arena
A YOUNGER MASON SPEAKS:
ROLF KURTH
tour to Afghanistan in 2011, but lying in my tent in Lashkar Gah, Southern Helmand Province one night before I nodded off, the scales finally fell from my eyes. That night I had been reading –quite coincidentally-a novel that was quietly complimentary about Freemasonry. I had grown up in Canada in a home that regarded The Craft as a satanic cult, so for the past 15 years I had been mercilessly teasing my great friend and now proposer W. Bro. Alexander Moncrieff, LGR, about going off to sacrifice goats when he went to Lodge meetings. For many years, Alex was the only Freemason I had ever knowingly met. I was the worst kind of ignorant, I
I
was vocally critical about something I knew virtually nothing about. Having had my preconceptions
challenged that night on my camp bed, I dropped the subject of Freemasonry into conversation with an army colleague the next morning over a mug of coffee in the searing 40ºC+ Afghan sun; it turned out that he too was interested to know more. What ensued was several weeks of mutual investigation during our scant free time, if nothing more than to occasionally divert our minds from the here-and-now of counterinsurgency operations. Less than a year later, in February
2013, I was initiated into Citizen Lodge, Number 2911. It turned out that I’d known a few of the other members too. Also for over 15 years! Alex, my proposer, had taken great care to introduce me to Freemasonry gently, and his investment paid dividends. Together, we took the tour of Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen
SUMMER 2013
did not have a huge amount of spare time during my operational
Street, and he explained the precepts of high moral standing, charity and fraternity. As a military man, all of that appealed to me, as did the ritual and the ‘dressing up’! I have been openly gay for the past
15 years, so one of my few concerns was that I might be joining a potentially unfriendly ‘establishment’ institution, which was very much behind the times. My concerns could not have been more unfounded, and I was welcomed with open arms at Citizen Lodge. That aside, what appealed to me most about Freemasonry was joining a framework within which I could make a difference in the world. Of course, we do not need to be part of a larger organisation to make a difference, but the fraternity and common approach to charity appealed to me greatly. “Integrity, kindness, honesty, and fairness”; it was “a moral and ethical approach to life” that I could hardly fault - and that is why I became a Freemason. Since my initiation, I have been
very lucky to visit three other Lodges, one for the initiation of a young friend and soon-to-be-fellow Army officer over 20 years my junior, who joined his father’s Lodge. I was also very honoured to attend the Centenary Meeting of the Kensington Battalion Lodge, which was a spectacular evening. I have met some wonderful men, young and old, from all walks of life; people with whom there is an instant connection and common outlook on life. Visiting other lodges has already become a highlight for me, and really does open one’s eyes to the variety on offer. I have embarked upon a
9
new journey, and am relishing the personal challenges and intangible rewards that Freemasonry, I hope, will bring to the rich and varied tapestry that is life. Did I find my initiation ever so slightly odd? Yes. Do I still find Freemasonry a tad peculiar? I certainly do. Do I wish I’d joined 20 years ago? Undoubtedly!
Rolf Kurth is an Entered Apprentice in Citizen Lodge No. 2911. He is Head of
Fundraising for the Solider On! Charity, and has recently been promoted Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial
Army, where he is a Media Operations Officer.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40