On Tuesday, March 22nd seven brothers from Braden Lodge visited Macalester Lodge #290 to assist them in initiating 4 new members to the Degree of Entered Apprentice.  Brother Travis Thorpe served as Junior Steward for the ritual while the other brothers assisted in bringing the new candidates to light.

Macalester meets at the Plato building and for many of the visiting brethren it was their first time visiting this location.  For one newly-raised brother, it was also his first time seeing any initiation other than his own which he found exciting.  The brothers of Macalester greeted us and invited us to join them for dinner which included some excellent pizza, salad, and dessert.  Afterwards they also graciously offered us each a coin commemorating their 75th anniversary as well as a Macalester patch.  Afterwards some brothers joined them at Joseph's Grill for some additional refreshments.

The degree itself went quite well and the brothers of Macalester are to be applauded for their work, particularly on the lectures.  We look forward to working with them again on future degrees and hope this new class is the start of some great things for them.

Braden Lodge is now offering T-Shirts!  The 100% cotton T-shirts feature the logo "Support Your Local Freemason" on the front and have a small square and compass just below the neck on the back.  The shirts were designed by brother Tyler Moe-Slepica, a recently raised Master Mason of Braden Lodge.  We have a stock of shirts in Large, X-Large, and XX-Large that can be purchased for $15 while supplies last.  Additional shirts and other sizes may be available but will require a special order.  T-shirts are available from WB David Allison or they can be purchased on this website.