First, we have performed two Entered Apprentice Table Lodges and they have been incredibly popular and fun. As a part of these Table Lodges, we have hosted two sitting Grand Masters who have taken a part in the fun. I can't speak for the candidates but my guess is that they have had a lot of fun as well and have seen that we are dedicated to their learning and growing as a brother. My hope is that they will enjoy the labors and privileges that come with being a Mason.

We tried an experiment to give a personalized third degree to each of our candidates. I remember the dedication of the brothers that day. Not only did we have brothers of our Lodge but also distinguished, visiting brethren including Most Worshipful Brother Phil, Worshipful Brother Bill, and Brother Nick jumping in to do great degree work. As I look at how this experiment worked out, I can see that these brothers saw that we were dedicated to them so they have dedicated their work to us. The idea of a personalized degree is not a new idea but the original design of our Fraternity and I hope to see Corinthian continue doing this into the future.

We have also done a terrific job restarting the delivery of the Courier but more especially, expanding our web presence. The website done by Brother Dan is outstanding and has led to many new petitioners for degrees and affiliation to our Lodge. We have made it easier to update brothers and sisters on the goings on at Corinthian, Myrtle, and the Farmington York Rite bodies on our calendar and have made contacting the officers as easy and as seamless as can be.

We had our first ever pancake breakfast for our scholarships and successfully raised enough money for one scholarship. This event also highlighted our Lodge, our Fraternity, and our history in Farmington. Many families got to see just how interesting we are. This is the type of PR we want to have in the community. Thank you all. Special thanks go to Brother Rick for his perfect planning of the event and Brother Jarrod for his complete dedication to make the Breakfast perfect.

We are also very close to bringing Masonic youth groups back to Farmington. Because of the hard work of Kerry and Kate Hanson, Bethel #88 is within months of being reconstituted. As we begin the final preparations, I need all the brothers to pitch in. The girls would need at least one brother to serve on the Guardian Council. The brother would need to be certified which means that he needs to go to a certification class. If you have questions, let me know and I'll connect you to the right person.

Finally, I am glad to have seen the expansion of education, including the degree lectures being given to our brothers, so that our Lodge can continue to dedicate itself to those three tenets, Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. I have been very happy to read some selections from the Edward R. Murrow collection, "This I Believe." These papers are filled with so many insights that transcend the time when they were written. I hope to continue presenting these thoughtful essays and hope that we can discuss them.

As I transition to my new role as Lodge Education Officer, I hope to continue our Lodge's tradition of great degree work and ritual. I want to bring to my new role a desire to make each officer and curious brother proficient in our ritual. The only way to separate ourselves from the Rotary, Lions, or any other fraternal organization is through our ritual. I would like to set up a day each month that we study Masonic ritual and discuss other Masonic educational topics. This need not be at the Lodge Hall but can be done at different brothers' homes. If you would like to help me with this, please contact me.

I would like to congratulate Brother Steve, tradition prevailing, and I am thankful for all his help. I only hope to be of as much help to him as he has been to me. Brothers, you are all in my heart and you have been a great resource. Your labors this year have done so much for the Craft in the south Metro and I couldn't have done any of what we accomplished by myself. Thank you all.

Nick Johnson
Worshipful Master, Corinthian Lodge No. 67

I want to congratulate our newest Master Masons, Brothers DeAndre, Jarrod, and Steve, who have done an admirable job of learning their proficiency exams and presenting themselves as extremely active and dedicated Masons. I would also like to thank our degree team who allowed me the opportunity to do an experiment; we performed the full second section of the third degree on each of the candidates. It was a long but extremely rewarding day. We had the help of both Most Worshipful Brother Phil Soderberg and Worshipful Brother Bill Callister and made an event that I think all the brothers will remember. Awesome job to all.

This summer, we will be traveling including a trip to Saint Paul Three and potential Lake Harriet visit as well as a return to Braden and perhaps even to St Louis Park at Templar Lodge. If you want to go, contact me and we’ll set up a carpool. We’ll also be cleaning the highway again on August 21st. Please attend if you can and children and significant others are welcome. Call me at or send me an email at njohnson(at)corinthian67(dot)org.

Now, on to the new business. We are reviewing the bylaws and a copy will be sent to all brothers for review in the September Courier. Not much has changed except the dues structure. All comments and questions are welcome. We will be hosting the Friendship Night on the first Tuesday in September, which is the 7th. If you know of any men whom you believe will make good Freemasons, let me know their contact information so that we can send them an invitation. We will do a first reading of the petitions after the Friendship Night program. We will have our Dusty Square and Compass on the 21st of September and should be fun. We will also be voting on petitions that day as well. Finally, on the first Tuesday in October, we will be doing our EA/Table Lodge program. The price hasn’t been set but will be for our September Courier. 

