Congratulations to each of you on your selection to serve the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, and the Craft wheresoever dispersed. Each year, we, as a fraternity, are blessed to congregate in Louisville and transact the important business of this Grand Jurisdiction. In so doing, we necessarily chart the course for a new masonic year. Words seem insufficient in conveying the gratitude and deep appreciation I hold for the members of this fraternity, as well as the significant trust the Freemasons of Kentucky have reposed in me. Your decision last month leaves me forever indebted to each of you. Being elected to serve as the 215th Grand Master of Masons in Kentucky is one of the greatest charges with which I have been entrusted.

Fifteen years ago, the Masons of Thomas DeVenny Lodge No. 928 bestowed upon me one of the highest honors of my life. On April 24, 2009, I was initiated into a worldwide Order conceived in morality and virtue, and designed to spread the light of education, a love for fellowship, and above all a well-founded faith in God. The members of our lodge, both past and present, have provided tremendous inspiration throughout my journey, not only with their words of encouragement, but also by their acts of kindness and forbearance, exemplifying the precepts taught within the tiled recesses of the lodge in their daily lives before the world. Likewise, Brethren near and far have provided their wise counsel and instruction concerning the nature of the Craft and the tenets espoused by it. Some have made a profound impact upon my life, be they my father, my uncle, or Past Grand Master Gary C. Rose. All have left their mark in some form.

As a small child, occasionally my family would visit the Breaks Interstate Park in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia near our home in Pike County. Atop a knoll in the center of the park, I remember playing on the swings and slides. Over the hill, just behind the playground and through some trees, was a path leading to Laurel Lake. As we walked along the lakeshore, I remember my father taking stones from the path and skipping them across the surface of the water. The stones not only disrupted the immediate area surrounding where they made contact with the water’s surface, but, to a lesser degree, impacted much wider portions of the lake as the ripples reverberated outward in concentric circles. There is a great similarity between skipping stones and our everyday impact on the world around us.

More than a century ago, a young widow’s son in his early twenties entered the employ of the Portsmouth Solvay Coke Company and made his home in a rudimentary mining camp along the Tug River in Eastern Kentucky. There he found inadequate housing, no utilities, nonexistent recreational or social opportunities, and dangerous working conditions. The quality of the coal being produced was of such low caliber that the future of the operation remained in doubt, and the company was sold three times in ten years. Together with a group of young aspiring miners, Thomas DeVenny revolutionized not only the mining operation, but also the Freeburn community surrounding it. Difficulty did not produce dismay, but rather it galvanized the resolve of a determined soul. Following a daunting, yet unrelenting effort, and at great expense to the company, a new tunnel was opened into much more valuable seams. In a few short years, Freeburn coal was considered premier; electric lights were installed; new housing developments, fine dining restaurants, and a recreational facility were all constructed. Banks, insurance agencies, and automobile dealerships were opened. Literary societies, orchestras, churches, Sunday schools, and not less than four lodges were organized. Thomas DeVenny, the eldest of ten children, whose father had lost his life under the oppression of the Black Hand, and whose mother reared her children by operating a boarding house, had transformed the lives of not only the company owners, the employees, and the community residents of the day, but he also left his mark upon the lives of generations to come. Without the leadership of Brother DeVenny, there would be no lodge in Freeburn, and quite possibly I would not be serving in the capacity of Grand Master.

Some of you know the story of my masonic journey, others do not. As a young boy I worked in my parents’ grocery store in southwest Virginia. On the hill behind it, my grandparents lived in a house along with my uncle Bobby. My grandmother, in her bedridden condition, could not walk or do anything much for herself after her fall. Throughout the day, my uncle would need help moving my grandmother from her chair to the bed, or vice versa. On visits to my grandparents’ house such as those, my uncle would give me magazines to read. Those magazines, issues of The Virginia Masonic Herald, and the articles they contained, educated a thirteen-year-old boy on the nature of Freemasonry. Reading the messages of M∴ W∴ James D. Cole and his successors, in addition to historical and philosophical pieces, and the display of the good works of the lodges, captivated my interest. The example set by my uncle, who quite literally gave up his life to take care of my grandmother, the words of wisdom shared by Grand Masters, and the splendid example set by the various lodges provoked me to petition the Craft when I came of age.

