T. Michael Fegan, 33°
Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Kansas

We can open the doors of opportunity for the whole Fraternity in the 21st century by working together today to solve our common problems.

At each moment we are standing between the past and the future. Regardless of what decisions we make, we are always climbing the ladder which leads to tomorrow.

With our symbolic Blue Lodges, Scottish and York Rite Bodies, the Shrine, Order of the Eastern Star, our youth organizations—DeMolay, Job’s Daughters, and Rainbow Girls—and all other appendant organizations laboring together in a sincere sense of the true spirit of what Freemasonry represents, we can collectively make an important public statement about our aims, dreams, values, and contributions.

By focusing our efforts and talents on the few goals which are important to our progress, by speaking kindly of each other and reinforcing the good which is in appreciating ourselves, our heritage, and our rightness in what we represent to the world, we can become a beacon for right thinking and right action in our own time. The world listens to right examples.

Let us maintain the proud affection we have for our heritage, but let us also adapt ourselves to the reality of the rapid pace of today’s society and the intense demands that tomorrow will place on ourselves, our families, and our communities. If we are to grow, we must move with our times.

We should never forget that Masonry is always in the process of achieving greatness. It is our legacy. We need only to decide how boldly we want to carry the torch from this generation to the next. By working as one family in Masonry, we can, together, achieve important goals of leadership development, membership enhancement, community participation, and family involvement—all of which are so important to our overall success. We know these things are essential in order to attract new members as well as to retain members we now have. We have to include all of them in our efforts to be the total organization we can be.

When we give our own time and talents to our favorite Masonic Body, when we do things to become better known in our communities, when we involve our families in a variety of fun activities, when we teach what the words of our rituals mean, when we take care of our brothers and sisters, we will indeed make a difference—to ourselves, to others, and to our world.

The future is not a gift—it is an achievement. Let’s begin now to work together as one family of Masons so we can be together in unity as we approach the new millennium. Let us continue to practice a true sense of unity in the Masonic Community.