Home - St. Florian 9-11 Masonic Lodge #238

St. Florian 9-11 Masonic Lodge #238

The only Firefighter / EMS Masonic Lodge in North America

History

The history of St. Florian 9-11 Masonic Lodge for Firefighters began with a July 6th email Bro. Ron Block sent to several Masons who happened to be firefighters, asking “What are your thoughts about forming a Masonic Lodge for Firefighters?”

He also shared the following ideas for consideration:

It would be a traveling Lodge, meeting at different locations throughout the state. This would be an actual “Lodge” and members must be Master Masons in good standing with their home Lodges and Firefighters and/or EMTs, active or retired, career or volunteer. A Firefighters Lodge would be an opportunity for Firefighters to get together as Masons and increase the awareness of both “brotherhoods.”

Maryland’s Most Worshipful Grand Master and RW Deputy Grand Master supported the formation of this “special interest lodge” Collington Lodge No. 230 voted September 2nd to be the sponsoring lodge for the Firefighters Lodge.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Maryland a “Form of Petition for a Warrant to Work Under Dispensation” was signed by seven (7) Maryland Master Masons in Good Standing, who will be the original Charter Members.

On November 05, 2014 the Petition for a Warrant to Work Under Dispensation with the required signatures was submitted to the MWGM Jerry Piepiora. with a copy to DGM Ken Wyvill and the RWGS Herb Holcomb. November 11th, the proposed By-Laws for the new Masonic lodge were submitted for consideration.

The new lodge was included in the MW Grand Master’s report and the Grand Lodge voted to approve his report. Therefore, St. Florian 9-11 Lodge was approved to meet Under Dispensation until the Semi-Annual Communication in May, when the Charter for “St. Florian 9-11 Lodge No. 238” was presented.

2024 Lodge Officers

Worshipful Master – Kerry Collins
Senior Warden – Ronald Block
Junior Warden – Robert Goninan III
Secretary – John Ertel
Treasurer – William Hinton
Senior Deacon – Christopher Wertz
Junior Deacon – Shariff Thomas
Senior Steward – Brian Brown
Junior Steward – Lawrence Brister Sr.
Chaplain – TBD
Marshal – TBD
Tyler – John Gatton Sr.

Past Masters

2015 – William Killen
2016 – Ronald Block
2017 – Richard Cutlip Jr.
2018 – Robert Collins II
2019 – Michael Daily
2020 – Ronald Block
2021 – Ronald Block
2022 – John Ertel
2023 – Kerry Collins

Honorary Past Masters

John Gatton
Thomas Collins*

Events

Stated Communications

Usually the 4th Saturdays of the month except July & August

Locations change as we are a traveling Lodge

Mailing Address:
PO Box 314 Arnold, MD 21012

Minutes

Members may view minutes from previous communications and Trestleboards on the Grand Lodge Manager.

Be sure your contact info is up to date while in the Grand Lodge Manager.

2B1ASK1 - Interested in Joining?

To become a Mason, you need only to “ask”, meet the qualifications, and be accepted by a lodge. Anyone seeking membership into Freemasonry should first seek a Masonic friend to recommend him. He must sign a petition and return the petition to the lodge in which he wants to become a member. The petition will then be investigated and brought before the members of the lodge who will vote by secret ballot.

In the event that you do not have a member of the Masonic Fraternity in your circle of friends and acquaintances, its recommended that you contact us via email for further assistance. When you email us, please be sure to include your full name, correct email address, telephone number(s), and or home address – this is only necessary so that we can have a member of our lodge contact you to discuss your further interest in Freemasonry and answer any questions you may have.

10 Reasons to Become a Mason

1. A place where you can confidently trust every person and trust your family with them also.

2. A place where, within moral and civil guidelines; free thought, free speaking and the spiritual growth of man, can grow into its fullest potential.

3. A place to meet outstanding individuals from all walks of life, that a person otherwise have had the opportunity to know and call brother.

4. A place to be a part of an organization which has for its principal tenets – Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.

5. A place that provides self-development opportunities, leadership training and experience, and to improve public speaking skills.

6. A place you can go to seek support as well as give it.

7. A place where moral virtues are taught and

though theses teachings a regular reinforcement of the moral virtues is experienced.

8. A place to spend time with a group of brothers, who by acting as good men, make me want to become a better man. Not better than others, but better than I would have otherwise been.

9. A place to become better equipped to serve church and the community.

10. A place to meet with established members of the community and to become a part of the community.

Halligan Program

Are you a Mason in Good Standing, in the fire/EMS service, and would like to be a part of St. Florian 9-11 Lodge #238, but live outside of Maryland?

Then the Halligan Program was created for you.

We appreciate your interest in our Lodge and look forward to having you on board. We are chartered under the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Maryland. One of the requirements to “affiliate” with a Maryland lodge is to attend a tiled meeting of that lodge. Realizing this is not convenient for out-of-state Masons, we created the Halligan Program for those who want to be a part of this special crew.

Here are the requirements:
-Must be a Master Mason in good standing in a lodge recognized by the Grand Lodge of Maryland.
-Must be involved in the Fire/EMS discipline or related fire protection work.
- Submit the following application with a copy of your current dues card and a $25 check payable to “St. Florian 9-11 Lodge No. 238”.