Visiting Paraguay – December 2022

By R.W. Geno Bonaventura Grand Lodge of Illinois

In October 2022, I had the privilege of attending the Grand Lodge of Illinois during our annual meeting in Springfield. During our Grand Lodge meetings, I was introduced to the Deputy Chancellor for the Grand Lodge Symbolic of Paraguay (GLSP), Pablo Lesme. He, in turn, invited mr to attend the General Communication hosted by GLSP in Asuncion in December 2022.

The event, hosted by GLSP Grand Master Jose Fernandez Zacur, was a gala dinner attended by approximately 980 brothers from associated lodges, including those from neighboring countries and Europe. GM Zacur honored me with the title of honorary member of GLSP and I reciprocated by presenting him with a medallion from the Grand Lodge of Illinois (GLI), further strengthening our relationship.

During my visit to Asuncion, I had the opportunity to tour the Lodge Leonardo da Vinci #152 and learn about the history and traditions of the GLSP. GM Zacur expressed interest in expanding the relationship between the GLI and GLSP, potentially through joint health education initiatives with the Masonic Hospital of Illinois.

I am grateful for the warm reception I received from my Paraguayan brothers and all the brethren who assisted in making my visit a memorable one. The experience of meeting so many brothers from South America and Europe was truly enriching.

Fraternally, R.W. Geno Bonaventura

On a beautiful Tuesday night, Oriental Lodge # 33 welcomed three new members into its ranks. Michael Park, Christopher Moran, and Jamey Garth were initiated as Entered Apprentices, and with this step, they began their first step into Freemasonry.

These three candidates had been frequent visitors to the lodge for some time, as is typical among those seeking membership of our lodge. The process of becoming a Freemason is one that is not taken lightly, and the lodge ensures that each candidate is well-suited to the craft by waiting between six months to a year before accepting a petition for membership. This allows for a thorough examination of the candidate's character and values, and helps to ensure that the new members are worthy of the title of Freemason, and especially of Oriental Lodge #33.

We extend our warmest congratulations to Michael, Christopher, and Jamey on their initiation into the craft. We look forward to the contributions they will make to the fraternity and to the world as the youngest Entered Apprentices of our lodge.

Please find the January 2023 Newsletter at the link below

Oriental Lodge # 33 January 2023 Newsletter

Point within a Circle with the Saint's John

The symbol of a single point within a circle represents the balance between an individual's duty to the Grand Architect and their fellow man. The individual, represented by the point, should stay within the boundaries of the circle, refraining from allowing personal desires and motivations to cause them to stray from their duty.

In Freemasonry, the Saints John are traditionally associated with the biblical figures John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. These figures are often referenced in Masonic ritual and symbolism, and their feast days (June 24th and December 27th, respectively) are considered special days of observance for Masons.

In the context of the craft, the Double headed eagle of St. John ,which is a symbol of the Two Saints, is depicted to represent the need of balance and harmony between the spiritual and the temporal aspects of human life.

Instead of having our special meeting, we gathered at Rocky Patel’s Cigar Lounge and enjoyed some cigars and libations. We also celebrated Brother Terry McCammon’s birthday.

Today is also the Feast Day of St. John the Evangelist. An excellent article about the relevance of the Saints John can read at the this link.

As we've been dark for a little bit we have not stopped working . In the spirit of giving and the holiday season Oriental Lodge No. 33 has joined in on the Regulators Inagural City Toy Drive!

The events owners are The Cook County Crime Stoppers and The Julian Jumpin' Perez Foundation. For those of you who know Julian Jumpin' Perez from the early 90s Chicago House Music scene, he will be there as well representing his foundation AND will jump on the turntables for old times sake.

There is open bar and appetizers from 630 - 730pm and then each person will receive a drink ticket for after.

This was a great opportunity for a City Lodge to jump into as it directly impacts the children of the city of Chicago.

