Legacy, Fellowship, and the Light We Carry Into a New Year
By Grand Master Joseph B. Ferrell
As another year comes to a close, Illinois Freemasonry stands at a moment of reflection; a chance to look back with gratitude and forward with purpose. Throughout 2025, our fraternity has grown not only in numbers but in spirit, resiliency, and genuine Brotherhood. Across our communities, lodges, and gatherings, one truth has continued to rise to the surface: fellowship is the living heartbeat of our Craft.
Grand Master Joseph B. Ferrell
Legacy and Fellowship in Practice
Our guiding theme of Legacy and Fellowship encourages us to rethink what it truly means to be a Mason in today’s world. The Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. & A.M. upholds this vision, reminding us that it isn’t the regalia, titles, or traditions alone that define us. It’s the simple, powerful connections we create; welcoming a new Brother, supporting a lodge in need, listening with patience, offering guidance, or lending a quiet helping hand when no one is watching.
These everyday acts form a chain that stretches far beyond our present moment. They become the legacy we leave. Not a legacy measured by grand monuments, but by the steady, meaningful impact we make in the lives around us.
More Than Personal Growth
As we gather with our families and pause to reflect, we are reminded that Freemasonry has always been about more than personal growth. It is about contributing to a world that needs compassion, clarity, and integrity. Illinois Masons continue to meet that calling through service, through charity, and through the enduring belief that strengthening even one life strengthens the whole of our fraternity.
Looking Ahead With Purpose
Looking toward the new year, let us embrace the opportunities ahead—opportunities to reconnect, to encourage a Brother we haven’t seen in a while, to take part in lodge life, and to pass our timeless principles to the next generation. Legacy is not something we inherit; it is something we build together.
May the season bring you peace, joy, and renewed hope. And may the Great Architect of the Universe guide our fraternity with wisdom as we continue this journey side by side.
Author: Brother Joseph B. Ferrell
Most Worshipful Brother Joseph B. Ferrell is the Grand Master of The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Illinois. He was elected to that office in October 2025. He is responsible for leading Illinois Freemasonry, which consists of the fraternal operations of the 4th largest Masonic grand jurisdiction (by membership size) in the United States and the charitable operations of several Illinois Masonic Charities organizations.
Read his letter to the membership here.
Read his Q&A here.