We have a lot planned but as we continue to grow, we will see the benefits of all this work more and more.

Nick Johnson
Worshipful Master, Corinthian Lodge No. 67

All three principal officers and myself as well as our Secretary, made the trek to the Granite City, Saint Cloud, to again share fraternal greetings with other Lodge leaders at the 157th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, A.F. & A.M. Mentorship is a major push for the Grand Lodge and I think this is applicable to our Lodge. Looking at the Annual Report published by the Grand Lodge, more men are now withdrawing from Minnesota Lodges than are dying. That is a problem that I don't want Corinthian to have. Thankfully, we have Brother Wayne pushing forward our own Mentorship program. However, we need all of you to help. We need both proficiency coaches as well as dedicated mentors to help our brothers learn our ritual and stay active in our Lodge. Contact Brother Wayne if you would like to help.

We are changing up our Officers' meeting. Instead, I will be calling them Planning Meetings. We will have these planning meetings off site from the Lodge building, either at the Long Branch or at the Eagles. These Planning Meetings are open to all brothers and will began at 6:00 pm on the first Tuesday of each month. I will post where we are meeting on the Lodge door, so please come on out.

We also have our Awards Night planned for April 16th starting at 6 pm. This year, we will be giving out the Mason of the Year award, Certificates of Appreciation, as well as our Year Certificates. We will also be acknowledging our widows and will have a great time toasting and having fun. Contact the Junior Warden Joel Wolfe, if you plan on attending or reply to the eVite that was sent out.

This year, I will also be giving the Hiram Award to a very worthy brother, Worshipful Brother Hugh Swift. Stay tuned for more details but we will be holding it in September. I am honored to be able to give this award to the hardest working Mason I know. We will let you know the date when it has been set but we would love you to attend.

We have much work to do in regards to the Highway Cleanup project that we began last year. We will begin our required three times of cleanup on April 24th starting with lunch at 12:00 pm and the street cleaning at 12:30 pm. We need at least ten but no more than fifteen people to help. Bring your family along and have some fun. Contact me if you'd like to help.

Also, this summer, I would like to finally cleanup the club room. We will plan over the next two months what we will be doing in that room. Kerry Hanson has created a great plan for that room and I would like to get that plan into practice. More details to follow.

Finally, if you have any concerns or suggestions, just let me know. You can contact me at njohnson(at)corinthian67(dot)org. Thank you brothers and the fun just keeps rolling along.

Nick Johnson
Worshipful Master, Corinthian Lodge No. 67

As I mentioned above, we will be having a third degree scheduled for March 16th. Myrtle Chapter will be providing dinner for ten dollars. The third degree at Corinthian Lodge has always been a spectacularly run event. If you can make it out to Lodge, it would be wonderful for our new brothers to see a great show of support as they reach the pinnacle of Ancient Craft Masonry.

We have also been in contact with the Bro. Jimmy Harris, the Grand Inner Guard of the Grand Guardian Council of Job’s Daughters in Minnesota, about potentially reviving our Bethel. The Worthy Matron, Kerry, and I have discussed its feasibility and I think it looks quite auspicious. However, if we do start a Bethel meeting in Farmington, we will need help from the brethren, both in volunteer time and also having their daughters join Jobbies. If you are interested in reviving this Bethel or have any comments, please email me at njohnson(at)corinthian67(dot)org or call me.

Later this month, the Wardens, the Secretary, and I will be attending the 157th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota at the Kelly Inn in Saint Cloud. The motions before the conclave have been printed in the “Minnesota Mason” for your perusal. I am very excited to represent our Lodge as Master of Corinthian Lodge; I have had a great time these last three years and I wouldn’t have traded them for anything. All Minnesota Masons are invited to attend this great and informative conclave of great Masonic minds so come on out.

On April 16th, we will be hosting the combined Awards/Widows Night Table Lodge.  I encourage all of you to attend. I will be MCing the event this year and with the help of our great Junior Warden and the Stewards, we should have a great time. The cost will be roughly $25 per person, and yes, this is a Table Lodge, so be prepared to toast heartily.

Finally, we are devising some fundraising opportunities and will be rolling those out very soon. In the past, we have run the corn dog stand at the various town festivals with somewhat mixed results in recent years. However, that being said, it is possible to fundraise and have fun, and we are exploring many options. We have been visiting different Lodges and I have seen a great many ways for Lodges to raise funds while having fun doing it. If you have any advice or know any good fundraising opportunities, please contact Rick Vance or myself.

