Lodge Gomantak No.248 celebrates Universal Brotherhood Day with Shanti Avedna, Loutulim, Goa

 Lodge Gomantak No.248 celebrated Universal Brotherhood Day on 24th June, 2016 at the Goa Branch of Shanti Avedna, a Hospice for terminally ill cancer patients. Brethren of the Lodge, along with their families, interacted with the matron, sisters and voluntary workers running the hospice and the patients at the facility.

 Hospital supplies and toiletries, etc. were presented to the Sister in charge of the hospice. Snacks and soft drinks were served the inmates. The total value of the charity was about Rs. 16,000/-.

Ms. Maria Rodrigues, the young and dynamic Sarpanch of Loutulim Village Panchayat, on the invitation by the brethren, graced the occasion, and her graceful presence was appreciated by all. Readers may recall that the Masonic Temple of Lodge Gomantak will be constructed on the plot of land situated in this village.

As the W. Master of Lodge Gomanatk No. 248 was away on a pressing family engagement, W. Bro. Devidas Borkar, W. Master of Mark Lodge Gomantak No. 153 addressed the gathering. He gave an overview of the nature of Freemasonry and the importance of Universal Brotherhood Day. Brethren lauded the good work being done by the sisters who managed the hospice and requested the matron in charge to contact the brethren for any further assistance needed from the Lodge.

The Sister in charge complimented and thanked the brethren of Lodge Gomantak for visiting and bringing solace to the inmates of the Hospice for many years in succession.

After the visit to Shanti Avedna, members of Lodge visited the site of the proposed Masonic Temple at Loutulim. A get-together and fellowship was also organized as a part of the celebration of Universal Brotherhood Day. W. Bro. Anastasio Colaco treated the brethren to a sumptuous dinner at his residence. All the brethren enjoyed the fellowship and dinner.

Bro. Devidas Borkar Installed in the Eastern Chair of Mark Lodge Gomantak No. 153, Goa

The 2nd Annual Installation Ceremony of Mark Lodge Gomantak No.153 was held on Saturday, 11th June, 2016 at Jai Kieran Hall, Ramnathi, Goa. Bro. Devidas Borkar was ceremoniously placed in the Master's Chair by V. W. Bro. Madhukar C. Thakkar, the Ruling Master of the Lodge.

W. Bro. Devidas Borkar then appointed and invested his Officers for the year 2016-17.

The ceremony was attended by brethren of the Lodge in large numbers. W. Bro. P. C. Dhananjeya, Assistant Regional Grand Mark Master graced the occasion as representative of the R.W. the Regional Grand Mark Master of the Regional Grand Mark Lodge of Southern India, R. W. Bro. Arvind Prasad Chitra. W. Bro. Dhananjeya congratulated the outgoing Master on his achievements in the year 2015-16.He wished the incoming Master well, and appreciated the plans he had for his year as Master of the Lodge. He complimented the officers of the Lodge, particularly the Secretary V. W. Bro Yashkaran Singh Lauly and the Treasurer Bro. Subhash Malkarnekar , for their outstanding performance. He also delivered the Address to the Master.

V. W. Bro. Madhukar C. Thakkar gave a succinct report of his Stewardship of the Lodge highlighting the various activities of the Lodge. He recollected the Consecration and Installation ceremony held in June 2015, a memorable event which saw the august presence of M.W. the Grand Mark Master, R. W. the Grand Master elect, all Regional Grand Masters and a large number of Mark Master Masons. He appreciated the co-operation he received from the brethren of the Lodge. He thanked the officers of the Grand Lodge of India and the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India, and especially R. W. the Regional Grand Master R. W. Bro. Arvind Prasad Chitra for their, advice, support and encouragement.

W. Bro. Devidas Borkar, in his acceptance address, complimented the outgoing Master and officers for their excellent performance and solicited their support and co-operation during his Mastership. He also outlined his intention of placing the Lodge on a sound footing by advancing more members and improving the performance of rituals.

Brethren from Hubli, Dharwad and Bangalore graced the ceremony with their presence.

The evening ended with a festive board and fellowship which were enjoyed by all.

Bro. Manoj Timble Installed in the Eastern Chair of Lodge Gomantak No. 248, Goa

The 35th Annual Installation Ceremony of Lodge Gomantak No. 248 was held on Saturday, 20th February, 2016 at Jai Kieran Hall, Ramnathi, Goa. Bro. Manoj Timble was ceremoniously placed in the Chair of King Solomon by W. Bro. John Sylvester Silveira, the Ruling Master of the Lodge. 

