I bring you Holiday Season Greetings on behalf of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas and Its Jurisdiction. I wish you peace, joy and happiness for the Holiday Season. As we enter a new year, we look forward to a brand new beginning. Hopefully you will reflect on all the good that you have done the past year and how it has not only brought joy to others but how happy it made you feel just to extend a helping hand to others. Then while in that joyous mood, set your goals on how you plan to help others this coming year. Create a task list to accomplish your goals of assisting your fellowman. Make this list of the joy and happiness you plan on spreading for the up and coming year. I hope you reflected on a long list but the task list for the New Year is longer. It is good to look at what you have done but it is greater to look forward to what you are going to do.
The Texas Prince Hall Masonic Family has been blessed with another successful year. Once again many lodges, appendant and concordant organizations have come together to provide charity through school supply give-away, scholarships, holiday food baskets, clothes give-away, scholarships, mentoring and contributions to other organizations that provide assistance to the less fortunate. In addition to providing material assistance, we continue to recognize well deserving citizens for their service and their contributions through our various recognition banquets throughout the year.
The lodges that provide the various forms of charity make me proud to be the Grand Master of such a fine group of men and women that not only strive to live upright lives before God and your fellowman but at the same time giving back to the communities. I remain ever so humbled by it all.
As Grand Master, I want the brothers beholding to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas and its Jurisdiction to be equally proud of the Grand Lodge. When someone mentions Prince Hall Masons, I want you to be able to say that you are proud to be one. More importantly, when someone see you as a complete stranger and see your upright character, they will recognize that you are a Prince Hall Mason. When we get to that point, we will have arrived!
In that same light the Grand Lodge is strategically positioning ourselves so that we will be able to partner up with other service organizations in assisting those who are in need of aid and assistance and are trying to improve their living conditions. Being a fraternal organization that has members from all walks of life, we are not as prosperous as some other fraternal organizations with overwhelming resources. We strive to disseminate charity in ways that we believe will be most helpful to those that need it. Our goal is find ways to provide more and more charity to those in need.
Finally, let us not forget to support the education of our youth. Please encourage young high school graduating seniors to participate in the J. T. Maxey Scholarship Contest. The deadline for applying is February 15, 2008. Click on that link for more information.
As I close, please remember the principles of which Our Grand Old Order is founded upon; faith, hope and charity. The greatest of these is charity. We are to be living examples of upright men and women not only in our lodges, courts and chapters but in our homes, communities, work places or where ever our travel takes us.
I remain…
Fraternally yours
Grand Master Wilbert M. Curtis