will enjoy it together.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the last time I was able to take part in an Easter service was in fact at an Eastern Orthodox Church in 2019, making the timing of this letter uniquely apropos. In 2020 my church like many others was limited to online services, and in 2021 several members of my family were infected with COVID-19 just prior to Easter. We were fortunate that this set of unrelated yet simultaneous infections only led to two hospitalizations and no deaths, but my wife’s cousin Shyamal had severe complications and I’ll ask you to keep him in your prayers as he looks down a long road to recovery. This all made the holiday complicated to say the least, and among other things it delayed this paschal letter.

However, despite these trials, the message I intended for my letter remains the same. Take tradition seriously. As Cryptic Masons we are the guardians of tradition, both allegorically and practically, and any tradition worth keeping is also worth taking seriously. The option of simply going through the motions is always available to you, but you reap what you sow. The oft repeated Masonic platitude that “you get what you put into it” extends not just to Masonry but tradition in general. The cost you pay for not truly investing yourself in the traditions you keep is that they begin to feel pointless, or arbitrary, and whatever good the progenitors of that tradition hoped to produce in you will be lost. In that way you’re cheating yourself in a most serious manner, by throwing amongst the rubbish a valuable gift. When we receive a tradition it is akin to being gifted an elaborate heirloom toolset, with each piece carefully chosen by those who came before us. With this toolset in hand we are given a choice. We can use these tools that have been painstakingly honed over time for their intended purpose and allow them to have a profound impact on our lives, or we can disregard them, as they fall into rust disrepair.

Don’t allow your working tools to rust, put them to good use, and if you received them corroded or broken, clean then, repair them, so they may be passed down for generations to come.

I’ll end this letter with Paschal Troparion, one of the oldest hymns of Christian faith and the one most commonly associated with Orthodox Pascha.

“Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling death, and to those in the tombs granting life!”

Sung aloud:
English | Bengali

Crysto punuthito hoylo! Shotto è punuthito!

Brandon Mullins
Illustrious Grand Chaplain
Grand Council of Royal &
Select Masons of Michigan

Knights Templar Educational Foundation Scholarship Presented to Ms. Katherine Ellis of Ann Arbor

On Friday, April 16th, Eminent Commander of Ann Arbor Commandery No. 13, Sir Knight John Kilbourne and Sir Knight Art Davidge, KCT had the honor of presenting a Knights Templar Educational Foundation scholarship check to Ms. Katherine Ellis of Ann Arbor. Ms. Ellis is a senior at Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School and plans to attend the Engineering School at the University of Michigan. She is an active Rainbow with Phoenix Assembly No. 49 in Ypsilanti.

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Ann Arbor Commandery has a long standing connection to the University of Michigan College of Engineering with our late Sir Knight Mortimer E. Cooley, namesake of the Cooley Building, serving as Dean and Dean Emeritus for his service to Michigan Engineering, and Sir Knight Brandon Mullins working at their Center for Digital Curricula today.

Learn more about the Knights Templar Educational Foundation at the link above.

Christmas Message from the Most Illustrious Grand Master

Dear Companions of Michigan,

I hope this finds you and yours healthy and well. We find ourselves in an interesting time although certainly not unprecedented. The world suffered the second largest pandemic in history in 1918 - 1919 with three waves of the Spanish Flu Pandemic. We can look in the records of our archive, namely the treasure published by the Grand Council: One Hundred Years of Cryptic History 1858-1958 to the sixty-first Annual Assembly of the Grand Council on May 19, 1919 where M.I. Charles E. Converse presided, for evidence of how our predecessors fared. October 1918 saw the passing of Most Illustrious Companion John H. McCallum who presided in 1914. It is noted “owing to the quarantine on travel, Grand Council was not convened to attend” Also that “Official visits had been severely restricted by the State quarantine on assembly and travel” The Most Illustrious Grand Master even declined to recommend the suspension of inactive or nonresponsive Councils that Cryptic year “owing to unstable conditions throughout the State.”

Fear not Companions, there were a few silver linings and I daresay triumphs noted however with the Grand Recorder’s report showing “a gain of 85 members, which he considered as good in face of the unfortunate condition brought about by the quarantine on meetings.” The Grand Lecturer M.I.C. Frank Hale gleefully reported “that awakened interest had more than offset the untoward influence of war and pestilence”

Although our current woes may seem like new obstacles, if we take a moment to look at our history, we find that Cryptic Masonry in Michigan (and around the world) has been at this place before. Not only have we faced trials like we face today, but we have preserved through them implementing the tenets of our profession: Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth and became stronger despite those trials.

