A Message from the Worshipful Master of Lodge No. 43
Photo by Frank Tunis Photography
It is with great honor that I have been elected to serve as your Worshipful Master for Lodge No. 43 F. & A.M. celebrating its 227th year. I have been a Mason of Lodge No. 43 since 2005. I was born and raised in Phoenixville, PA, a town about 50 miles east of Lancaster. I graduated from Millersville University with a B.S. in Finance and Economics. It was there where I met my devoted wife of 10 years, Libby. For the past 12 years I have been employed as a Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sharp Innovations, Inc. based here in Lancaster. In addition I have begun financial coaching through which I help businesses and their owners achieve optimal results in the areas of finance and operations. In 2005 I earned recognition as one of the Top 40 Central PA Businesspeople under the age of 40 by the Central Penn Business Journal.
My wife and I reside in Brownstown, PA where we have been blessed to have two beautiful children, Natalie and Lily. I enjoy watching, volunteering, playing golf and watching football.
My Masonic roots trace back to Phoenixville, PA at Phoenix Lodge No. 75. A member of my family has been the Worshipful Master of a Lodge in each of the past three centuries. It was there where my great-great-great grandfather Webb was WM in 1895 and my great grandfather McGown was Worshipful Master in 1942.
It is my goal as WM to create a perpetuity plan focusing on the finances and operations of the lodge. Our lodge of 700 members is doing well, but I see us performing even better by setting goals not just for the next year but for many generations to come. I want to see us continue to be charitable, both by giving internally and outside of our lodge in the community through events. Lastly, I want our fraternity to continue to make good men better through fellowship. There is no fraternity in the world that can offer better support in time of need, while also sharing joy in the time of successes. I am proud and honored to be surrounded by such great men. I look forward to serving our lodge and each fraternity member.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Thomas E. Hopta
Worshipful Master, Lodge No. 43 F. & A.M.
The statue on the left was carved in 1996 during Nat Gilchrist P.M. year as Worshipful Master. The intent was to have it passed each year to the incoming Master to enjoy in his home for the his year, then pass it on. Fourteen years of travel hasn’t taken its toll on him too badly, although his little gavel has since broken off. I hope he lives on for years to come!