Seán O’Néill, 32°

June is the sixth month of our Gregorian calendar and has 30 days. It was the fourth month of the early Roman 10–month calendar. The Roman name for the month, Junius, probably derives from Juno, one of the most important goddesses in the Roman pantheon. She was the consort of Jupiter and the patroness of women, often invoked for propitious marriage and safe childbirth.

Consequently, June is a good month to consider the premiere women's organization requiring a Masonic connection, The International Order of the Eastern Star. It should be noted immediately that the Order also has men as members, both by statute and tradition. Dr. Rob Morris, Past Master, Grand Lodge of Kentucky, established the Order in 1850. The Eastern Star ritual has its basis in five Biblical females and the causes they valued more than life itself: Adah (respect for promises), Ruth (faithfulness to duty), Esther (loyalty), Martha (faith in eternal life), and Electa (patience under persecution). On October 31, 1867, fifteen Chapters organized and formed the Grand Lodge of Adoptive Masonry in Michigan, which established the oldest Grand Chapter of the Order. By 1875, twelve more Grand Chapters were established.

In most states, Eastern Star membership is open to women who are related to a Freemason in good standing or one who was in good standing at the time of his death. Men may be elected members if they hold membership in a recognized Masonic Lodge.

In the women named above, the Star Points of the Order, we have stunning examples of real heroism, people willing to die rather than betray their principles. Their constancy and bravery, recorded in Holy Scripture, cast the concept of heroism in female terms and underline the fact that self-denying nurturers are often female. The Book of Esther, the only Book in the Torah not found in the Dead Sea Scrolls of Qumran, survives in the Jewish celebration of Purim. Hitler despised this holiday commemorating a deliverance of the Hebrews and, by extension, the Book of Esther. He prohibited its reading and the holiday's celebration. Because they broke this prohibition, twelve Jews were hanged in Poland on Purim in 1942. They died singing. June's remembrance of remarkable women and their bravery should give all men pause and provide all Masons, whose Brothers also died under Nazism, considerable food for thought.

Seán O’Néill  is a psychotherapist in private practice in Annandale, Virginia. He is a member of the Education Committee of the Scottish Rite Valley of Alexandria, Virginia, the District Educational Officer for Virginia Masonic District 1-A, Lodge Education Officer of Ft. Hunt Daytime Lodge No. 353, and Senior Warden of Skidmore Daylight Lodge No. 237. He is also a member of Knights Templar, Shrine, and Allied Masonic Degrees, a patron of the Eastern Star, and a senior advisor to the International Order of DeMolay.