W. Bro. Manoj Timble then appointed and invested his Officers for the year 2016-17.

The ceremony was attended by brethren of the Lodge in large numbers. W. Bro. C. Nagaraju, ARGM of North Karnataka and Goa Area graced the occasion as representative of the R.W. the Regional Grand Master of the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India, R. W. Bro. Arvind Prasad Chitra. W. Bro. Nagaraju congratulated the outgoing Master on his achievements in the year 2015-16 and wished the incoming Master well. He complimented the officers of the Lodge, particularly the Secretary and the Treasurer, for their outstanding performance. He also delivered the Address to the Master.

W. Bro. John Sylvester Silveira gave a succinct report of his Stewardship of the Lodge highlighting the various activities of the Lodge. He appreciated the co-operation he received from both senior and younger brethren of the Lodge. He thanked the officers of the Grand Lodge of India and the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India, and especially R. W. the Regional Grand Master R. W. Bro. Arvind Prasad Chitra and W. the ARGM W. Bro. Nagaraju for their, advice, support and encouragement.

W. Bro. Mohan Annigeri, Ruling Master of Lodge Dharwad No. 54, W. Bro. Bharat Mudareddi of the same Lodge, and W. Bro. M. Ganganna of Lodge Vijayanagar, Hospet graced the ceremony with their presence.

The august presence of W. Bro. Richard J. Kendrick PPSGD (Past Provincial Senior Grand Steward), UGLE (who incidentally celebrated his 41st Masonic Birthday on 20th February) brought greater colour to the ceremony.

The evening ended with toasts, a raffle in aid of charity, a festive board, fellowship and a karaoke session which were enjoyed by all.

A Helping Hand to Daddy's Home for the Elderly

Brethren of Lodge Gomantak No. 248 met the representatives of the Daddy’s Home for the Elderly at the festive board after the Lodge meeting on 21st November 2015, who spoke about their new project for which they were collecting funds. W. Bro. John Silveira, W. Master of the Lodge,  presented them with a cheque for 5,000/- on behalf of the Lodge.

Most of the Brethren also bought tickets at Rs. 300/- per person for the Zumbathon organized by them at a later date, the purpose of which was to raise funds for the home.

Lodge Gomantak No.248 celebrates Universal Brotherhood Day with Shanti Avedna, Loutulim, Goa

Lodge Gomantak No.248 celebrated Universal Brotherhood Day on 24th June, 2015 at the Goa Branch of Shanti Avedna, a Hospice for terminally ill cancer patients. Brethren of the Lodge, along with their families, interacted with the sisters and voluntary workers running the hospice and the patients at the facility.

Hospital supplies and toiletries, etc. were presented to the Sister in charge of the hospice. The W. Master, W. Bro. John Silveira served the inmates snacks and soft drinks. The total value of the charity was about Rs. 11,500/-.

The Sister in charge complimented and thanked the brethren of Lodge Gomantak for visiting and bringing solace to the inmates of the Hospice for three years in succession.

After the visit to Shanti Avedna, members of Lodge and their families visited the site of the proposed Masonic Temple at Loutulim. A family get-together was also organized as a part of the celebration of Universal Brotherhood Day. All the brethren and their families enjoyed the fellowship and dinner.

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Brethren of Lodge Gomantak Host Grand Communication

Brethren of Lodge Gomantak No. 248 along with other Lodges of North Karnataka area hosted an Especial Communication of the Grand Lodge of India at Highland Beach Resort, Candolim, Goa on 6th June 2015. 

During the first twelve years after the formation of GLI, quarterly communications were organized, but the practice was discontinued and only annual Grand Festivals were held. This is, therefore, the first such half-yearly Especial Communication to be organized by GLI. Bre5hren of Lodges of Goa and North Karnataka Area are proud to be selected for organizing this unique event.

 

The Especial Communication, which began at 5.00 P.M., was preceded by a Half-yearly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masters of India at 4.00 P.M. the same evening.

Both the meetings were attended by brethren from across the country in large numbers, including two past RGM's, all the four ruling RGM'S, the Grand Master elect and the Grand Master.

Later in the evening, delegates partook of a sumptuous dinner and great fellowship. Arrangements for the stay of the delegates had been made at the venue of the meet.

A raffle and an auction in aid of the Temple Project of Lodge Gomantak No 248 were arranged by W. Bro. G. Richard Gould, IPM of the Lodge, in which delegates participated enthusiastically. 

 

The next morning, The Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India organized a Retreat wherein learned papers were presented. These comprised a paper on "How Many Hirams are there in our Craft Ritual" delivered by W. Bro. G. Richard Gould, "The Masonic Path to Light", a power point presentation by R. W. Bro. C. S. Madhavan, and the prize-winning essay on "To improve the Morals and Correct the Manners of Men in society must be our constant endeavor" read out by W. Bro.Sreedharan Srikanth.

