Union Lodge No. 5’s brothers honor Past Master Stephen Petri with dinner celebration at Eclisse Restaurant

The brothers and guests of Union Lodge No. 5 met at Eclisse Italian Restaurant in Stamford on Sunday afternoon, February 27, to celebrate most recent Past Master Stephen Petri with a delicious gourmet family-style dinner.  Worshipful Brother Petri brought his wife, Patrice, and his daughters Claire and Brooke to share in the celebration.

The menu consisted of Cozze Marinara (mussels in marinara), Antipasto Sfizioso (cold cuts, olives and provolone), Gorgonzola Salad, Gnocci Caprese (potato dumplings, tomato sauce & fresh mozarella), Penne Eclisse (chicken, broccoli, garlic, oil & brown sauce), Pollo Eclisse (breast of chicken sauteed in barolo wine sauce, cheese and prosciutto), Vitello Romano (veal, spinach, garlic,oil, white wine sauce), along with Fruit and Pastries.

The event began with Worshipful Master Jon Ringel welcoming guests to the dinner, saluting and pledging allegiance to the flag.  Following a prayer by Worshipful Brother Ed Stueckle, appetizers and salad were served.  Prior to the entrees being served, Worshipful Master Ringel formally presented the Past Master's Medal to Worshipful Brother Petri, and a new Past Master's Apron will be presented at a later date.  Also, Worshipful Master Ringel presented a gift of a select bottle of whiskey to Worshipful Brother Petri as a personal thank you for leaving the office and paperwork in such excellent shape.

Brother Thomas A. Burke presented a gift of a framed photo of Worshipful Brother Petri and his wife Patrice taken at one of the signature events of his year as Master, The Mason’s Secret Ball, with the framed poster art opposite the photograph in a dual frame.  The same photo also appeared in The Stamford Times as part of post-event publicity for the event, and thus was instrumental in bringing much good notice of Union Lodge No. 5’s works in the community.

Speeches of thanks by Worshipful Brother Petri, additional toasts throughout the event and warm fellowship among the record crowd of nearly forty attendees and several children made the dinner truly an event worthy of celebrating Worshipful Brother Petri’s hard work as Master.  As the event also coincided with Worshipful Master Ringel’s birthday, a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday, led by Brother Ed Caceres, nearly brought the house down. 

Worshipful Brother Petri gave the brothers of Union Lodge No. 5 an astounding year in 2010 with many new events and initiatives, and the entire lodge saw its energy invigorated.  Working together and focusing on our labors, the brothers of Union Lodge No. 5 are excited to keep the momentum moving forward!