Our Cryptic Companions of the past also faced mask mandates, quarantines and travel restrictions, and businesses small and large were closed with understanding that for a brief time we must make small sacrifices for the sake of the public good. Our predecessors not only cheerfully acquiesced to these restrictions to protect their fellows, but they also served as an example to other Masons and their communities by making the most of the current situation; instead of huffing and puffing and putting the lives of others in danger with their words and actions, they were productive in preserving and spreading Light to their brothers and their communities.

It is fortuitous that we are here to see this Holiday Season. In fact, we are blessed in many ways. We have our health, our family (even if we must be apart for their safety), and our Fraternity. We also have ZOOM which has allowed us to meet in the safety of our own home.

One special blessing is The Great Conjunction, the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter in the southwestern sky between the Winter Solstice and Christmas. This event was last visible to humans in 1226, nearly 800 years ago. In my mind, this is especially significant this year, it is symbolic of the coming light at the end of the tunnel. We all know the Winter Solstice is the darkest 24-hour period in the year but that every day hereafter leading to the Summer Solstice in June, the days with become brighter and brighter with the coming of more light.

Take the symbolic meeting of this special time to heart. Do your part to stop the spread of COVID19. Protect your brothers, families, and communities by wearing a mask and socially distancing in public, and by staying home wherever possible. Keep those who work in the medical profession and support the medical professionals in mind so that our words and actions are not the cause of their suffering or the cause of those in their care.

You Companions, are representatives of your ancient, Royal forbearers, and must be the Light and set the example for all others you touch with your influence. Take this time to study, learn, reflect, teach, and prepare for when we can meet again in person. The Royal and Select do not rest simply because we cannot attend a business meeting. We must now be courageous, make some sacrifices, and work diligently spreading Light so that we can again join the circle of friendship when this worldwide pandemic ends.

I wish for the blessings of our Supreme Architect on you, your family, your Council, and your Community. I urge you to take time to celebrate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist on Dec. 27th. Please stay in contact with your Companions, Brothers, and Widows during this challenging time. Please let me or the Grand Council know how we can better serve you. Hanukkah Sameach, Yule Tidings, Merry Christmas, and I am wishing you happiness at Kwanzaa and faith, unity and hope in the New Year!

Fraternally Yours,
Corey FGL Curtiss

Christmas Message from the Illustrious Grand Chaplain

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Christmas is hard work. This fact is lost on you as a child, but as childhood transitions into adulthood and adulthood becomes parenthood, you begin to appreciate how much planning and stagecraft goes into the production of Christmas. Because of this, you’ll often hear people argue that what we really need this time of year is to do away with all this complexity, that it simply isn’t worth the stress. However, I won’t be giving that advice in this letter. On the contrary, I’m here to tell you that in a year where there has been little opportunity to celebrate, our goal should be to carry on as best we can. That the show must go on, not just for your friends, family, and children, but for yourself. 

The work of Christmas isn’t just stuffing stockings, wrapping presents, and baking hams. When you make the leap from being the Christmas audience to the man behind the beard, you often find that a part of the work is getting yourself in the right state of mind, in the spirit of Christmas, so you too can experience the joy of the season. Unfortunately, this year it’s likely harder than ever. Personally, this season has been bereft of the usual in-person Advent church services, Salvation Army bell ringers, Commandery Christmas observances, festive mall shopping, family visits and other traditions that make the Christmas season feel normal. I know many brothers often feel that the holiday season really starts after lodge installation, and those too have been gone. Council installations have continued online, and I look forward to ours this evening, but I think we all know that Zoom only goes so far.

Perhaps, in light of all this, you feel like this season is a wash, and aside from the bare minimum, Christmas is canceled. I want to tell you that if you celebrate Christmas you need to resist the temptation to give up. With just a few days left before Christmas, do what you need to do to get yourself there. Don’t skip this opportunity for a bit of joy in this otherwise dark time. If it’s church services, countless are streaming online. If it’s music, the Washington National Cathedral has posted their 2020 Joy of Christmas Concert on YouTube. If it’s almsgiving, the Salvation Army kettles are still being filled online and the CMMRF can always use your support. You have time to get into the spirit, and you should use it.

 
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It’s easy to regard traditions as superfluities, but they often serve an important purpose. Human beings have been celebrating this time of year since time immemorial. Western Christmas traditions often incorporate the trappings of Yule. Hanukkah was just last week. New Year’s celebrations of varying cultural and religious significance are just around the corner, and even in largely Muslim nations like my wife’s native Bangladesh Christmas is celebrated as Bara Din, simply translated as “Big Day.” This conflux of celebrations in December points to a deep human need, that when things get dark, we need Light. And in this year of so much darkness, our need to look to the Light is especially clear. So, take the time to enjoy this season, and find the joy possible within it. Through it may we all find the hope of immortality by faith in the divine promise.

Glad tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Brandon Mullins
Illustrious Grand Chaplain
Grand Council of Royal &
Select Masons of Michigan