by Neil W. McCabe

At ceremonies held April 23 at the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts in Boston, Somerville residents were named officers.

“Michael S. Podymaitis and Marvin L. Eatough were named District Deputy Grand Master, District 3, and Grand Organist, respectively, of the Grand Lodge,” said Donald G. Hicks, Jr., the Grand Lodge’s master. The terms will run through December.

“Podymaitis and Eatough were among 66 officers named to posts
of the oldest Masonic Lodge in North America, and the third oldest in the
world,” Hicks said.

“The Grand Lodge was founded in 1733 as the first lodge outside of England and Ireland,” he said.

“Being a nearly 100 percent volunteer organization, we rely tremendously on our members to fill key positions and roles within the Masons,” he said.

“With over 225 Masonic Child Identification Program events each year, hundreds of blood drives, 73 active Masonic Angel Funds and thousands of other community projects developed and implemented by our lodges across the Commonwealth, we are able to truly serve the community thanks to the devotion and hard work of our membership from top to bottom,” he said.

“There are approximately 45,000 members of 270 lodges in nearly 200 communities across the Commonwealth,” he said.

“Historical figures Paul Revere and General Joseph Warren, along with former New England Patriots players Russ Francis, John Hannah and the late Ron Burton, are members of The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts,” he said.

“U.S. presidents, including Franklin and Teddy Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, George Washington and Harry Truman were also masons,” he said.

Hicks said, “The Masons is a worldwide social and charitable fraternal organization, whose mission is to instill and encourage honesty, integrity and charity to benefit mankind while creating friendship and understanding between men without concern for race, creed, religion or national origin.”