Brothers, Masonry is about to experience a boom and our Lodge is poised to experience more interest. Whether it’s the Lost Symbol by Dan Brown or a renewed fraternal spirit in this country, we must not lose sight of this wonderful chance to bring good men to light and make them better men. We have many volunteer opportunities and I would appreciate any help that you would like to give, whether it’s cleaning the Lodge, helping with the cemetery, organizing fundraising events, or passing Masonic education to the newest generation of Masons at a Lodge meeting. We have a great Lodge and I think we all can be proud of the work we do.

Nick Johnson
Worshipful Master, Corinthian Lodge No. 67

We were fortunate enough to have hosted a very well-attended Entered Apprentice degree. This degree was also combined with a Table Lodge, the first time in our 142 year history. The brothers in attendance included the Grand Master of Masons in Minnesota, Most Worshipful Brother Tom McCarthy, the Deputy Grand Master, Right Worshipful Brother John Cook, the immediate Past Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother Tom Jackson, and a Custodian, WB Foster Solem. The Table Lodge was interspersed amongst the degree work allowing the candidates to see both the serious and fun aspects of our Fraternity. With the tables set and the cannons charged, the tenets of Brotherly Love could not have been felt more strongly. I hope our four newly admitted brothers, Jon Simon, Darren Simon, Scott Cummings, Brad Swager, along with our newest Master Mason, John Freeburg, had a great time and I’m certain that we will do this again.

Of course, we’re not done with this year but already the officers and I have planned even more interesting things for the coming months. We will be having an educational meeting opened on the first degree during the first meeting in February to present the candidates with the second and third lectures. One of my goals this year is to slow degree work down to a month at a time so that our new brothers can absorb the lessons of Masonry more thoroughly. The Fellow Craft degree will be on February 16th with the entire staircase lecture presented. We will then present another educational event around the teachings of the Second Degree on March 2nd. We then have a Third degree planned for the 16th of March at which time we will have raised six brothers just this year with many more waiting at our door.

On the 27th, we will be hosting the annual Sweethearts’ Night at “the Black Stallion” in Hampton. This is the time when we bring our wives, girlfriends, or significant others and allow them to share one special evening with their Masons. This year, we need an accurate count to help the restaurant plan. We will be ordering with separate checks so bring money for your individual meal. The room is separate from the rest of the restaurant and is sound proof making for a private experience. Contact me and I will deliver your name to Wayne.

We also have a new website. If you visit http://www.corinthian67.org, you will see our new format. We have created sections for the membership inquiries, a calendar of upcoming events, a page on recent events and pictures, as well as a section dedicated to our dearly departed brothers. You can find this and more at the website.

We are also starting three major initiatives. The first is we have decided to rededicate ourselves to the goal of fundraising. Brother Rick Vance is the new head of the fundraising committee and has great ideas going forward. He will be sending out an email inviting you to take a survey on what you would like to see in our new fundraising endeavor. I would like to see us focus our efforts on continuing to raise money during these uncertain economic times. I really think that Rick is the man to lead us on this new endeavor. If you want to join the fundraising committee, contact Rick at rvance(at)corinthian67(dot)org. Brother Wayne Sisel, our Junior Deacon, will be our mentoring and membership coordinator for the ensuing year. He has put together a number of great materials to aid our mentors and our new brothers. If you would like to serve as a Mentor or know a man who would like to join, you can contact him at wsisel(at)corinthian67(dot)org. Thirdly, our very own Worshipful Brother Lee Soberg has agreed to help with our newly reconstituted Charity and BenevolenceCommittee along with Worshipful Brother Bill DeJohn. I have asked them to look at the many charitable opportunities available in the central Dakota County area and toinform the brothers when a good opportunity presents itself as well as continuing to plan and coordinate those projects in which we already participate.

A 4th School of Instruction is also scheduled for February 18th. This School will not focus on degree work but rather those things that a Lodge does during business meetings such as balloting, receiving Grand Lodge officers and visitors and opening and closing a Lodge. We are fortunate to have Right Worshipful Brother Brian Beermann, the Southeast Area Custodian, attending to help us with this School. If you would like to help with this event, please contact me. We’d like to see as many brothers as possible attend this School so please plan on attending if you can.

Finally, if you haven’t been to Lodge in awhile, we would love to see you. If you need a ride, we can pick you at your house. We want all our brothers to feel that they are participating in our good works. If you would like to see a change or have any questions or concerns, you can call me or you can send me an email at master(at)corinthian67(dot)org. Farmington is again serving as a central point for Masonic light and I am proud to be serving as Master at this moment.

Nick Johnson
Worshipful Master, Corinthian Lodge No. 67



This year is turning out to be great. With the impressive work by WB Paul and the brothers last year, including refinishing the floor, rededicating the building, and gaining statewide press for our little country lodge, just to name a few.

