Connecticut Freemasonry, told by the people holding its offices.
Online With Light is an interview show rooted in Connecticut's Masonic community, with guests ranging from Grand Line officers to a soon-to-be Queen of a Daughters of the Nile temple. Nick Ives draws out where his guests started, what their current roles involve and what the fellowship means to them.
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Online With Light is an interview podcast about Freemasonry in Connecticut, and its method is simple: find someone doing the work and let them describe it. Nick Ives conducts the conversations. In one of them he says outright that part of the goal is to help people get to know the Grand Line officers, what they do and what their history is. That purpose shows. Guests are introduced with their Masonic titles attached, and the talk moves easily between personal history and the mechanics of running a lodge or one of the other Masonic bodies. The range reaches past the Blue Lodge. One conversation is titled 'On York Rite, with RWB Daniel M. Luft', and in another, with Al Johnson, Thrice Potent Master of the Valley of New Haven, the stated focus is Scottish Rite. Pam Marotti is introduced as part of the Masonic family rather than a Mason; she is about to be installed as Queen of Pyramus Temple No. 82 in the Daughters of the Nile, a role she likens to being master of a temple. She is frank that business meetings can run short or long, and that the fun night out with everyone is what she looks forward to. The practical detail is the real draw. Jerry Nero remembers lean years when the same brothers took turns as master because candidates were not coming up through the line, followed by a wave of new members eager to put on events and do charity work. Jeff Blayman, congratulated on his appointment as Grand Junior Steward, explains the postcards he designed from old Masonic postcards so that lodges could mail meeting reminders for very little money. James Saraceni covers his two years as a district deputy in district two, naming the lodges in each half of the district. Daniel M. Luft describes York Rite nights with dinner beforehand, brief business, an education piece and discussion that can stretch for hours. Al Johnson tells how a small group of brothers walking in a St. Patrick's Day parade grew to take in other lodges and dependent bodies until the Scottish Rite began sponsoring it. Warmth runs through all of it. Guests thank the interviewer, he thanks them back, and a joke occasionally slips in between the logistics. Nick Ives repeatedly invites anyone with a story to tell to email him, and offers to help share it. The Daniel M. Luft conversation makes a good first listen, since the guest investigated Nick Ives, initiated him as an Entered Apprentice, and was the first face he saw when brought to light. The Pam Marotti chat is the one to pick for a sense of how far the show's idea of the Masonic family extends.
Made for: Suits a Freemason or member of the wider Masonic family who wants to put faces and personal stories to Connecticut's officer titles, districts and lodges. It also suits someone curious about what the York Rite and Scottish Rite look like from the inside.
What sets it apart: Its focus is local and personal: working Connecticut officers and members of the wider Masonic family describe the practical side of the fraternity, from getting an officer line through lean years to mailing meeting reminders. The York Rite, the Scottish Rite and the Daughters of the Nile all get airtime alongside the Blue Lodge.
This podcast is intended to start discussions among Freemasons either in their lodge or around the table. Each of the episiodes can be listened to in any order. I would welcome if you sent a voice message back through anchor.fm - I can share comments in future episodes.
Nick Ives can make a lodge postcard worth your attention alongside a grand officer's appointment.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Pam Morati offers a warm, practical look at the Daughters of the Nile within the Masonic family.
Pam Morati gives listeners a clear, grounded introduction to a branch of the Masonic family often seen only from the edges. She connects that world through family memory, from attending events with her parents to finding her way through Kayo Patpulucha, and on toward her coming…
Jerry Nero turns a delayed start in Masonry into a grounded account of lodge renewal and shared leadership.
Jerry Nero's story of Masonry is really a story about timing. His interest began in his early twenties, but marriage, children, and other responsibilities came first, so membership had to wait.
Jim Saraceni ties Grand Lodge service to the rooms, memorabilia, and local spirit of Connecticut's District 2 lodges.
Jim Saraceni's route through Connecticut Freemasonry gives the episode a clear spine. He talks through his role as Grand Senior Steward, earlier service as Grand Junior Steward, and the move he says would come next, to Marshal.
A grounded look at York Rite life, where ritual and education sit alongside fellowship and practical charity.
Online With Light's conversation with Daniel M. Luft treats York Rite life less as an abstract institution than as a set of repeated habits: ritual, education, fellowship, and service.
Overlooked lives, read from the sources, talked through warmly.
Mike Duncan narrates Rome's full history solo, from Aeneas to Romulus Augustulus's exile in 476.
Nick Ives hosts Pam Morati on Online With Light: For Freemasons as she prepares to become Queen of Pyramus Temple No.
["Nick Ives interviews Worshipful Brother Jerry Nero on Online With Light: For Freemasons about how Masonry changed his temper, his patience, and his idea of brotherhood.", "Jerry says becoming an Entered Apprentice taught him to \"subdue my passions,\" and he ties that lesson to helping any brother who needs him.", "He describes Anowan Lodge's post-COVID energy, St.
Jeff Blamen says Deputy Grand Master appointed him Grand Junior Steward for the Grand Line next year, and he treats the role as service he is still learning.
Nick Ives interviews Wright Worship Brother James Saraceni on "Online With Light: For Freemasons," and Saraceni says he is Grand Senior Steward in the Grand Lodge Officers Corps.
["Nick Ives interviews Daniel M.
Nick Ives interviews Al Johnson, thrice potent master of the Valley of New Haven, about Hiram Lodge No.
Nick Ives interviews Carl Anderson, Grand Almoner and chaplain connected with Masonic Care, about helping Connecticut Freemasons, widows, and families find financial and practical support.
Right Worshipful Brother Nick Ives interviews Thomas J.
Nick Ives interviews F.
Online With Light host Nick Ives interviews Deputy Grandmaster Shane Dufresne about discovering Freemasonry as a Waterbury police officer and joining Harmony 42 in 2002.
A Masonic education podcast featuring a discussion with Worshipful Brother Rob Covey about Lodge for Instruction.
Nick Ives interviews the Grand Historian of Connecticut Freemasons about his Masonic journey and the impact of COVID-19 on the craft.
A Freemasonry podcast where the host interviews a fellow Mason about his background and experiences in the fraternity.
A discussion among Freemasons about adapting lodge meetings to video conferencing during COVID-19.
Two Freemasons discuss recent appointments and the impact of coronavirus on lodge activities.