The Story of Specialis Procer Lodge # 678

There are few things in Masonry that I am proud of. The T. S. Parvin  Award was my idea.  I worked very hard to set up the Iowa Academy  of Masonic Knowledge.(This is the original site)   I helped found  the Iowa College SRICF.     But Specialis Procer Lodge has to be at  the top of the list.  Here is the story of how it began Lodge Story by Jay Simser, First Secretary of the Lodge I have been involved in many things Masonic over the years but starting a new  Masonic Lodge has touched a lot of emotions. It started out with a conversation  which Brother Kurt Hoffmann and I had about forming a group of Masons who  would get together once in awhile to eat out and enjoy each other's company and  discuss things Masonic.We had heard about a new type of Lodge where the  Stated Meetings were not the most important part of the life of the Lodge.  Actually I think that Kurt took off on the idea that I had when I said, "Sometimes I just want to go out to eat and sit with my Brothers and talk about Masonry. I then told him a fun story about  the "Secret Princes of the Hidden Temple" an on-going joke that some other  Brothers and I had been trading back and forth since 1993. Kurt put the ideas  together and along with the idea of an actual Lodge which would have an  emphasis on education and learning. Over time it grew to an idea that we could/should start a new Masonic Lodge.  This is done by having at least 15 Master Masons petition the Grand Master for the right to form a Lodge. We discussed it with others and asked Brother  Timothy Bonney into our planning. Brother Tim had recently moved here from Indiana and was interested and involved with this type of Lodge there.  Both Tim and Kurt had similar ideas about what kind of things they would like  to see happening in Masonry. An attempt, if you will, to restore some of the  basic ideas that the first Lodges operated with. Something new, yet old. we call  ourselves a “Restoration Lodge.” The purpose of Specialis Procer Lodge is to bring solemnity to ritual,  understanding of its meaning, education and understanding of the historical, philosophical, moral, and virtuous facets of Masonry; and brotherly love to  its members. I contacted Grand Lodge to find out what the procedure would be and we developed a list of Brothers we thought might be interested in joining such a Lodge. Because of the nature of the Lodge we chose the name Specialis Procer  which is supposed to mean Secret Princes according to an on-line translator  which Kurt found. It could also mean Noble Friend and some other things. We  liked it, held our meeting and invited others to join us. Iowa requires 15 in order  to start a new Lodge. We found the Brothers and contacted the (then) Grand  Master Don Mosier who worked with us along with Grand Secretary William  Crawford and we were granted a Dispensation to work. Thus on July 7 of 2008, we became Specialis Procer Lodge Under Dispensation  or SPUD as we lovingly referred to it. Tim Bonney was appointed the first  Master of the Lodge, Kurt the Senior Warden and I am Secretary. We have had a wonderful year. We raised Kurt's Brother (blood) as a courtesy  for Gnemeth Lodge 577 AF & AM in West Des Moines, and also had a petitioner (and did all three degrees for him) and have seen several brothers affiliate with  us including two Past Grand Masters. We have had short stated meetings which  we hold only every other month and longer Festive Boards where we have a fine  meal with wine and listen to a paper and have a discussion following. We publish our papers on a Blog called Scire Facias. We have had our own members present papers and one of the papers has been made into a book which you can purchase  on Amazon. (A Chronology of Masonic Degrees.) It turns out that one of my good friends from church here in Ames has a son  who lived in Indiana and he just happened to be the Master this year of Lodge  Vitruvian I invited him to come to Lodge with me when he was here as he was moving to New Mexico (I had met him several times and read his blogs. So it  was a real treat to have him at one of our meetings to tell us about his experience as Master of Vitruvian. It is not unusual for us to remain for at least two hours  after a festive board in lively discussion of the ideas presented in the papers. But more than anything we have bonded into a very special group of Brothers. At  Grand Lodge in 2009 it was recommended that we receive our Charter. We now have become Specialis Procer Lodge No 678 AF & AM. The Lodge has grown over the year and most of our members are also members  of other Lodges. But there is something very special about this little Lodge. One  of the Brothers and I were talking about Specialis Procer one day and we both  agree that while we can't quite define it we both feel something extra special after we have been to Lodge at Specialis Procer. One of our members could not be there tonight for the Constitution and Installation  of Officers. He sent me the following e-mail: “It saddens me that I will miss such a great event but at the same time I am  incredibly joyful that this group will continue to exist and grow. I have had a  wonderful time at all of the events so far and know that more are to come. Words  can’t express how much I enjoy being a member of this group. Having a place to talk, eat, drink, and share stories the way Specialis Procer does is priceless and the knowledge that it will continue is a rock in storm of uncertainty. The question of what Masons were is one that fascinates Masons and Non-Masons  alike. Were they Knights Templar or were the stone masons? The question will probably never fully be answered and perhaps that is the point of such a question.  The more important question is what Are Masons? What we are is the true question  because what we were cannot be changed and what we will be depends on what we choose to Be today. That’s one thing that I love about this lodge. It started with an  idea of what people wanted or wanted to be and to achieve that goal they created.  This lodge is still in the birthing stage, in fact it could be said that getting a  dispensation was like being pulled out of the womb and the reception of this  charter tonight is the spank. We have just been awoken and given the gift of life.  Of course what follows is a sentence saying something like “we now have the  power to grow as we choose.” While this would fit in nicely it seems more  appropriate to say that while this lodge grows and maintains a sense of mutual  unity, may we each grow from one another and benefit from it.” I could not have said it better. What does the name stand for; That is simple specialis (latin): secret, confidential / intimate or special friend. procer (latin): chief noble, prince. We are all learning how to pronounce it but the meaning behind it is what counts. Thanks to all who have had a part in the "birthing" of the Lodge and to the Grand Officers who came a little over a year ago to institute us and to the Grand Master Hummel and his corps of officers who came tonight and bestowed our Charter upon us and launched this endeavor. ~Jay Simser First Secretary of Specialis Procer Lodge 678 AF&AM Author of Bailey’s Buddy Blog On the Occasion of the Constitution and Installation of Officers of the Lodge September 25, 2009