MAGLMNiedermeier
Contents
MATTHEW A. NIEDERMEIER 1970-
- MM 2010, WM 2016, Caleb Butler
- Member 2010, WM 2017, The Scouters'
- DDGM, District 25, 2021, 2022
- Grand Pursuivant, 2019
- Grand Sword Bearer 2023
- Deputy Grand Master 2024
BIOGRAPHY
SPEECHES
FEAST OF ST. JOHN, DECEMBER 2023
Most Worshipful Grand Master, Most Worshipful Past Grand Masters, Right Worshipful Brethren, Worshipful Brethren, Brethren and Guests all, it is indeed an honor and a pleasure to be with you this evening! Grand Master, thank you again for the opportunity to continue serving our Grand Lodge and the Brethren across the jurisdiction. It is an exciting day to be a Mason in the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts! I am extremely humbled to be standing before you to carry on our time-honored traditions dating back nearly 300 years… a position I surely never expected to be in! Even though they are not with us, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my Lady Elaine and daughters, Madison, Courtney, and Autumn, without whose support and encouragement, I would not be here today.
Shortly after the Grand Master inquired if I might be interested in serving as DGM, he reminded me that I would have to make remarks at the Feast. To ensure I cover everything, I’ve come prepared with a dozen or so pages of type written text. In all seriousness though, as I began to contemplate what I might speak about, I poured over the many remarks of Past DGMs, many of which, bear common themes across the years. As I often do, I asked my wife Elaine what she thought I should talk about as she often has creative ideas and sound advice to offer. This time was no different . . . sort of. Upon asking her, she looked at me, and in a dead-pan delivery, said “there was an old man from Nantucket” turned and walked away. After I had stopped laughing and gained some composure, I said “I can’t use that!” Well . . . here I am using it. After reflecting for another few weeks, I finally determined that I should talk about something important to me personally that will aid the Grand Master and all the Brethren in achieving his vision for this year. Therefore, I would like to talk to you about improving three pillars of our personal relationships as Masons. I can promise there will not be any more witty limericks, but I can’t promise there will not be a quote or two.
Let me start by laying the foundation for our pillars by providing some useful and personal context. As we approach the 250th anniversary of our Great Nation and the 300th anniversary of our Grand Lodge, there are many stellar events on the horizon with great opportunity. We often hear the adage that notwithstanding Freemasonry survives, but I would submit to you all that notwithstanding, Freemasonry now has the opportunity to thrive. Our most precious resource and the catalyst for future success and growth is The Brethren and time they generously devote to The Craft. The remainder of my remarks are not about recruitment or retention, but indirectly they positively impact both. The three pillars are improving the depth of our personal relationships, seeing challenges as opportunities for growth, and mentorship of future leaders. As I continue my remarks, I would ask you to keep in the back of your minds your 1st degree when for the first time you took the hand of a Friend whom you later found to be a Brother.
My personal passion for this is best illustrated by three worthy Brethren who were integral in my growth as a new Mason. Those that know me best may recognize them through the stories but know that they are emblematic of the countless Brethren who have made my journey possible. It is often said that Masons join The Craft for a diversity of reasons and I think we can all agree that is true. That diversity of background, experience, skill, and motivations is what makes us strong. I would submit to you however, that Masons largely stay active as Masons for one reason, and that is for their fellow Brethren. As a new Steward in Caleb Butler Lodge one of my earliest mentors and friends was a senior Past Master and cornerstone of our lodge who has since departed for the Celestial Lodge above. I have no doubt he is watching us now as he often would volunteer to drive us in to the Quarterly or other Grand Lodge events (driving anecdote). I learned early on that he was was a retired Warrant Officer and as some may know I am also a Warrant Officer. Despite our age differences, this provided a strong early connection to build our friendship. This Worshipful Brother was a regular instructor in the candidate cipher instruction in the lodge. In the lodge, we had a tradition that a prospective Senior Deacon needed to deliver the Middle Chamber lecture during a step-up night as a Steward. In preparing for that, I spent many nights with him in the lodge and at his home around his kitchen table learning the lecture. It was during those times, that I learned of his activities in Scouting and as a Scoutmaster of his son’s troop. I learned of his love of hunting and his role as a founding member of the Shirley Rod & Gun Club. I had largely quit hunting in my youth, but began to actively hunt once again when Gene invited me to go out with him. I will never lose the vision of him crashing through the thickest laurel I’ve ever seen, and watching him roll rear over tea kettle, in his 80s trying to get the deer moving so we might have an opportunity. That was this Worshipful Brother, he put his arm around you, got to know you outside of Masonry, and made you feel like a part of his family. He epitomized what it meant to improve the depth of a relationship with a Brother.
