WELCOME TO NOTTWIL
Greetings from the Grand Master-elect,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Distinguished Guests,
and my dearest Brethren,
In a few months’ time, we shall come together for a moment of particular significance in the life of Swiss Freemasonry: the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland, at which the election and installation of the new Executive Committee, together with the majority of the College of Grand Officers, will take place.
As Grand Master-elect, it is both a profound honor and a sincere pleasure for me to welcome you to Nottwil. We shall gather there to share a day devoted to meaningful work, fraternal exchange, and a genuine unity of purpose. It will also be a valuable occasion to renew ties with Brothers we have already met along the masonic path, and to extend a warm welcome to new Brethren from all eight Regions of Switzerland, as well as from the twenty-six invited and recognized Grand Lodges.
On behalf of all participants, I would like to express my heartfelt and fraternal gratitude to the Brothers of Region 6, Zurich and Schaffhausen, for their generous hospitality. My sincere thanks also go to the Organizing Committee, whose dedication and spirit of service are ensuring that this gathering unfolds harmoniously and leaves a lasting and luminous memory for us all.
I shall conclude with the words of Dante Alighieri, who, in Canto V of Purgatory, wrote:
"Why doth thy mind so occupy itself,"
The Master said, "that thou thy pace dost slacken?
What matters it to thee what here is whispered? Come after me, and let the people talk;
Stand like a steadfast tower, that never wags
Its top for all the blowing of the winds
In this spirit, I look forward to welcoming many of you on the shores of Lake Sempach, so that, like well-shaped stones called to contribute to the building of the ideal Temple of Humanity, we may together preserve, nurture, and transmit the Light, ensuring that it continues to illuminate the path of future generations.
Mauro Rossi
Grand Master Designate of the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland
