It has been a whirlwind serving as your Grand Master. I have been blessed with opportunities to meet in lodges across our province and to represent our Grand Lodge beyond those borders. As I have said often: I didn’t have to do these things – I got to do them, and that is an opportunity that not everyone has.

At our Initiation, each EA undergoes a symbolic rebirth as light is given. We talk about light in our lives; the lessons of the Craft are to help us see the path before us more clearly. In concordant bodies you will hear people speak of seeking more light in Masonry. We profess to be an enlightened group, or at least a group that is working to help each other become more enlightened.

In his song Anthem, Leonard Cohen notes that “there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Our challenge is to look for those cracks in our lives and to see the good that comes in. It may not always seem like it, but there is much to be treasured in our lives, and it can take some effort to realize that. We can also be the light that a brother needs to get through a day or a challenge – be the positive element and lift a brother up.

Sticking with Canadian songwriters, Bruce Cockburn wrote that “nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight. You’ve got to kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds daylight.” We talk about the importance of our fraternity and how it has positively influenced us. We must remember that we need to make that daily advancement and that the path is not always easy. We must be willing to roll up our sleeves and do the work to improve ourselves and our fraternity. Walk alongside a brother. When he stumbles, help him up. Encourage him. That is our duty to each other, and it reminds us that everything is not always easy.

My theme this year was “Find Your Centre” and I hope that it has given each of you an opportunity to consider the busy nature of your being and to find ways to celebrate and to enjoy the various aspects of your life. My challenge after our Annual Communication will be to re-centre myself and to find ways to keep meaningfully engaged in the Craft and to revisit other interests I have.

Albert Schweitzer noted that “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” I hope that my journey as Grand Master has met these ideals and that I will continue to act in this manner.

I thank you all, most sincerely, for the opportunity and the privilege to serve as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan for this past year. I have been blessed by excellent travelling companions (they know who they are) and warm hospitality wherever I went. I look forward to meeting with you all once again.

Find Your Centre

MW Bro. Patrick Davis, Grand Master 2024-25