The second Brother was much closer in age to me . . . also a Past Master of CBL who went on to serve as a DDGM and pillar officer of this Grand Lodge. Despite being a vastly more experienced and accomplished Mason, he also put his arm around me to demonstrate the value of traveling to see the opportunities that existed across the jurisdiction and in the appendant bodies. The Right Worshipful Brother and I were both Eagle Scouts. While I was still an Entered Apprentice, he orchestrated a visit by the Brethren of the Massachusetts Masonic Eagle Scout Association to welcome me. Some of my earliest travels as a Mason outside my mother lodge were with him and the Brethren that eventually became The Scouters Lodge. He similarly took to the time to invite, drive, and introduce me to the Scottish and York Rite appendant bodies. The countless hours of “windshield time” with him demonstrated the value of travel and visiting new lodges and appendant bodies and I now count him as one of my closest friends inside or outside Freemasonry.
My first appendant body membership was in the Scottish Rite in the Valley of Boston and my first officer role outside a Blue Lodge was as the National Color Bearer in the Massachusetts Consistory Guard. After my initial introduction to The Guard, the Captain of the Guard put his arm around me and said, “so I heard you’re in the military?” Like the two previous Brothers, the Captain took the time to understand my skills, interests, and background so that my experience in The Guard might be more fulfilling. He showed me the importance and value of being involved in our appendant bodies and epitomized what it means to care for our Brethren. On more than one occasion, the Captain was available to meet for lunch, a quick phone call to offer advice, or to just listen.
All three of these Brethren embody what it means to improve the depth of our relationships with every Brother.
The second pillar can only be successfully maintained after the first is built. The second is collectively recognizing and reframing challenges as opportunities to grow. I am sure each of us can recount a particular challenge that we’ve faced as an individual, lodge, district, or body that may have seemed insurmountable at the time. In 1982 some of you may remember the Tylenol cyanide crisis. The short version was that someone had laced capsules of extra strength Tylenol with cyanide and at least 7 people were killed. The impact of those deaths of course put the brand and parent company Johnson & Johnson into a tailspin. The negative media coverage and the potential liability resulting from the deaths put the company’s future viability in doubt. One media personality said “A name so closely associated with death was un-sellable.” I would like to focus on how they saved the company. Instead of changing the name or shutting the brand down, they took an aggressive approach to show the public how Tylenol made people safer than their competitors. They did this by developing tamper-evident packaging and the safety seal. For context, federal legislation endorsed by the FDA requiring similar packaging wouldn’t be passed for another 7 years until 1989. A short two months after the murders Johnson & Johnson introduced the new packaging and revolutionized the industry. One short year after the murders, in 1983, they had increased their market share by 300% over the baseline the day before the murders. Like Johnson & Johnson, our lodges and Brethren have the skill to reframe challenges, whether they be financial, membership, or leadership, as opportunities resulting in growth that no might have imagined just the year before. The bonds of Brotherhood, built through the crucible of experience, develops the perseverance, resilience, and creatively to flourish during these times of difficulty. . . not unlike the bonds that are developed in the military or by first responders.
The third pillar is actively taking a role in identifying, recognizing, encouraging, and mentoring the future leaders of The Craft as was done by the exemplars in the first pillar. There is an adage in the military that the best servant leaders spend most of their time developing their replacement. I would submit to you that most every Brother in The Craft has the potential to be, at the very least, an informal leader. The act of knocking on the door demonstrates their self-awareness and desire to grow as they improve themselves in Masonry. One of the recent great leaders in our country Former Secretary of State and General Colin Powell distilled the importance, goal, execution, and evaluation of leadership into a few short words. He said “leadership is solving problems… the day soldiers (or Masons) stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.” As we look to identify our future leaders do we see the depth of their personal relationships, do they embrace challenges as opportunities to grow, and do others seek them out for assistance in solving problems? In practical terms within Masonry we see this when a Worshipful Master invites a newer Brother to be an officer, or encourages him to attend the Deacons Academy. It can also be seen when a DDGM invites a Brother to be a District Officer, when a Grand Warden or Deputy Grand Master requests their Pursuivant or Standard Bearer, when the Grand Master selects his officers… and when a when a Brother invites a young Entered Apprentice to travel with him to a lodge, appendant body, or affinity group.
With these three pillars constructed, we look to the 1st degree when we took the hand of a Friend whom we later found to be a Brother. Nearly every Brother can recite these words… but we often forget that this is an operative moment in the degree! One Brother guiding… protecting… leading… teaching… demonstrating. . . and building the foundation of the relationship with that soon-to-be Brother. It is in those actions, and not the words, where the primary instruction and building blocks of our fraternal bonds are created. With the knowledge of coming events and the great opportunities embedded within them, I would like to humbly encourage each of you to actively improve the depth of your relationships, see challenges as opportunities for growth, and when you see potential, or greatness in a fellow Brother, be the one to take the next step and encourage and mentor them in their Masonic Journey. Through the construction of these three pillars and a judicious application of patience, resilience, and planning, notwithstanding, together we will see Freemasonry Thrive! Thank you again to each and every Brother! I am eternally grateful for your friendship and mentorship (seen and unseen). It is an honor to serve with you and I look forward to seeing you in my travels this coming year! God Bless every Brother wheresoever dispersed, The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and our Great Nation! Thank you.