Everyone here is invited to come and join in on a fun night of giving, libations, food, and some 90s House Music. If you are able to come and enjoy a good night please do! It's also a great night of networking with different people in the city of Chicago.

Present Donations:
1. I am willing to drive and pick up toy gifts from anyone.

2. If its easier, I encourage you to make a small donation to oriental.lodge.33@gmail.com zelle account with a note that says "Toy Drive". The Dais officers will then head out and purchase everything we can get.

If anyone would like to jump into the endeavor of purchasing the gifts with us, join us! Knowing that a small gesture of charity will make a child's day on Christmas will make this very rewarding for us as an organization.

A full report will be sent out to capture the success of the event!

If anyone has any questions or concerns you can email the officers:

Wmol33.1845@gmail.com - Luis
Swol33.1845@gmail.com - Anthony
Jwol33.1845@gmail.com - George

Saturday November 12, 2022 was the public ceremony of installation of officers for Oriental Lodge # 33. This was the 178th installation to have taken place at our lodge. Worshipful Master Luis Barahona was installed as the Worshipful Master and installed his officers. More than 80 brothers, visitors, friends and family came to watch the ceremony and more joined in the festivities afterwards in Chinatown at Lee Wing Wah, where a 9 course meal was served with plenty of libations. The elected and appointed officers for the 2023 year are:

Worshipful Master: Luis Barahona
Senior Warden: Anthony Popelka
Junior Warden: George Viamontes
Treasurer: Javier Pineda
Secretary: Philip Schwartz
Chaplain: Ian McNally
Senior Deacon: John Kennedy
Junior Deacon: Geno Bonaventura
Senior Steward: Ray Witkowski
Junior Steward: Tommy Spaulding
Tyler: Jesus Vasquez

Marshal: Rudy Altergott
Officer of Instruction: Johnathan E. Barnes, GLI, PM

As the annual meeting for 2022 concluded we saw Worshipful Master Jack Recinto gavel for the last time in the East. We thank him for his tireless leadership and vision. The mentorship and foundations he provided for the lodge ensures the excellence of Oriental Lodge 33 will continue.

Members of Oriental Lodge # 33 attended the annual Grand Lodge of Illinois Session in Springfield. For the second year in a row we stayed at the Freeman-Hughes Mansion and enjoyed the festivities of the Grand Lodge and fellowship of our brethren. Our Junior Warden cooked some great meals and we received visitors from lodges around the state, including our good friends from St. Paul Lodge # 500

Oriental Lodge hosted a couples night dinner with Salsa lessons. Brother Richard Council is a professional dance instructor and led the effort to teach a basic lesson on the Salsa style of dancing. A surf and turf dinner was followed by an hour and a half of dance instruction.

Richard Council began dancing tango in 2001 and has since taught and performed on stage and television throughout the United States and abroad. In 2003 he, with partner Colette Hebert, won the US IDO Argentine Tango Championships in Miami, Florida. They were finalists in the Tango Salon division and semi-finalists in the Stage Performance division of the World Championships held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2005. He has been an invited performer on the Susana Gimenez Show in Argentina, the Tango Libertad Festival in Japan and many milongas and theaters in those countries as well as all over the United States. He has taught and performed at the Portland Tango festivals a number of times. In addition to performing with Hebert in the short film "The Heart of Tango" he has also had the pleasure to share the stage with company members of Tango X 2, Forever Tango, Tango Fire, Tango Argentino and more.

More information about Brother Richard Council’s dance instruction can be found on his website:

https://tangocouncil.com/

After a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oriental Lodge # 33 finally held our 175th anniversary bash! The lodge rented out the famous Stan Mansion to house our black tie event. The mansion was originally a Commandry building, but is now an event space Included was a cocktail hour, jazz band, a plated dinner and various awards and speeches! A truly phenomenal night of brotherhood to celebrate 175 years of the lodge’s history.

Stan Mansion Instagram