To be more exact Walter Breuning was 114 Years, and 205 Days old when he was called to the Celestial Lodge at 3 PM, Thursday, April 14, 2011.
He had been a Master Mason for 85 Years, 333 Days.
The following will mean more to those who are Masons:
Brother Walter received his degrees in Great Falls Lodge No. 118, Great Falls, Montana. He was initiated on March 7, 1925, passed on April 4, 1925 and raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason on May 16, 1925. He affiliated with Cascade Lodge No. 34, Great Falls, Montana on January 1, 1992. He had served as Secretary of Great Falls Lodge No. 118 from January 1, 1946 through December 31, 1968. W. Brother Breuning received the Meritorious Service Medal on June 24, 1993.
On September 21, 2010, the plainspoken Breuning turned 114 years old, remaining the oldest man in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group. Brother Breuning was also verified as the fourth oldest person in the world.
Below is a clip of Walter Breuning speaking of Masonry and Scottich Rite
Walter Breuning- Scottish Rite Freemason from Scottish Rite on Vimeo.
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ReplyDeleteMy condolences to the family, but congratualtions at him living that long. May we all be able to have long and happy lives.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't figured out if my grandfather was Scotch or York rite. My mom is not very helpful on this matter.
I thought I saw a card in my grandfather's wallet that said what rite he had belonged to.
There is some confusion since my great Grandfather was a Knight Templar, which I believe was York rite. I think my grandfather was Scotch rite. Mizpa wasn't very helpful when I asked them for info.
Hello Laci,
ReplyDeleteYes you are correct that the Knights Templar is a level of the York Rite but as you and I have discussed...we favor the Scottish Rite. That being said, ether York or Scottish Rites are very good aspects to belong to...I know many Masons that belong to both plus the Shriners.
I came down with a kidney stone and had to forego the Scottish Rite degrees this past spring so I will have to start in the fall.
If you are still considering to become a Mason, all I can say is I wish I had started sooner knowing what I know today.
I sat in another lodge last night were they initiated an Entered Apprentice who was 66 years old….so it is never too late. :-)
We have performed seven initiations in my lodge (1st degree – “Entered Apprentices”) so far this year alone and I will be teaching a couple of the new ones there work. There are four of us that are the mentors of the “Work” within my lodge.
I was just thinking, if you know what lodge your Great Grandfather and Grandfather attended, they would have a record of them and what level of degree they had obtained and in what Rite. You could also contact the "Grand Lodge" in the area and they would have a record also because you have to petition the Grand Lodge to be accepted.
Let me know if I can be of any help.
I always find the Rite fascinating, especially its origin roots. I wonder why it was the masons, of all craftsmen, that developed the secret rituals and secret endeavors?
ReplyDeleteHello, Engineer of Knowledge!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that he was able to live such a long life. Imagine the many changes and eras he experienced in the process!
Hello Muddy,
ReplyDeleteI will try and answer your question. The Mason Guilds that built castles and the great cathedrals of Europe had to rely on science, advanced math such as Trig / Geometry / etc, and engineering skills to accomplish these tasks. If a bright young man wanted to be part of the trade, he became an Entered Apprentice (1st degree in Masonry today), and as he progressed he became a Fellowcraft (2nd degree in Masonry today), and when he was taught and was proficient in all of the tenants of the profession, he became a Master Mason (3rd degree in Masonry today).
The requirement to become a mason the candidate had to be Freeborn, Duly and Truly Prepared, of Good Report, and Well Recommended.
Freeborn because the Guild would travel from job to job, country to country and could not be beholding to a master be it from slave or indentured.
Duly and Truly Prepared because the apprentice took several years of commitment to learn all that was need to be know to become a Master Mason.
Of Good Report because Mason Guilds living in lodges on the job site were in close quarters and thievery could not be tolerated.
Well Recommended to the fact the person was of enough intelligence to learn and comprehend the lessons that would be taught to him.
In the Fellowcraft degree of the time, the student was to learn what we today refer as the “Liberal Arts and Sciences,” which are grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. This is where many of the Church teachings failed to what the Fellowcraft saw and proved to himself first hand what were the science facts of the time. Many who were educated in science and spoke of science facts that was blasphemy in the eyes of the church, found refuge and safety from being burned at the stake or other means of “Cleaning the Soul.”
Now let’s add the Knights Templar who were arrested and betrayed by the Church and found refuge in Northern Scotland. “Robert the Bruce” King of Scotland had been excommunicated by the Pope so the Knights Templars were welcome in Scotland. This is supported by the fact that Templar graves, marked with slabs of stone, and bearing the outline of a Templar sword, are found in Argyll. Similar graves are found in the vicinity of Rosslyn, south of the city of Edinburgh. Robert the Bruce was at war with England and was pleased to have the expertise of such battle qualified knights in his army and it is believed that the Knights Templar were integral in the defeat of the English at the battle of Bannockburn. Robert the Bruce is often credited with forming the Freemasons as a means to hide the fact that there were Knights Templar present in his army. This was because he wanted to return Scotland to a state recognized under Christendom and had informed the church that no Knights Templar existed in Scotland. Yes when asked by the Pope about the Knights Templar living in Scotland, Robert’s reply that he had no Knights Templar, all he had were a bunch of Freemasons belonging to a Masonic Guild. The Knights Templar were then able to continue as they had previously, but now under the name of Freemasonry.
This is during the time they were building the Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland.
So it is because of this history, Freemasonry developed as we see today and has been defined as “a system of morality, veiled in allegory.” Simply stated, it is a society of men who symbolically apply the tools of “OPERATIVE” masonry, to the “SPECULATIVE” science of character building.
I hope this has not gone on too long. :-)
Hello Jack,
ReplyDeleteOh my yes!! Flight of Man, communication advances from phone, radio, TV, Cell phones etc. WWI, WWII, Korean War, Viet Nam, Gulf War I, Gulf War II, and the list just keeps going on.
Travel from Horse and Buggy, Car, Jet, etc.
Wow, I really should consider becoming a mason since I wrote and answer that sonded like the one EoK gave that was eaten by the google system.
ReplyDelete