MAGLJGilrein
JAMES GILREIN, II
- MM 1991, WM 1996, 2005, 2011, Mount Horeb (Dennis)
- DDGM, District 21, 2007, 2008, 2010
- Senior Grand Warden 2013
BIOGRAPHY
R.W. James A. Gilrein II of Dennis was elected Senior Grand Warden for the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts in June 2013. The Senior Grand Warden is the second highest ranking elected officer in the state, comprised of 35,000 members in 232 different lodges.
The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts is the oldest Grand Lodge in the Western Hemisphere and the third oldest in the world. It was chartered in 1733, following the establishment of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717, and Ireland in 1725. 2013 marks the 280th Anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.
Gilrein was appointed by the Grand Master this past April to fill a vacancy in the position, and was elected in June. As Senior Grand Warden, he will assist Richard J. Stewart, Grand Master and the presiding officer in the state, for the coming year. He also serves as Grand Master Pro Tempore in the absence of the Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master. Stewart, of Shrewsbury, MA, was installed for the third of his three one-year terms as the 87th Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts in December.
Gilrein is a lifelong resident of the town of Dennis. He graduated from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, attended Cape Cod Community College, and the New England Maritime Academy in Hyannis for post-graduate studies. He spent time as a United States Coast Guard Merchant Marine, earning his 100 ton Master Mariner License as well.
For 20 years, he has been a realtor with Unique Properties Real Estate in Yarmouthport. He is also a Boat Captain at the Wequassett Resort & Golf Club.
Gilrein has been an active member of his local community for several years. He attends the Cape Cod Covenant Church in South Dennis, and served the town as a member of the Cemetery Advisory Commission in 2004. That same year, he served as Vice President and State Director for the Cape Cod & Islands Association of Realtors.
Brother Gilrein began his Masonic career when he joined Mount Horeb Lodge in Dennis in 1991. He served as the Lodge’s Worshipful Master, or presiding officer, in 1996, 2005, and 2011. Masons use the original definition of “worshipful”, meaning “honorable”; English mayors and judges are still addressed as “Worshipful.” As Senior Grand Warden, Gilrein will be called “Right Worshipful.” He is also a member of Nauset Light Lodge in Orleans and King Hiram’s Lodge in Provincetown. He is also an honorary member of Universal Lodge in Orleans and Adams Lodge in Wellfleet.
In 2007, 2008, and 2010, Gilrein was the District Deputy Grand Master of the Twenty-First Masonic District, comprised of the following lodges: Adams Lodge, in Wellfleet; King Hiram's Lodge, in Provincetown; Mount Horeb Lodge, in Dennis; Nauset Light Lodge, in Chatham; Pilgrim Lodge, in Harwich; Saint Martin's Lodge, in Chatham, and Universal Lodge in Orleans. There are 32 Districts in the state, each led by a District Deputy, who is the Grand Master’s representative to the lodges in the District.
Active in several Masonic organizations, Gilrein is a 32° Mason in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite – Valley of Boston. He belongs to the York Rite’s Sylvester Baxter Royal Arch Chapter in Orleans, the Cape Cod Council of Royal and Select Master Masons and Cape Cod Commandery No. 54 in Centerville. In addition, Gilrein participates as a member of Masona Chapter No. 134 of the Order of the Eastern Star.
