What does Resurgam mean?
Resurgam is the active voice, present tense, conjunctive form of the Latin verb resurgo. It means “I shall rise again.” All of Freemasonry is a search for meaning and the building of the individual Freemason’s moral and spiritual temple. Resurgam, in the context of Freemasonry, can mean different things, at different times, to different Masons. It should not be taken as a reference to Christianity or Christian salvation. Freemasonry does require its brothers to profess a belief in a Supreme Being, but leaves the particulars of that belief to to the individual brother. Resurgam is consistent with the fundamental tenet of Freemasonry set forth in a Masonic Funeral Service: Freemasonry, founded in the older dispensation and perpetuated in the newer, teaches consistently with the sacred records that death is nothing but the separation of the soul from the body; the body returns to the dust from whence it came and the soul, in another state of existence, survives eternally. Freemasons believe in the resurrection. We do not define it. Physical body or spiritual body it matters not. Personal identity capable of some form of recognition is a Masonic article of belief. The life of a Mason you can take; his integrity you can not; his integrity assures his risen identity.
Stated Meeting
Resurgam Lodge #31 meets regularly on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Mitchell Masonic Hall, 112 East Fifth Avenue, Mitchell, South Dakota. That’s one block south and one-half block east of the World’s Only Corn Palace. Usually we’ll meet at 6:30 p.m. for dinner. We are often dark in July and August due to the heat – the Masonic Hall Dining Room and Ball Room are air conditioned – our 2nd Floor Lodge Rooms are not! That notwithstanding, we do hold the annual installation of officers during high summer so we’re ready to roll on the first Tuesday of September each year.
Contacting Resurgam Lodge & All Other Mitchell Masonic Organizations
You can call Resurgam Lodge at 605-996-4724. If no one answers, please listen carefully to the telephone queue and you will be directed to specific information on various Masonic Bodies and general information.
Mitchell York Rite
The Mitchell York Rite bodies meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Mitchell Masonic Temple. Our numbers are small but our enthusiasm is great. There have been several years of inactivity but the Mitchell Chapter, Mitchell Council, and St. Bernard Commandery are gradually working to full performance. On November 11-12, 2016, the Mitchell bodies added ten new York Rite Masons with the assistance of Brothers and Sir Knights from both the eastern and western reaches of South Dakota. A notable event occurred November 12 when, for the first time in decades, the darkened vault was fully explored by properly rigged Brothers seeking more light in Masonry. All York Rite Masons are welcome to join us on the first Tuesday and continue the growth and revivification of the Mitchell York Rite.
Sigmund F. Schirmer Scottish Rite Club
The Sigmund F. Schirmer Scottish Rite Club is organized under the aegis of Yankton Oriental Consistory #1, A.A.S.R., located in Yankton, South Dakota. Membership is drawn from Scottish Rite Masons in Mitchell and surrounding communities. The Club holds an annual Ceremony of Remembrance in late March to mid-April and celebrates the Feast of Tishri in September, both annually, and otherwise meets sporadically throughout the year. Members of the Club are well known for their thespian tendencies and ritualistic abilities – presenting the 6th, 7th, and 8th degrees of the Scottish Rite and The Traitor, a Masonic play relating the Freemasonry, power, and human failings of our nation’s Founding Fathers. We’ve also taken up a musical version of the 22nd degree, The Prince of Libanus. That one requires a few soloists and a host of choristers. Feeling in good voice? Join the SFSSRC ritulists and learn the craft!
The 2023 Ceremony of Remembrance & Renewal was held Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Mitchell Masonic Hall Dining Room. 2024 will soon be scheduled. All Knights of the Rose Croix are expected to attend. Bring your ladies and guests – all are welcome and cordially invited. Usually dinner is $12 to $15 per plate.
Order of the Eastern Star
Starlight Chapter #41, Order of the Eastern Star, meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Mitchell Masonic Hall.
Corn Palace Shrine Club
The Corn Palace Shrine Club is a part of El Riad Shrine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Our membership is drawn from a wide geographic area around Mitchell and is dedicated to the support of Shriners Hospitals for Children. Each year we sponsor the Corn Palace Shrine Circus at the World’s Only Corn Palace. In early October each year we produce the Corn Palace Shrine Club Sportsman’s Classic, a dinner, raffle, and drawing for high quality sporting arms and outdoor gear and supplies. All Shriners are invited to join the CPSC at its regular stated meeting on the last Thursday of each month. We meet at the Mitchell Masonic Hall and other locations, announced in advance, around the area. Oasis, meeting, and dinner are at 6:30 p.m. Look for the Corn Palace Shrine Club on El Riad Shrine event and calendar pages.
El Riad Shrine Hillbilly Clan #161
The Shrine Hillbilly Clan #161 and its Outhouse #1 are part of El Riad Shrine and began with the Corn Palace Shrine Club over twenty years ago. The Hillbillies are a parade unit of the Shrine and appear in various communities all around eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota throughout the summer. The Hillbillies have graced a number of Imperial Shrine sessions and numerous Midwest Shrine Association Summer Sessions. We’re officially affiliated with the Shrine Imperial Hillbilly Clan and specifically support Shriners Hospitals for Children and the transportation costs to get kids to Shrine Hospitals. You won’t miss the Hillbillies in any parade. Keep an eye out for an early ’50s Hudson Pacemaker and a classic early ’70s Oldmobile.
El Riad Shrine Mitchell Clown Funhouse
We’ve got clowns! The El Riad Shrine Clowns have expanded to Mitchell. Popcorn, Rex, and company have organized Funhouse #1 and filled a 3rd floor dressing room with grease paint, wigs, and other accoutrements of Shrine clowning. These guys are fun loving, outstanding Shrine ambassadors – and absolutely dedicated and active members of the Corn Palace Shrine Club & Hillbilly clan #161.
Saturday Night Fireside Chat
Join your Brothers for a purely social event! “8ish” on Saturday evening we light a savory wood fire, gather round, swap stories, discuss the events of the week and the world, play some cribbage, maybe run the billiard table, enjoy a few refreshments, roast a weinie or what have you, and unwind and enjoy fraternity and friendship. Summer Saturday nights are at the firepit in the parking lot immediately behind the Masonic Temple. Bring a lawn chair! Winter Saturday nights and during inclement weather we’re at the big fireplace in the second floor lounge of the Masonic Temple. Join us to relax and unwind.
Mitchell Masonic Building Association
This South Dakota non-profit corporation was organized February 7, 1910, as the managing entity of the Mitchell Masonic Temple building. Representatives from each Masonic Body manage our Temple, establish criteria for public use, and are responsible for the upkeep, renovation, and restoration of the building. We meet once a month on the second Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Members of all Mitchell Masonic Bodies are welcome to attend.