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Pierrefonds Masons celebrate 100 years
Secret to success: No religion, politics
KAREN SEIDMAN
The Gazette
Thursday, July 10, 2008
After 100 years of successfully uniting people from all religions and walks of life to work together to help others, the Masonic Lodge in Pierrefonds that celebrated its centennial anniversary last month knows the secret to its success: Never discuss religion or politics.
It’s as simple as that, said Joe Chiniborch, master of Waverly Lodge 82, which started out on Park Ave. but has been in the West Island for the last 30 years. That is probably the secret of the group’s longevity, he said.
With 70 members, the group is not as large as it was at its 50th anniversary – when there were about 350 members – but Chiniborch believes it is still going strong.
“We are getting young members, which is good,” he said. “We’re getting the sons and grandsons.”
However, he said, there are more lodges now than there used to be, which is why some of the individual lodge memberships appear to be dwindling.
The lodge celebrated its centennial by giving out cheques for about $9,000 to the Shriners Hospital of Montreal and the Mackay Centre for Children. The lodge will also be reconsecrated by the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Quebec.
Over the years, the group has raised money for medical
research and the acquisition of medical equipment for many hospitals in Montreal, including significant contributions to the Diabetic Clinic at the Lakeshore General Hospital.
“People join because they want to do something for charity,” Chiniborch said. “It’s also like a social club.”
The fraternal organization was considered secretive at one time. Originally, said past worshipful master Wayne Houlzet, the masons were a group who built temples and the “third degree” referred to the different degrees of one’s knowledge of masonry. But in the age of kings and queens, the ancient organization was forced to
become secretive because the royalty was afraid of being overthrown.
Now, the organization is not so much secretive as low-key – mainly because its charter doesn’t allow it to recruit members.