WELCOME BROTHERS!   Welcome to the home of Merritt Island Lodge #353, Free and Accepted  Masons (F&AM). Chartered in 1966, Merritt Island Lodge is located on South Tropical Trail in beautiful Merritt Island, Florida, just south of the Hubert Humphrey Bridge (Rt 520). Merritt Island is home to the John F. Kennedy Space Center. Kennedy Space Center is the site where man's greatest achievement - to travel to and return from the moon - began. The Space Shuttles are gone but the legacy continues with an ever expanding array of new rocket programs. Rocket launches can be witnessed on occasion from  the front porch of the lodge or while relaxing in our Garden of Reflection while enjoying the nice island breeze. Across the Banana River, only a short drive from the lodge, is Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The station is the site where Alan Shephard and John Glenn blasted off into history. Cocoa Beach is nearby and boasts the nearest and cleanest beaches to the Orlando area.

Merritt Island Lodge is the center of The Thundering 26th Masonic District and has a rich tradition of giving and fellowship. We are one of the most active and diverse lodges in the District with Brothers as young as 18 and as old as, well pushing a 100. We all have something to offer each other and to the Masonic fraternity. We support numerous organizations such as the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Azan Shriners Center in Melbourne, the North and Central Brevard Shrine clubs, the American Veterans, and various others. We embrace our neighborhood communities with local charity support, sports team sponsorships and public high school and university scholarships. It is our honor and privilege to build strong community allegiance.

Whether you are a brother of the lodge, a brother of another lodge or a fellow traveler, we invite you visit with us. Come to any stated meeting and enjoy Merritt Island's hospitality with a hearty meal beforehand and the company of the brethren afterward. I extend our hospitality to all!

  With Fraternal Harmony,   

John Edward Winchester III    
 Worshipful Master    

Calendar, Important Notices & Events!

    Handy Man Needed! Brothers, as you may note in your comings and going; while the lodge looks fabulous as a result of the recent renovations there are still many small projects that need to be addressed. We need your help. A little here and a little there goes a long way. Don't assume that some other brother is doing the work. If you see a project that needs to get done and you have the skill, by all means do it. See the Junior Warden for any larger needs you encounter but some small porjects include: hanging the fire extinguishers in their proper places, hanging the doors in the preparation room, organizing the library, general preparation room cleanup and costume repairs. We appreciate all the help we can get. 

    Lodge Cleanup Day! The lodge cleanup day originally planned for March has been rescheduled for April 11th. We will meet at the lodge at 8:00 AM. refreshments will be provided by brother Charland, out Junior Warden. 

    Brothers, March 21st is our annual pilgrimage day to the Masonic Home. This is the day that Grand Lodge asks all Masons to truly remember their obligation to support and honor our most senior Masons and their families. Along with a chance to visit this 5-star facility and the residents there, you will find great food, music, crafts, a car show and other fun events for the whole family. It is also a great chance to met fellow Masons from all around the state. We hope to see you there. Contact the Worshopful Master for more information.

   Sick or Distressed?  Brothers, if you know of any brother that is sick, in need of help or otherwise in distress, please contact the Worshipful Master or Chaplain.

  
"The secret of Masonry, like the secret of life, can be known only by those who seek it, serve it, live it. It cannot be uttered; it can only be felt and acted. It is, in fact, an open secret, and each man knows it according to his quest and capacity. Like all things worth knowing, no one can know it for another and no man can know it alone."     - Dr. Joseph Fort Newton