Light Department's Jolly installed as district Masonic officer
Source: Wicked Local
Swampscott - Robert V. Jolly Jr. of Swampscott was recently installed a District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts and will preside over eight lodges in the First Masonic District for the next year.
The 232 lodges and 38,000 Freemasons in the commonwealth are divided into 32 districts, each led by a District Deputy Grand Master.
As a District Deputy Grand Master, Jolly serves as the Grand Master’s personal representative to the lodges in his District. Roger W. Pageau of Northborough was installed for the second of his three one-year terms as the 86th Grand Maser of Masons in Massachusetts and the head of the fraternity.
The First Masonic District is comprised of the following lodges, all chartered in Boston: Saint John’s Lodge (established in 1733), The Lodge of Saint Andrews (1756), The Massachusetts Lodge (1770), Columbian Lodge (1795), Mount Lebanon Lodge (1801), The Consolidated Lodge (1854), Winslow Lewis Lodge (1855), and Joseph Webb Lodge (1876).
Raised in Swampscott, Jolly graduated from Marblehead High School before attending Northeastern University. He is general manager of the Marblehead Municipal Light Department.
Jolly is a member of St. Mary’s Church in Lynn. He also served on Swampscott’s Finance Committee for six years.
In 1998 he began his Masonic career by joining Boston’s Mount Lebanon Lodge. He served as the Worshipful Master, or presiding officer, in 2006 and 2007. Masons use the original definition of “worshipful,” meaning “honorable”; English mayors and judges are still addressed as “Worshipful.
As District Deputy Grand Master, Jolly will be called “Right Worshipful.” In 2008 he was appointed Junior Grand Deacon by Grand Master Pageau. The Junior Grand Deacon is an attendant of the Grand Master.
Active in several Masonic organizations, Jolly is a member of the Scottish Rite in the Valley of Boston. He belongs to Saint Andrew’s Royal Arch Chapter, and Boston Council of the York Rite. He is also a member of Aleppo Shriners in Wilmington.
Jolly and his wife, Lynda, have two daughters, Amanda and Danielle.
The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts was chartered in 1733, following the establishment of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717, and Ireland in 1725, making it the third oldest in the world, and the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. In 2008 the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts marked its 275th anniversary.
Freemasons belong to the world’s oldest and largest fraternity, which brings together men of every country, religion, race, education, income, and opinion and develops the bonds of friendship between them. Through a large variety of North American Masonic philanthropies, approximately $3,000,000 is given to charity every day, 70 percent of which benefits the general public.
During its initiation ceremony, which uses symbolism and allegory, its members are encouraged to value principles, ethics, and morality and to live their lives accordingly. By providing meaningful opportunities for fellowship, charity, leadership, and education, Freemasonry helps “make good men better,” and positively benefits its members, their families and communities,” members say.
The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts represents 38,000 members and more than 230 lodges throughout the commonwealth. For additional information, call 800-882-1020, or visit massfreemasonry.org.