Senate Resolution No. 1978

BY: Senator PARKER

RECOGNIZING the Tri-State Regional Education
Seminar on May 9, 2026

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those organizations of high purpose and worthy
accomplishment whose enduring commitment to Masonic education, fraternal
excellence, and the cultivation of knowledge within the Prince Hall
family have enriched the civic and moral life of the State of New York
and the region; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend the Grand Lecturers of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand
Lodges of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania upon the occasion of
hosting their Tri-State Regional Education Seminar on Saturday, May 9,
2026, in Mount Vernon, New York; and

WHEREAS, The Grand Lecturers of the Prince Hall fraternal family
hold a sacred trust within the Craft; as the custodians of the ritual,
work, and esoteric traditions of Freemasonry, they labor tirelessly to
ensure that the moral instruction and symbolic language of the degrees
are preserved, transmitted, and practiced with fidelity, precision, and
reverence by every lodge and every Mason under their respective
jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, The Tri-State Regional Education Seminar reflects the
highest aspirations of Prince Hall Masonry--that the work of
self-improvement and fraternal excellence is never finished, knowledge
is the foundation upon which brotherly love and truth are built, and the
continued education of the Craft is among the most essential obligations
that leaders of this fraternal family can fulfill; and

WHEREAS, The Seminar is presented under the distinguished leadership
of three highly respected Masons: Most Worshipful Grand Master Darren M.
Morton, Ed.D., Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand
Lodge of New York, Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York;
Most Worshipful Grand Master Timothy J. Cager, Grand Master of the Most
Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania; and Most Worshipful
Grand Master Jimmy Barnes, Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince
Hall Grand Lodge of New Jersey; their collective presence at this
gathering affirms the tri-state fraternal family's unified commitment to
the advancement of Masonic education and the strengthening of the Craft;
and

WHEREAS, The convening of the Grand Lodges of New York, New Jersey,
and Pennsylvania in a shared educational endeavor is a powerful
expression of the fraternal bonds that unite Prince Hall Masons across
jurisdictions, demonstrating that the pursuit of knowledge and the
building of better men know no state boundary; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proudly moved to honor the
Tri-State Regional Education Seminar, the Grand Lecturers, and the three
Grand Masters whose leadership make this regional gathering possible and

whose collective devotion to the education and elevation of the Craft
reflects the finest traditions of Prince Hall Masonry and the
communities it has always served; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize the Tri-State Regional Education Seminar on May 9, 2026; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Most Worshipful Grand Master Darren M. Morton, Ed.D.,
Most Worshipful Grand Master Timothy J. Cager, Most Worshipful Grand
Master Jimmy Barnes, and the Grand Lecturers of the Most Worshipful
Prince Hall Grand Lodges of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in
recognition of their devotion to Masonic education and fraternal
excellence.