Photo Provided New officers for the Flushing Masonic Lodge gather for a photo. From left are Dustin Bower, Greg Starcher; Tyler and Rich Kidd; William McGowan; Gary Edwards; Frank D. Ballog; William Morgan; Don Jones; John T. Morgan; Roy Malone; and John Lovejoy.

FLUSHING — Frank D. Ballog of Cadiz has been elected and installed as Master of Flushing Masonic Lodge No. 298.

Ballog was installed by Brian Breyer, district deputy grand master of the 23rd Masonic District. Richard Bradley was the installing marshall.

This 165th annual installation of officers was held at the Flushing Masonic Lodge.

In his position as master, Ballog is the presiding officer and head of the lodge. The title of “Master,” instead of “President,” reflects the Masonic tradition of using ceremonies and titles from the stonemasons of the Middle Ages. When the great cathedrals of Europe were being built, the mason in charge of a building site was referred to as a “master of the work.”

Other officers installed during the ceremony were Greg Starcher; Tyler and Dustin Bower; William McGowan; Gary Edwards; John T. Morgan; Frank “Denny” Ballog; Rich Kidd; John Lovejoy; Roy Malone; William Morgan; and Don Jones.

Freemasonry is the oldest, largest and most widely recognized fraternal organization in the world. Today, there are more than 2 million Freemasons in North America alone.

Charity is an important tenet of the Masonic fraternity. The 90,000 Freemasons in Ohio provide approximately $15 million in charitable giving annually, including college scholarships and free training for Ohio school teachers to recognize students at non-academic risk. General information is available at freemason.com.