The Cumberland Scottish Rite celebrated the 2016 Feast of Tishri at the Cumberland Masonic Temple on Monday, October 3, 2016. The brethren were honored to be joined by Ill. Marlin L. Mills 33°, Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Maryland.
A warm welcome was offered to the brethren and guests by Venerable Master Charles W. Taylor, Jr., 32° KCCH. Senior Warden Robin Summerfield, 32°, delivered the invocation and Junior Warden Samuel J. Lane, 32°, led the Pledge of Allegiance. The eight toasts of obligation were given by (1) Ill. Jamey S. Hill, 33°, (2) Bro. Samuel J. Lane, 32°, (3) Ill. Charles J. Hout, 33°, (4) Bro. Charles W. Taylor, Jr., 32° KCCH, (5) Ill. P. Gary Shircliff, 33°, (6) Ill. Kenneth R. Wilson, 33°, (7) Ill. Jerome F. Robinette, 33°, and (8) Bro. Raymond W. Ryan, III, 32°.
Following the toasts of obligation, Pastor Martha Macgill, Rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Parish, delivered an inspiring speech on the subject of Freemasonry in Action.
The Feast of Tishri is the most symbolic of Scottish Rite Festivals. Through this celebration we reaffirm our dedication to human concord and the Brotherhood of all men in a world of peace. We resolve to build, as Solomon did, through harmony and cooperation ever seeking peace for all mankind. As the children of Israel were led through the wilderness, God decreed the celebration of a seven-day feast in the Jewish month of Tishri, during which they were to live in “sukkahs’” (shelters or Booths). This feast was to be celebrated annually to forever remind the Israelites that He had rescued them from Egypt. This “Feast of Tishri” (or “Feast of Succoth”) is thus a symbol of freedom. When King Solomon completed his Temple more than four centuries later, it was dedicated during the Feast of Tishri, and this association led to its adoption by Scottish Rite Masonry to symbolize our dedication to brotherly love and human accord in a peaceful world. In recognition of this tradition, Bro. Samuel J. Lane, 32°, led the construction of a symbolic sukkah as part of this year’s Feast of Tishri and the brethren brought a share of their own abundance to be donated to the Western Maryland Food Bank.
