The Hiawatha chapter of the Eastern Star hosted the official visit of the order’s Worthy Grand Matron and Patron on September 8.
“It was a beautiful summer day in the Garden of Saskatchewan…when we were honoured to host the official visit of Colleen Hozack of Lloydminster, the Worthy Grand Matron, and Bruce Farrer of Qu’Appelle, Worthy Grand Patron, in their year of The Ties That Bind,” said Milena Hollett, Worthy Matron of Hiawatha chapter.
Upon arriving in Kamsack the Worthy Grand Matron and Worthy Grand Patron, along with Marjorie Orr, the Grand Adah, and Hollett paid a visit to Shirley Moore, a member of the chapter, at her home in Eaglestone Lodge.
“Sister Shirley was pleased to have company to visit and was thrilled to receive a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers gathered by the Worthy Grand Patron as well as shortbread, topped with a chocolate treat, baked earlier that day by the Worthy Grand Matron,” Hollett said.
Visiting Eastern Star “sisters and brothers” were from Marwayne and Vermillion, Alta.; Qu’Appelle, Humboldt, Saskatoon, Yorkton, Melfort, Lloydminster and Foam Lake. They, along with members of Hiawatha chapter enjoyed fellowship and a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings presented by the staff of the Iron Grill restaurant.
Following dinner, members gathered at the Masonic Temple for a meeting.
Opening ceremonies were carried out followed by the singing of We are One. Roderick Lee presided at the piano, while Susan Bear, accompanying herself on guitar, sang Seek Ye First and What a Wonderful World, which she encouraged everyone to join her in singing. Other musical selections were Edelweiss and to close the meeting, Go Now in Peace.
During the evening, the 18 officers of Hiawatha chapter presented an addendum based on the teachings of the Order.
The Worthy Grand Matron and Patron each addressed the members. Farrer, who has long been acknowledged as being an exemplary teacher, spoke of a recent trip to Mexico he took to escort exchange students to Canada. He said that on his journey he had encountered folks who had been evacuated from Houston, Texas at the time of Hurricane Harvey and had lost their home but were happy to be alive.
“Brother Bruce reminded us of how fortunate we are to live here in Canada,” Hollett said.
Each year the current Worthy Grand Matron chooses a cause to support over her term of office and over the years, chapters of the Order have raised funds for various causes including: cancer research, CHAMPS, Ronald McDonald House and the Lung Association.
This year Hozack chose KidSport—So All Kids Can Play, and spoke of a mother and son relationship that was built on sport, in this case, hockey.
From the time the mother tied her son’s first pair of skates to watching him mature into a young sportsman, dedicated to his coach and teammates, she wished this opportunity for all young people and therefore promotes KidSport, Hollett said.
Hiawatha chapter was happy to be able to present donations of sporting equipment as well as a monetary donation to her cause.
KidSport is a national non-profit organization that provides financial assistance for registration fees and equipment for children aged 18 and under, Hozack explained. KidSport is comprised of a network of 11 provincial/territorial chapters and 178 community chapters, she said. It started in 1993 and has helped over 53,000 children across the country.
“We believe that no kid should be left on the sidelines and all should be given the opportunity to experience the positive benefits of organized sports,” says its mission statement. “KidSport provides support to children in order to remove financial barriers that prevent them from playing organized sports.”
Also donated were bags for cancer patients made by members of Hiawatha chapter and pop can tabs which are used in the manufacture of wheelchairs.
Part of the decorations included the three C’s in life: choice, change and chance, with the advice that one must make the choice to take the chance if one wants anything in life to change. The aim is “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
Following the meeting, all gathered in the lower hall for a table full of delights and time to visit with one another. The hall was decorated in the Worthy Grand Matron and Patron’s chosen colours of gold and black and fun emblems of the maple leaf and forks and knives, flowers native to Saskatchewan as well as calla lilies and roses, sunflowers.
Another project of the Order is ESTARL, which stands for Eastern Star Training Awards for Religious Leadership is a program of the Order of the Eastern Star which gives financial assistance and encouragement to women and men dedicating their lives to full time religious service such as minister, director of religious education or director of church music.
The ESTARL awards in 2017 went to the following persons: Kolten Kirby Zenner of Melfort, $2,653; Aurora Jean Coulthard of Saskatoon, $2,065; Alexandra Katherine Wallace of Saskatoon, $1,267, and Alison Brooks-Starks of Prince Albert, $362.
The members of the Order of the Eastern Star, including members of the Hiawatha chapter in Kamsack, “are happy to provide this assistance to deserving students and are proud to have a part in making these theological studies possible.”
