MOUNT VERNON – E.J. Pido was elected master of Mount Vernon’s Masonic lodge just one month ago. But right away, he knew what his first mission would be.

“They got a master this year whose favorite season in the Christmas season,” said Pido, who had spent five years moving up the officer ranks.

“So the first thing that popped into my head when we were talking about being elected as master was, ‘Hey, we’re doing a Christmas party and we’re going all out with it.’”

Pido and his brethren have spent countless hours over the last month preparing for the lodge’s annual children’s Christmas party, which will run from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Glenn A. Gallagher Centre. The party’s theme is ‘Christmas forest,’ serving as an opportunity for families to get in the Christmas spirit just weeks away from the holiday.

There will be an ornament decorating station and materials to write a list to Santa, who will be there to read it. Christmas-themed movies will play in the background as elves (lodge brethren in costume) will entertain those in attendance. The lodge will hand out gifts on a first-come, first-serve basis, so Pido recommends getting there early.

“It’s only three hours, but I’m hoping we can definitely pack it full of kids,” Pido said. “And if anything, you can come and we can at least get you some hot chocolate and some cookies and a chance to write a list to Santa, who will be there and gladly take them all back with them.”

The lodge has hosted Christmas parties in the past, Pido said, but this one is different. Pido has spent countless hours planning the event, coordinating with places like the local Lowe’s, Kroger and Tim Horton’s for supplies, and finally setting everything up. He wants to put up a 30-yard Christmas tree for the event, and his brothers are helping him do so.

“We’re going to go all out,” Pido said. “The excitement is definitely there amongst the brothers.”

Pido said he has worked at least 20 hours a week for the past few weeks getting ready for the party, which will effectively kick off his year as master (because Mount Vernon’s lodge has consistently high membership numbers, masters are limited to one-year terms).

The event is a lead-off example of what Pido is trying to accomplish in his new role, the highest seat in the Masonic ranks. He’s working hard to increase awareness and visibility of the local Masonic lodge (Mount Zion Lodge #9).

Despite the lodge’s size – it currently houses 277 active members, most from Mount Vernon and Knox County, making it one of the largest lodges in the district – Pido believes that many do not know about its purpose.

Pido said that when he asks others about their knowledge of Masonry, 80 percent of the time it’s nonexistent. Sometimes people go as far as calling the idea ‘illuminati-inspired.’ And on rare occasions, someone might actually understand the purpose behind the fraternity.

To Pido and the large contingent of locals involved with the lodge, it’s important to clear the air: the Masonic tradition deals in service – serving one’s community and one’s brothers.

“There’s a lot of symbolism that goes into it regarding our roots in Masonry,” Pido said. “But over the years, we look to encourage men – young men, mid-age men, old men, it doesn’t matter – to kind of have an interest in helping one another and following some of those valuable tenants of community and friendship and brotherly love.

“So that’s pretty much what we are. From local-level lodges like ourselves all the way to the state level, that’s what we do. We’re here for our brethren and the communities that we help serve.”

Mount Vernon’s Masonic lodge exhibits these ideals by supporting the state Special Olympics (last year it raised over $2,000 for the event) and hosting a Valentine’s Day dance alongside sister fraternity Eastern Star. But Pido feels that the events have been underpublicized in the past, and he hopes to change that this year.

“I think one of our main goals this year is to make them more known,” said Pido, a Mount Vernon native. “And that is why we’re going all-out with this Christmas bash.”

For Pido, Masonry is a part of the family tradition. His father, Ernie, was involved with the lodge when he was growing up. Ernie would tell his son about the experiences he had with his brothers, and E.J. was enamored by the idea of such camaraderie. During his junior year at Miami University, E.J. inquired about joining the lodge, and he’s been an active member ever since.

Pido said he never envisioned becoming a master so quickly, especially considering it typically takes seven years to reach the position.

“I’ve been asked if I want to become an officer or start going through some of the chairs and I said, ‘Yeah sure, I’ll do it for a little while.’ And a little while turned into being in charge,” Pido said, laughing. “It’s funny how those things happen, right?”

Part of the challenge of being master, at least for Pido, is the age discrepancy. He is 27 years old, and the average age of a Mason in Ohio is 65. Pido hopes that by being more engaged in the community this year, the lodge can increase visibility among the community’s youth.

But that’s a tall task. Youth membership is down across many local organizations, Pido said, including the Kiwanis Club, which he is also a part of. People will often tell Pido that they’re too busy, or they don’t have time to join a service organization, which he finds ironic. At 27, Pido is a lodge master while also raising an eight-week old son with his wife. He works full-time in Knox Community Hospital’s pharmacy as a 340B coordinator and also finds time to study for his MBA, with a focus on healthcare administration.

He has a hard time believing others his age don’t have enough time.

“When I hear people say, oh, I don’t have time to do this or that, I let them go because I can’t judge people,” Pido said. “But I look and, at least with my own new family and being in charge and school and work… there’s definitely a lot to be said with ‘busy,’ let’s put it that way.”

And the way Pido looks at it, who wouldn’t want to be involved in making their community better?

“That’s kind of what our country was built on, is community involvement,” Pido said. “And these organizations are kind of the backbone of that.”

While the Masonic lodge does not recruit, as brothers often join by asking other brothers, Pido hopes that local youth will become more involved with service organizations across the board. Doing so will make the community closer and stronger, Pido believes.

And it’s already happening at his lodge, where younger brothers have begun to join and find fulfillment in the cause.

“I am happy to look around and see the ambition and the commitment from some of these younger – I say younger, they’re in their twenties – but younger guys that are wanting to bring more to the community and get more guys involved,” Pido said.

Mount Vernon’s Masonic lodge is one of three within the county, although Pido believes it is likely the largest. There are lodges in Fredericktown and Bladensburg as well. The 19th Masonic District of Ohio comprises of 17 lodges spread across Knox, Licking, Coshocton and Tuscarawas counties. Pido has invited brethren from all district lodges to Sunday’s Christmas bash.

Mount Vernon’s lodge meets on the first Thursday of each month at the Gallagher Centre, and officers are elected each November. According to the lodge’s website, there are 3.6 million men involved with the Masonic fraternity worldwide.

On Thursday, Pido paced back and forth inside the empty Gallagher Centre, ready to put the final touches on his first major act as master – the children’s Christmas party. After taking measurements of the facility on Wednesday night, he was preparing to divvy out responsibilities to his brethren on Thursday; each brother will have a role in Sunday’s festivities, and each will have an elf name.

It’s been hard work, but it’s been worth it to Pido. After all, this is his only shot at being master, in an organization which he truly believes in and wants to help grow. Might as well make it count.

“I do plan on trying to enjoy being master. It’s a lot of work, but I’m learning a lot at least in terms of leadership,” Pido said. “It’s very self-fulfilling, let’s put it that way, which kind of leads to Masonry as a whole. It’s all (about), what you put into it is what you get out of it.”