News + Public Announcements

By Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Wisconsin Brother Jeff Schoenfeldt  It’s been another incredible month in Wisconsin Freemasonry!  Since my last writing, I have been to Burlington Lodge twice: once for their really fun “Gentlemen’s Night” which was an incredible amount of Brotherhood with some delicious beers to sip on, thanks to Brothers Jan Talaga and Shawn Noble. I was back a couple days later for their scholarship pancake breakfast and got to sit with some of the Brothers

We Build! As my term as Grand Master concludes, I look back with immense pride for OUR shared Masonic year. Together, we have built something truly special in Wisconsin Freemasonry, guided by our timeless principles of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, and propelled by your unwavering commitment to our craft. Your generous support of the Grand Master’s Appeal toward the WI Masonic Foundation Acts of Kindness helped focus our charitable efforts across the state. From the deployment of Fire Suppression Tools &

We build our future! With the first pick in the NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers select…. And with the commissioner’s announcement from a 3×5 notecard, lives and franchise futures all change. For Packers fans, this year it brings new hope and energy while breaking a 20+ year draught of 1st round wide receivers. Can’t wait for the season! For new members embarking on their Masonic journey, the process has some similarities. When we sign petitions, we are selecting and

We Build….Time Travel?! Hop in your Wayback machine or Delorean – time travel is possible! Recently, I had the honor of turning back the clock and stepping in as an exemplar for the Entered Apprentice degree at a School of Instruction in my home lodge. I’ll admit, the strain on my knees felt quite different than it did in my early 20s! Yet, the experience was a good reminder of the physical and spiritual commitment we make as we take

WE BUILD STORIES! I’ve always loved to travel. Growing up, I’ve been lucky enough to make some crazy treks across Europe with my oldest brother. Camping under the stars, hiking to the top of Mt. Olympus, running from the Greek mafia, sneaking through hidden passages of Dracula’s castle, riding trains with soldiers through Macedonia, and great times spent teaching Belgian friends our Wisconsin ways  – the stories won’t soon be forgotten. Now, our family trips are milder but no less

WE BUILD PASSION! Driving back home from our quarterly full leadership team meeting in Green Bay, I couldn’t help but reflect on all the effort and passionate commitment from our team so far this Masonic year. Success is a team effort, and we’ve got a lot to be proud of in Wisconsin. The passion and commitment of our Masonic family is something I’d like to take a moment to recognize.  Let’s start with the selfless act of brotherly love by

We Build Life Lessons! As we start this new Masonic year and ring in 2025, it feels important to remind ourselves that our Fraternity is more than just meetings, rituals, and degrees. We are, at our core, builders of life lessons. This is the essence of what we do as Freemasons in Wisconsin, and what Freemasonry represents across the globe. When you consider the question, “What came you here to do?” the answer is clear: “To improve myself in Masonry.”

We build leaders! We’ve reached a very busy and exciting time in the Masonic calendar…installation season! As lodges hold elections and plan for installations, holiday parties, and gatherings, this is a great time to reach out and extend invitations to brothers you haven’t seen in a while.   I’m honored to have been asked to lead some installations around the state but one in particular stands out this month. Warning – proud father moment incoming! During the 5-lodge joint installation

Wisconsin Freemasons – We’re building momentum! I love sports and nothing says Fall like the best time of the year for sports! Baseball playoffs are in full swing, the NFL season is well underway, and NBA & NHL seasons are getting kicked off. Sports can offer a lot of parallels Freemasonry. While we see brotherhood on full display in many sports, it feels like none offer as many Masonic similarities as baseball.  Whatever your team, the shared love of the

WI Freemasons – We build communities! I know a lot of lodges enjoy community service projects. Taking a page from that book, our WI Freemasonry leadership team and ladies took part in a morning of outreach in SE WI during our Fall full staff meeting. In addition to clean-up work at the Fischer House Veterans’ Home, we spread out across Dineen Park in our matching blue Wisconsin Freemasonry shirts for garbage pickup. You wouldn’t believe some of the crazy finds

