Our Newly Obligated Brethren
Hail Brethren! I hope everyone had a great month, holidays and all. Our Lodge had a great month as well. In case you already didn't know, we held an invitation only dinner for Entered Apprentice Masons and other brothers who have not been around the Lodge for some time. The event was successful and renewed the interest in Masonry for some of our Entered Apprentice Masons. Events like this are more to come and are all a part of the Lodge's efforts to "spread the cement of brotherly love" and to reconnect with our wayward brothers. So, stay tuned and come by sometime.
But on to my newly obligated brethren report... Lucian Staniskew and Paul Bowler were both initiated Entered Apprentice Masons on March 17th. Unfortunately at the time of my article I did not have the time to interview Brother Bowler. However, I will be sure to get his bio soon so keep your eyes open for it in the upcoming articles.
Lucian Staniskew was born on April 4, 1956 in Brasov, Transylvania. Brasov is one of the many medieval cities still in existence in Romania. It is a beautiful place and is most known for its Black Church built in 1385 on the ruins of an older church destroyed by the Tartars in the 13th century. It is the largest Gothic church between Vienna and Istanbul and derived its name from its walls which were blackened by a massive fire that raged through the city in 1689.
Lucian spent his first three decades working and traveling primarily in Romania and Russia. In 1984 he finally came to the States in search of opportunity and to break free from the stranglehold of eastern European communism. While here in the U.S., Lucian has worked as a teacher for high schools and colleges. Although he primarily teaches math and computer design, he is also an avid historian of religion and politics. Despite his degrees in engineering, Lucian also shares a creative side and plays the violin and guitar, though he did confess his demanding work schedule has made it difficult for him to do so. He currently lives in the Santa Clarita Valley and is married to his wife Emilia and has a 17 year old stepdaughter.
Lucian describes himself as a sincere person enjoying the company of those who share in his love for the pursuit of knowledge. In fact, one of his greatest disappointments is ignorance. No doubt this is the reason why Lucian became a teacher. It is also why he came upon Masonry; in hopes it will aid him in his quest to answer life's many questions.
His curiosity reminded me of the movie "What the ____ Do We Know?" and the book/documentary, "The Elegant Universe". Both these two films give us reason to believe that science and religion are not as diametrically opposed as one might think, and raised the hypothesis that the answers to life's mysteries are hidden in an equation we have yet to discover and cannot discover until these two fields find harmony with one another. If this harmony can be found, the principles of Freemasonry will certainly be a valuable aid in the search, and I wish Lucian the best of luck.
James Bayhylle
Junior Warden