GREENFIELD — Isaac Mass, co-owner of the Garden Cinemas, recently received the Pilgrim Degree of Merit, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a member of the Loyal Order of Moose.
According to a Greenfield Moose Lodge press release, this degree is conferred only in the House of God at Mooseheart, Illinois and recognizes extraordinary service to the Loyal Order of Moose.
“It is an absolute honor to be recognized in this way, and I could not have done it without the support and friendship of so many good people at the Greenfield lodge who generously give their time and money over and over to support children, seniors and our local community,” Mass said in a statement.
The Pilgrim Degree of Merit was created in August 1918. No more than 3,000 members internationally hold the title at any given time.
Mass joined the Greenfield Moose Lodge in 2003. He was sponsored by the late Richard Henry, who was the last member of the Greenfield lodge to be awarded the same merit.
Mass was previously awarded the Fellowship Degree of Merit at the 2016 international convention in St. Louis. He became a member of the 25 Club — which provides an incentive for members to sponsor their family and friends into the fraternity — in 2017, and has sponsored 73 members into the Loyal Order of Moose to date.
In addition to serving on and chairing multiple committees, Mass has served as vice president, president and junior past president of Minuteman Moose Legion 28, as well as on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Moose Association board as treasurer, vice president, president and currently as junior past president. Locally, he is a criminal defense attorney, a former city councilor and a co-owner of the Main Street theater.
With this recognition, Mass is encouraged to “continue to perform good acts to assist the Moose program at all levels of the fraternity,” according to a Greenfield Moose Lodge press release. That includes helping to encourage and select good lodge officers, supporting programs of the districts and associations, and rendering support for the philanthropic causes of serving children and elders.
The Greenfield Moose Lodge will hold a celebration for Mass on Saturday, Oct. 15, and a formal gold blazer robing ceremony will be held on Sunday, Oct. 16.