We are Freemasons — we build! Let’s build positivity! I love chicken wings. Seriously, a big fan…so as I travel for work and throughout the state, I look for the best spots to get my fix. I’m always looking for the next small, local tavern to take the crown of “favorite”. While traveling out of state for work, I quickly found myself seated at my favorite spot in Traverse City, MI. Two middle-aged fellows pulled up a couple stools and

We build! That’s what we do.      For those able to attend and represent your lodges at Annual Communication, I hope you had a great time renewing friendships and meeting Brothers from across the state. We build these real, human connections which make Freemasonry so special. It has been one of the greatest parts of my own Masonic journey. The friendships formed on trust and mutual respect span diverse backgrounds and demographics. Indeed, a wonderful and unique thing to experience.

     My Brothers, thank-you! A year is a very short period of time. Luckily I have had the honor and good fortune to serve this gentle craft for many years. Throughout those years I have met many men. I have broken bread and shared a cup with Brothers from all around this beautiful state. I have stood in parking lots in Wisconsin winter for an hour or more listening to a Brother pour out their heart and sometimes it was

     It is not easy being a Mason. It is more often hard work and stepping out of your comfort zone than many men expect. “Fill out a form, pay the fee, receive your card and pin and you are in”, is what people expect. It is how so many different organizations operate. In Masonry even getting your foot in the door is a fairly complicated process. You must get to know someone in the fraternity well enough they feel

      Wisconsin Proud. The Badger men’s and women’s hockey and basketball teams all made it into the post season. Women’s hockey finishing second in the nation. That is something we can be proud of. In Wisconsin we have a perverse pride in our weather. We are the home of snow and cold four to five months of the year. Hot and humid mosquito filled summers. Springs that are late in coming, wet and muddy when they arrive. We take special

     I recently had the privilege to help represent you at the Conference of Grand Masters of North America along with many of the other Wisconsin Officers. There were delegates from all over the world, many from Central and South America as well as Eastern Europe. In many of these countries Masonry is booming. Countries like Brazil Freemasonry and appendant bodies are growing at an extraordinary rate. However, this is not necessarily the case for many of the North American

     Being a Mason can mean many different things to many different men. Masonry often means different things to the same man. So how do we reach out and meet the needs of our Brothers? There is only so much that can be done in the time of a lodge business meeting. The education piece given in lodge may stimulate some while leaving others bored. The education given may have seemed too basic for the older Mason or conversely over

     A new year is upon us. The Badgers are playing on New Year’s Day (maybe not the bowl we wanted but they are playing). The future of Wisconsin Freemasonry is bright. A new year full of the hopes and desires that new beginnings always bring. It is a new start and almost anything is possible. We raised more Masons in 2023 than we did in 2022. Will we be saying the same next year about 2024? We just need

     We are now in my favorite season in the Masonic calendar. Installation time. By our code it is the sixty days either side of the Feast of Saint John the Evangelist celebrated on December 27. It is during the holiday season which alone adds a festive feel but it is more than that.      Watching a man who has spent years going through the chairs becoming Master of his lodge. The nervousness and anticipation barely concealed. The inevitable smile

     How many of you have started watching University of Wisconsin Women’s Volleyball? Maybe there is a renewed interest in U.W. Women’s hockey. We all like to follow a winner. We want to be part of something good. It is easy to jump on the band wagon. Today Wisconsin Freemasonry is having men knock on our doors wanting to join. They are coming to join something they see doing good in their communities. They want to be part of what

     Brothers, men are knocking on our doors seeking admission. Lodges are doing degrees all over the state. We are bringing in new Masons. Good men seeking something that are not finding elsewhere. They are coming. Now how do we keep them?      Men become Masons for many reasons. Some are seeking the fellowship of like-minded men. Some are looking for deeper meanings or a stronger spiritual side to their life. Some are coming to find and practice a moral

    What a summer it has been for Wisconsin Freemasonry. Lodges are doing degree work. Better still many lodges are once again traveling to help with degrees. Lodges are taking part in town festivals many for the first time or are expanding their role. Many lodges are marching or putting floats in local parades. Food stands and information booths at fairs are becoming the norm. Many lodges and districts are attending Northwoods Baseball games or Minor league games as a