Simultaneously, a workshop on "Mentoring" for the mentors of Goa and North Karnataka area was organized by the ARGM of the area, W. Bro. C. Nagaraju. R. W. Bro. Sharath Choudry the Chief Regional Mentor of Southern Region, was the resource person of the workshop.

Both events were attended by brethren in large numbers. Brethren departed from the campus after a delightful lunch, and all expressed their appreciation of the arrangements and hospitality offered by the organizers.

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Mark Lodge Gomantak No. 153 Consecrated W. Bro. Madhukar C. Thakkar Installed as Founder Worshipful Master

The newly formed Mark Lodge Gomantak No 153 was ceremoniously consecrated and constituted at Highland Beach resort, Candolim, Goa on Saturday, 6th June 2015 at 9.30 A.M. in a very solemn and impressive ceremony. 

Twenty-six brethren from Goa, Belgaum, Hubli and Dharwad had petitioned to the Grand Lodge of  Mark Masons of India for starting a Mark Lodge in Goa, and the petition was acceded to by the M. W. The Grand Mark Master. Accordingly, it was decided to have the consecration of the lodge on the occasion of the Especial Communication of the Grand Lodge of India to be held in Goa on 6th June 2015. 

M.W. Bro. Vasudev Jamnavihar Masurekar, M.W. the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Master Masons of India was the Consecrating Officer and was ably assisted by R. W. Bro. Arvind Prasad Chitra as I.P.M. and Installing Officer, R.W. Bro. S. K. Chibber as S.W., R.W. Bro. V. Kesava Rao as J.W, V. W. Bro. Subhash Chawla as Chaplain and V. W. Bro. R. Rajeev Raj as D.O.C. and R. W. Bro. V. K. Gupta as Secretary.

First a Casual Lodge of Mark Master Masons was opened and then Mark Lodge Gomantak No. 153 was ceremoniously consecrated and constituted according to ancient custom in a very impressive manner by the Consecrating Officer. V. W. Bro. Subhhash Chawla gave the oration.

W. Bro. Madhukar Chatrabhuj Thakkar was then ceremoniously installed as the Founder Master by R.W. Bro. Arvind Prasad Chitra, R. W. the Regional Grand Mark Master of the Regional Grand Mark Lodge of Southern India. 

Bro. Subhash Malkarneker was elected Founder Treasurer and W. Bro. Suhas Ganachary Tyler of the Lodge.

The W. Master then appointed and invested the following Founding Officers of the Lodge:

I.P.M                                                               V. W. Bro. Praful A. Singala

S.W.                                                                Bro. Devidas V. Borkar

J.W.                                                                 Bro. Prakash Gaunekar

M.O.                                                                Bro. Yazdi E. Shroff

S.O.                                                                 Bro. Pankaj V. Saraf

J.O.                                                                  Bro. Prasad D. Borkar

Chaplain                                                          V.W. Bro. Sunil Morarka

Treasurer                                                         Bro. Subhash S. P. Malkarneker

Registrar of Marks                                          W. Bro. C. Nagaraju

Secretary                                                         W. Bro. Yashkaran Singh Lauly

Director of Ceremonies                                   W. Bro. Abhiman Bhalerao

S. D.                                                                Bro. Godfrey Richard Gould

Steward                                                           Bro. H. S. Patil

Steward                                                           Bro. Gururaj D. Naik.

 
Address to the W. Master was given by R. W. Bro. A. P. Chitra, to the Wardens by R. W. Bro. S. K. Chibber, to the Overseers By R. W. S. Thirugnanamurthy and to the brethren by R. W. Bro. V. Kesava Rao.

The Founder W. Master W. Bro. M. C. Thakkar, R.W. Bro. A. P. Chitra, R. W. The Regional Grand Master and M. W. Bro. V. J. Masurekar, M.W. the Grand Master then addressed the brethren.

M. W. Bro. Vasudev J. Masurekar, M.W. the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masters of India and R.W. Bro. A. P. Chitra, R. W. The Regional Grand Mark Master of the Regional Grand Mark Lodge of Southern India were elected Honorary Members of Mark Lodge Gomanatak No. 153.

Founder members attending the ceremony were presented with Founder Member Jewels.

The consecration ceremony was attended by Masons from all over the country, including two past RGM's, all the four ruling  RGM'S, the Grand Master elect and the Grand Master. All the Petitioners felt proud at the unique distinction of having, probably for the first time, all the RGM's, the Grand Master elect and the Grand Master  present for the consecration of any Lodge in India.


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