Masons Sail in Solidarity

A large group of Masons from District 14 cruised to Florida and the Bahamas this past May. Members attended from each of the six lodges in Pike County, Wayne County and part of Lackawanna County in northeast Pennsylvania.

In total, 58 brothers and their wives sailed on the MSC Maravaglia for seven nights to Port Canaveral, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; and MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay, located 20 miles south of Bimini.

Phil Favale, Past Master, Honesdale Lodge No. 218, a frequent traveler, planned the trip over a period of six to eight months. After traveling from Pennsylvania to Brooklyn, NY, on a charter bus, participants boarded the ship the day before Memorial Day, returning the following Sunday.

“It was a fantastic experience, and the trip was well received by everyone,” Phil said. “We all see each other when we go on an official visitation or when another lodge needs help with a degree, but there’s not a lot of intermingling between lodges. It was my goal to have something outside of lodge business to get us all together in a comfortable setting, and it was amazing.

“It was a great way to really get to know each other because you were on a boat for a week and couldn’t go anywhere. You learn who people are and what they do in the lodge. I even got to know brothers from my own lodge better.”

Phil had contemplated the idea of a lodge cruise for a long time before the pandemic hit, and then after things finally went back to normal. When he decided to pursue the idea, he spoke with his close friend, Donald Roa, District Deputy Grand Master for District 14. Both men were raised on the same day in 2015 at a district-wide one day class, although they joined different lodges.

While the cruise initially developed as a lodge event, Don recommended opening it up to the entire district, and Phil agreed. He reached out to vacation companies and travel agents and sent out a survey to members with a series of questions about participation.

It’s unusual for lodges to participate in extracurricular activities to this extent, Phil said. He was initially concerned they wouldn’t get enough people to go on the cruise.

“When I reached out to the travel agent, we started with eight rooms to lock in a great price,” he said. I was nervous we wouldn’t even hit that number, but we did.”

Don said the highlight of the trip was eating dinners in a private dining room and hosting mixers in the sky lounge overlooking the ocean. While there was assigned seating, it wasn’t even needed because everyone moved around to meet each other. A Table Lodge Ceremony was held in the boardroom on Memorial Day. This Masonic tradition gathers members together to enjoy a meal, often accompanied by toasts and other rituals.

Glen Shifler, Secretary of Carbondale Lodge No. 249, and his wife, Caroline, decided to book the trip because they had never been on a cruise and thought it would be better to go with other people.

“Knowing we were going with our wives or significant others was a bonus, so everyone could meet each other,” Glen said. ”I was kind of spoiled because the weather was spectacular, and I didn’t get seasick. I met a lot of people and got to know my own lodge members better. Before, it was very cordial, but there [on the cruise] you had a conversation with them and got to know them better, which was very cool.”

“The whole experience was phenomenal,” Don added. “I can’t say enough about the job that Phil did. He even made lapel pins for each of us to commemorate the cruise.

“I would highly recommend other districts do this. We’re looking to do another trip in 2027.”

Anyone interested in organizing a similar type of trip for their district may contact Phil at info@favaleandco.com.