     For many years I have heard how Masonry is dying. Like all the fraternal and service organizations that are dwindling, “People today just do not want to join.” Masonry is not like other organizations though. We are growing. We are on pace, even with the COVID shut down, to have raised more Masons in the past five years than we did in the previous five year span. In roughly the three years we have been able to do degree

I’m Proud to be a Freemason!  I’m Proud of who we are! I’m Proud of what we do! My Brothers and Masonic family members, Last article. Wow, what a year! We did it together!! Wisconsin Freemasonry is relevant!!! We proved it to our communities all over Wisconsin. The “good” in our communities are searching for us. As we hold our standards and select, this Fraternity grows in size and impact. I truly believe we have changed the direction of Freemasonry

I’m Proud to be a Freemason!  I’m Proud of who we are! I’m Proud of what we do!      Only two articles to go as your Grand Master . . . An important distinction. Your leadership team is not pushing to an end, it is launching into the next successful Masonic year! We have clearly evolved this Fraternity considerably over these past months and there is no doubt the future will continue to build on those evolutions.      Those of

I’m Proud to be a Freemason!  I’m Proud of who we are! I’m Proud of what we do! My Brothers, I’m so proud of our Masonic Family! 2022 will be remembered as a year in which Freemasonry in Wisconsin underwent tremendous resurgence. There is no doubt this resurgence is due to all of us that belong to the Masonic family. Our families enable us to do what we love to do. Our families give us the strength and the courage

I’m Proud to be a Freemason!  I’m Proud of who we are! I’m Proud of what we do! My Brothers,      The news continues to be outstanding as Wisconsin Freemasonry continues to raise more and more Master Masons than we have in many, many years!  There were nearly 60 new men raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason through the “Shriner” Masonic Day of Light! Remember that these men joined the Fraternity because of you. They want friends. They

I’m Proud to be a Freemason. I’m Proud of who we are. I’m Proud of what we do. My Brothers,      The news continues to be outstanding as Wisconsin Freemasonry continues to raise more and more Master Masons than we have in many, many years!        A repeat from last month… “You all know that being bigger does not necessarily make us better but, it does allow us to do more things.  More impact on our communities, more opportunities

I’m Proud to be a Freemason. I’m Proud of who we are. I’m Proud of what we do. My Brothers, A quote from my recent email. “It’s Official!  Wisconsin Freemasonry has now raised more Master Masons in 2022 than all of 2021!  …and it’s only mid-September! WOW!!  Congratulations!!! You all know that being bigger does not necessarily make us better but, it does allow us to do more things.  More impact on our communities, more opportunities to grow personally, and

I’m Proud to be a Freemason! I’m Proud of who we are! The numbers keep pouring in and it’s awesome! My Brothers, the social media relevance platform for our membership has now referred over 450 qualified men to your Lodges and, I’m happy to report, via your selection process over 100 of those have already submitted petitions to join our Fraternity! Master Mason degrees are up nearly 50% for versus previous year!! Wisconsin Freemasonry is on a roll!!!   That said,

I’m Proud to be a Freemason! I’m Proud of who we are! I’m Proud of what we do!      Who we are is you! Thank you all for having confidence in me to be the leader of our Fraternity! I promise I will try my best to make you Proud and to make your Masonic experience as great as possible. I will not be doing it alone, as no one could. I have an amazing team of extremely talented men

Where Do We Go From Here?      That’s a good question! My term as your Grand Master is coming to an end.  But Masonry in Wisconsin is moving forward!  In my opinion it is alive and well!      First and foremost, I would love to see you continue to Spread the Cement of Brotherly Love! This is an important part of our Masonic Brotherhood. Love is the cement that binds us together as Brothers! Love is what makes the world

WHERE ARE WE?      Jim Valvano, who was a great college basketball coach and an even better speaker, once said that if you want to get better at anything, you must know “Where you started, where you are and where you want to be!”  If you get a chance, look him up (YouTube, 1993 ESPY speech).      Where we started last June wasn’t necessarily the best place to be.  We had two really tough years in a row mainly because