The installation for the 2009-2010 officers was extremely well-attended. We had all but one officer installed on Sunday. We also had almost all seats filled in the Lodge room. The other officers and myself could not have asked for better support by our families and friends. I would like to thank my wife for being supportive, my parents for giving me guidance, my brother and his fiancée as well as my Grandparents for being there on my special day.

For 2010, I am using three guiding principles to continue to improve, our Lodge: experimentation, excellence, and excitement. Masonry is standing at a signpost, uncertain of which route it should take. We can continue our usual course of elegiac memories of days gone by or we can reinvent who and what we are while holding to the great traditions of our past.

One of our first experiments will be the initiating of five candidates using a combined Table Lodge/EA degree. This event should prove to be incredibly fun and informative. It is not often that we can celebrate Masonry and do degree work simultaneously. I have complete confidence in the Junior Warden, Joel, and his Steward crew, Dan and Art, to make this Table Lodge a great experience for the candidates and brothers alike.

As we, as Masons, should also dedicate ourselves to our community, we will be participating in many more fundraising events, directing that money back into the community. Bro. Rick has graciously taken up the challenge of finding the best way to raise those funds and continue our long tradition of giving back.

We will also be holding many more schools of instruction. This is my dedication to excellence. I want each new candidate recognize our dedication to them as Masons by witnessing our great ritual work. By implementing schools of instruction during meetings and also on non-meeting days, we will improve ourselves in Masonry.

I hope to continue to improve our Lodge facilities. One new way to do this is by finally finishing the Social/Library room during this summer. WM Kerry has whipped up a beautiful plan for finally utilizing the space on the North side of the Lodge Hall. We will be able to display the centuries-old Masonic literature and create a comfortable room to play Cribbage or to just rest on the new couches we will be purchasing and read our extensive collection of manuscripts.

Finally, I would like to see increased attendance at our Lodge functions. If you need a ride to Farmington Masonic temple, we can arrange for one. If you want to push forward a new activity, let us know. The insights and experience that you bring to this band of brothers is timely and essential for making Masonry strong once again in Dakota county and the entire state.

This year will be going by fast and I will need each and every one of you if we are to continue the great traditions of our honorable lodge. Currently, we are looking for a new member for the Cemetery Board, we need some brothers to help with organizing our fundraising events with Bro. Rick, and we need brothers to get involved in the informal schools of instruction. This list is not exclusive and if you would like to help out in other ways, please contact me or any of the other officers. We have many other opportunities for you to participate. I humbly thank all of my brothers for giving me this opportunity and I’m excited for what the future holds.

Nick Johnson
Worshipful Master, Corinthian Lodge No. 67

On Saturday, October 10th, my Lodge, Corinthian Lodge #67 of Farmington Minnesota, will be rededicating our Lodge building. The local paper, the Farmington Independent, has published an article about this event. Worshipful Brother Paul Hardt, the current Master of the Lodge, is quoted in the article:

We want to invite the entire community to attend this wonderful celebration. With all the interest people have shown in Masons and Freemasonry, through Dan Brown’s books, and the ‘National Treasure’ movies, we wanted everyone to see just what Masons do and what we are all about.

Corinthian Lodge is one of the oldest Lodges in the state of Minnesota. It was originally founded by returning Civil War soldiers in 1867. It initially met in various locations including the Odd Fellows Lodge building until Corinthian could afford our own building. Sadly, that building burned down in the Great Fire of Farmington (thankfully, the charter survived). The Lodge would not have a building of its own until 1914, the same building that we continue to meet in to this day.

Some of the invited guests include the Grand Master of Masons in Minnesota as well as the rest of the Grand Line. If you are in the area and would like to see the new refurbished Lodge hall as well as to see just what we do, come out to downtown Farmington. The event will begin at 4 pm. I will also post a map below to find Farmington Masonic Temple. We hope to see you there!

Nick Johnson
Senior Warden, Corinthian Lodge No. 67 

"It was great seeing all the kids come by our table at the Craft Fair," Senior Warden Paul said. "They were having fun at the Fair, and the parents really appreciated the KidsID kits. We're really doing a service to our community."

"It was also very nice to work with our Worthy Matron Dawn. She's a great person and we both hope we can find other ways of getting the Star and the Masons to work together on more projects."

Right now, it's not clear whether Rambling River Days will be held next year. If not, the Lodge could still do a KidsID in Downtown Farmington, on the sidewalk outside of the Lodge Hall, at the Library, or in a similar location.

A coordinator will be needed for next year. The great thing is that this is a well-laid out project and it really runs itself. Masons will be contacted about getting involved.

Bill DeJohn
Worshipful Master, Corinthian Lodge No. 67