The Thurmont Masons and Freemasons everywhere believe in three principle tenets that represent a way to achieve higher standards in life: Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. Brotherly Love is the belief that "every true Freemason will show tolerance and respect for the opinion of others and behave with kindness and understanding." Relief is the principle that "Freemasons practice charity and care for their own as well as the community as a whole both by charitable giving and by voluntary work as individuals." Finally, Freemasons strive for Truth, "requiring high moral standards and ethical conduct at all times."
With regards to personnel, the Freemasons have a variety of different officers, each with unique authority and title. During the group’s meeting in early January, officers were duly installed and invested for 2021. The senior officer and leader of a Masonic Lodge is known as the Master, normally addressed and referred to as the "Worshipful Master". Rick Boyle serves as the Worshipful Master of the Thurmont chapter. As Worshipful Master, Boyle chairs all business of the lodge, is vested with considerable powers without further reference to members, and presides over rituals and ceremonies.
Buzz Murdorph serves as the Senior Warden of the Thurmont Masons. The Senior Warden is the second highest officer in a Masonic Lodge and is the Master’s Principal Deputy. Duties and authorities vary for the Senior Warden from chapter to chapter. Some Constitutions allow the Senior Warden to serve as acting Master should the Worshipful Master be absent at a meeting or event, although other Constitutions only allow for Past Masters to serve as acting Master. Thus, the Senior Warden could only act as acting Master if he himself was a Past Master. Another aspect that varies from chapter to chapter is the presumption of the role. In some chapters, it is the presumption that the Senior Warden will become the next Worshipful Master. Finally, the position itself is determined differently from chapter to chapter: in some, it is an elected role, while in others the role is appointed by the Master.
The third and final principal officer is the Junior Warden, a position held by Rob Reid in the Thurmont chapter. The Junior Warden is charged with supervision of the meeting Lodge while it is "at refreshment", meaning it is in recess for a meal break or other reason. Similar to the Senior Warden, the Junior Warden has the authority to serve as acting Master in some locations if both the Master and Senior Warden are absent. Also similar to the Senior Warden, the Junior Warden is an elected officer in some jurisdictions and an appointed position in others.
Two positions that are commonplace in most organizations are Treasurer and Secretary. The Thurmont Masons also have a Treasurer and a Secretary, with the positions currently being held by Bobby Keiholtz and Bob Koons, respectively. As with most organizations, the role of the Treasurer is to keep the accounts, collect annual dues from members, pay bills, and complete other monetary duties as necessary. Similarly, the Secretary’s role includes issuing the summons to inform members of upcoming gatherings, recording meeting minutes, completing Statistical Returns to the Grand Lodge, and advising the Worshipful Master on matters of procedure.
Lodges generally have two Deacons, titled the Senior Deacon and the Junior Deacon, and two Stewards, titled the Senior Steward and the Junior Steward. In Thurmont, Colt Black serves as the Senior Deacon, while Randy Stidom serves as the Junior Deacon. The main duties of a Deacon are to conduct candidates around the Lodge, speak for them at certain ceremonies, attend to the Worshipful Master as needed and relay order from the Master to the Senior Warden. Additionally, the Junior Deacon is sometimes given the duty of guarding the inside of the main door of the Lodge. The roles and duties of Stewards varies significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but can include
such things as filling in for an absent Deacon, assisting Deacons with conducting candidates around the Lodge, and serving wine during a meal after a Lodge meeting. In Thurmont’s chapter, Cliff Drumheller serves as the Senior Steward and Wes Evans serves as the Junior Steward.
Bruce Campbell, a former Worshipful Master of Thurmont’s chapter, serves at the Tyler. The job of the Tyler is protect the entrance to the Lodge from the outside with a drawn sword, ensuring only those authorized are able to enter the meeting Lodge. The Tyler also typically prepares the room before a meeting and takes care of storage of the regalia after a meeting. Walter Barlow serves as the Chaplain of the Thurmont Chapter. The Chaplain’s duty is to lead non-denominational prayer before and after meetings and prior to meals. Typically, the position is held by a clergyman who is a brother of the Lodge. The final officer position in the Thurmont Lodge is the Marshall, a position that is currently held by John Hagemann, who is also a former Worshipful Master. The Marshall is charged with ensuring proper procedure is followed and performing flag and other ceremonies.
As for what the Thurmont Masons do in the local area, they support and sponsor a number of organizations, including Catoctin Youth Association Basketball, Sea Scouts Troop 1011 Sea Base Crew, the Thurmont Maryland Regional Library (for which the Masons laid the cornerstone for the new library in 2008), and the Blue Ridge Summit Free Library. Per the Thurmont Masons, "we participate in dedication of buildings, parades, as well civic activities. We are involved in many programs that help support the growth of our community and surrounding areas in a positive way for the betterment of mankind."
Local-area students may already be familiar with or be interested to know that the Masons sponsor several scholarships. The Catoctin School Direct Scholarship is currently accepting applications through May from Seniors from the 2021 Catoctin High School Class. All seniors are encouraged to apply for scholarships worth up to $5,000. The Thurmont Masonic Lodge offers two Scholarship Awards each year for High School Seniors. Two other scholarships offered by the Masons are the Mary and Robert Remsberg Memorial Scholarship Award and the Bernhard "Bernie" Cohen Memorial Scholarship Award. The Remsberg award is for continuing education students in college and the Cohen award is for participation in the community and/or school activities and in need of financial assistance. Per the Thurmont Masons, "We are here to support our communities and the surrounding areas of Thurmont, Maryland. New Candidates to the Craft are always welcome!"