As we embark upon the 225th year of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, I am caused to reflect upon the rich history and indelible mark we have left thus far on our Commonwealth, and the worldwide Craft. In the days of Daniel Boone, when Freemasonry on the frontier consisted of less than a half dozen lodges, who could have imagined the growth and prowess of this Grand Lodge throughout the last two centuries, with more than 600 lodges active in the 1920s, more than 100,000 members in the 1960s and 1970s, the multitude of masonic scholars and authors, and most importantly the extensive brotherly love, relief, and truth for which we are known? During the past two centuries Freemasonry the world over has been confronted with challenges, not only with regards to it in particular, but also to our wider society as a whole. We have defied full-fledged political movements determined to eradicate us from the American landscape. We have prevailed over pandemics, wars, economic catastrophes, and an apathetic culture disinterested in morality. “The lapse of time, the ruthless hands of ignorance, and the devastations of war, have laid waste and destroyed many valuable monuments of antiquity, on which the utmost exertions of human genius have been employed. Freemasonry, notwithstanding, has still survived.”

Did my Dad understand he was providing his young son with an illustration of life by simply skipping stones? Was Thomas DeVenny cognizant of his century long impact upon the lives of individuals calling Freeburn home? Could my uncle, much less the authors of those articles, have ever conceived their words and acts would result in a middle schooler later becoming the Grand Master of Masons in Kentucky? I dare say, “No.” Do any of us routinely think about the implications of our actions in our daily lives, regardless of how insignificant we feel they may be? Unfortunately, all too often we do not.

Brothers, I encourage you to be mindful of the world around you, and how you respond to it. Act morally, justly and with kindness. You are a living example of what an upright Mason is expected to be. How you treat someone may very well form their only impression of what it truly means to be a Freemason. Our Craft is more than friendly banter and communal meals; it is a lifestyle conforming to morality and virtue, a life of faith, hope, charity, temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice. Remember the admonition of  Past Grand Master Carroll M. Curtis, which he gave following his installation in 1969, “By maintaining a standard of Excellence in our ritualistic proficiency and Masonic Instruction and education, we will indoctrinate our candidates in the true principles of Freemasonry….And by Excellence in Masonic living and practice, we will unite in finding more ways and means of applying Masonic teachings in our daily lives that mankind, in general, may be benefited.”

Upon our altar is placed a volume of sacred law, a source of wisdom and knowledge which we are each charged to study, to better enable us to live in accordance with the designs sketched for us upon the trestle board of the Grand Architect of the Universe. The ritual of our Order imparts to each Freemason impressive lessons drawn from the scripture, each calling us to a higher standard of conduct in our affairs with respect to our Creator, our neighbor, and ourselves. One cannot forget, though, the old French axiom of Noblesse Oblige, for it too is found on the pages of the Holy Bible. The Gospel according to St. Luke admonishes us that “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Therefore, there is no room for lukewarm practice of the principles and tenets of Freemasonry by its votaries. We must “press forward in the path of virtue,” and incline neither to the right nor to the left. Upright moral behavior is our calling. Our respective Volume of Sacred Law is our rule and guide.

As Freemasons, the thought “Well, that’s good enough,” should not appear in our lexicon. “Good enough,” is an admission of inferiority and mediocrity, neither of which we are charged to practice or inculcate. Would the gothic cathedrals of Europe stand today had they been constructed of inferior materials, by mediocre stonemasons, or lackluster artisans? The success of Freemasonry is tied not to detailed five-point plans, ostentatious temples, or bountiful membership rosters. Rather the success of Freemasonry depends greatly upon the commitment of each Freemason to practice the virtues of the Craft, gleaning wisdom to do so by studying the ritual, principles, and tenets of the Order, but above all their volume of sacred law.

To practice Freemasonry well, one need not live a life free of error. A commitment to progress remains the steadfast aim of the Order; more specifically daily progress in living according to the principles and tenets of the institution. Brothers, apply the working tools of our noble profession. Remove the rough corners of the rude and imperfect ashlar, and continually refine it through education and application, so that at last it may fit perfectly in that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Though each new Master is instructed to “work diligently, live credibly, and act honorably by all men,” this should remain the constant care of each Freemason. Remember my Brothers, with time, patience, and perseverance we shall accomplish all things!

Fraternally Thine,

Mitchell A. May
Grand Master 2024-2025