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Promises
Matter
The
very essence of a fraternity is fraternalism—the
sense of obligation to each other which makes us
feel responsible for each other’s welfare. As
the philosopher Starks pointed out, “I will
forgive my friend and brother for refusing to
share his triumphs and hoarding his joy, but his
refusal to share his sorrows and pain comes nigh
to unforgivable.”
Each Mason has made a direct, unequivocal
promise to God that we will care for our
Brothers, and their wives, widows and orphans.
And promises---especially those made to
God---matter.
Most of us feel that the obligation is
especially acute when the Brother or widow is
elderly; but, young or old, we have promised.
Promises Matter is the program of the Charity
Foundation to help Lodges fulfill that
obligation. Lodges have always kept track of
their members, helping when help was necessary.
Most of the time, the needs do not involve
money. An elderly Brother or widow may need
transportation---perhaps to go shopping, or to
the doctor’s office or to visit friends, or for
a drive in the country just to get out of the
house for a bit.
They may simply need someone to spend an hour in
conversation with them from time to time.
They may need someone to fix a screen door, or
change a light bulb they cannot reach, or hand
something down from a shelf in a closet. These
are the things which individual Masons as well
as Lodges must do, because they promised.
But sometimes money is needed, too. When that
happens the Promises Matter Program has two ways
to help, Matching Funds and Promises Matter
grants. In addition to the $7,500 in Matching
Funds each Lodge can use (discussed later in
this report) each Lodge also has $2,500 each
year in Promises Matter Matching. That program,
announced late in 2001, started in January 1,
2002.
This
hypothetical example is used to illustrate the way the
programs work together.
A Masonic widow lives in town. She is on a
fixed income, but her little house is paid for
and, because she is very careful, she can just
make ends meet. As part of making ends meet,
she has a $1,000 deductible on her homeowners
insurance.
One night there is a bad storm and her roof is
seriously damaged. The insurance will cover it,
but she will have to pay the $1,000 deductible.
Because she is on a fixed income, that $1,000
might as well be $10,000---it would be equally
as impossible.
But the Brethren know their duty. It’s a small
Lodge, without a lot of resources, but they pass
the hat and come up with $100. They apply for
Matching Funds, giving them a total of $200.
They then apply for a Promises Matter grant for
the remaining $800. The problem has been
solved, and the members of the Lodge have been
able to meet their fraternal obligation.
The program is catching fire, and more and more
Lodges are taking advantage of this opportunity
to help them with their fraternal obligations.
Promises Matter, and the Masonic Charity
Foundation is happy to help the Lodges keep
those promises.