THE RITE LIGHT. Vol. XLII WINTER No. 4

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1 THE RITE LIGHT Valley of Albany Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, N.M.J., U.S.A. 67 Corning Place Albany, NY Vol. XLII WINTER No. 4 Hosted by the Valley of Albany Knights of St. Andrew Saturday, January 26, 2019 Albany Masonic Hall 67 Corning Place, Albany, NY The pleasure of your company is requested on January 26, 2019 when the Valley of Albany will conduct a Knighting Ceremony for all AASR Members who are eligible and desirous of becoming a Knight of St. Andrew. Attendance at the Knighting Ceremony will be open to AASR Members only. Registration: 3:00 p.m. 29th Degree: 3:30 p.m. Knighting Ceremony: 4:30 p.m. After the conferral of the degree and the Knighting Ceremony, at approximately 5:15 p.m., the Knights of St. Andrew welcome all Brothers, Family, and Friends to our Robert Burns Banquet where we will celebrate the life of Brother Robert Burns ( ), Poet Laureate of Scotland, and world-renowned bon vivant. We will have scotch and haggis at the ready for your enjoyment, and traditional toasts will be offered by Brethren and guests throughout the evening. Dress for the evening will be Tuxedo, Dark Suit, or Kilt for the men and comfortable evening attire for the ladies. Dinner will feature hot and cold hors d oeuvres, salad, roast pork, chef s choice of potatoes and vegetables, and dessert. The cost for the banquet is $30.00 per person, $50.00 per couple. Please make your reservations by mailing your check to John W. Scott at 20 Powers Road, Averill Park, NY Your check is your reservation and it must be received on or before January 23, If you have any questions regarding the Knights of St. Andrew or the Robert Burns Banquet, please contact John W. Scott, 33, (518) or scottydawg2000@aol.com.

2 NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL OF DELIBERATION The bodies of the Scottish Rite, sitting in the Valley of Albany, State of New York acknowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33º, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America, whose Grand East is in Lexington, Massachusetts and whose officers are: Ill David Alan Glattly, 33 Sovereign Grand Commander Ill Peter J. Samiec, 33 Grand Lieutenant Commander Ill Richard W. Elliot, 33 Grand Minister of State Ill David P. Spencer, 33 Deputy for New York State ACTIVE MEMBERS FOR NEW YORK Ill Peter J. Samiec, 33 Grand Lt. Commander Grand Almoner Past Deputy for New York Ill Stephen R. Whittaker, 33 Grand Master General of Ceremonies Ill G. Michael Morris, 33 Ill Steven C. Stefanakos, 33 ACTIVE EMERITUS MEMBERS FOR NEW YORK Ill James F. Niehoff, 33 Ill Richard H. Welkley, 33 Ill Gary A. Henningsen, 33 Ill Frederick D. Greene, 33 Ill Edward R. Trosin, 33 Ill Harold L. Aldrich, 33 Past Grand Minister of State Past Deputy for New York Ill P. Michael Nielsen, 33 Editor: THE RITE LIGHT S. Kelly Our Vision We will strive to be a fraternity that fulfills our Masonic Obligation to care for our Members. Our Mission Provide Inspiration for our members through meaningful programs and degrees. Provide Convenient opportunities for our members to enhance their lives. Provide Enjoyable programs and fellowship activities for our members. Dues Reminder The dues notices for have been mailed out. I want to thank the many Brothers who have paid their dues. Your recognition of this obligation is greatly appreciated. If you have not yet sent in your check, please do so at your earliest convenience. If paying your dues creates any hardship, let me know and the Valley will work with you. Thank you for your support of the Valley of Albany and Scottish Rite Masonry. Sincerely and Fraternally, John W. Scott, 33, Secretary scottydawg2000@aol.com or call (518) Communicate Please communicate sickness and distress and/or glad tidings. Share your joy or get support in your sorrow. Harmony is the support of all institutions, especially this of ours. Please send all communications to: John W. Scott, Secretary, Albany Masonic Hall, 67 Corning Place, Albany, NY or scottydawg2000@aol.com or call (518) The Rite Light 2

3 My Brothers: Secretary s Note beverages. You are encouraged to bring a dish to pass. More details for this event will be available as the date approaches. The Valley of Albany has had a very exciting On November 10, the Valley of Albany joined with the Valleys of Troy, Schenectady, and The Hudson to host the Eastern Regional Degree Festival at the Albany Masonic Hall. The Valleys individually conferred the 7th, 11th, 22nd (musical version), and 30th Degrees and then jointly conferred the 32nd Degree. This memorable event was followed by a banquet when our new Sublime Princes were recognized and awarded their Black Hat and commemorative jewel. This was an awesome day when the four Valleys created 52 new Sublime Princes for Scottish Rite Masonry. Please see pictures of the event elsewhere in this newsletter. Congratulations to everyone who participated. Please make your calendars for January 26, 2019 when the Knights of St. Andrew will confer the 29th Degree, perform the Knighting Ceremony on our new candidates, and host our Burns Night Celebration. The particulars for this event are on the front cover. Spread the word and invite your friends as this social event is open to all. We look forward to seeing you on January 26. This year the Valley will confer the 23rd Degree, the Four Chaplains Degree, on the USS Slater on May 16, We were asked to change the date so we will not conflict with a group of veterans from Michigan who visit the ship annually on the second week of May to help with maintenance and improvements. While we are more than happy to accommodate this request, we will have to reschedule our Annual Meeting from May 16 to May 9. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend both of these programs. Finally, the Valley plans to hold our Family Picnic this year on July 13, 2019 at Peebles Island. We will have the venue, together with a pavilion and kitchen for the day. Peebles Island is a beautiful park at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. There are opportunities for activities at the park and we will have access to the rivers if you want to bring your canoes or kayaks. As in the past, the Valley will provide hamburgers, hotdogs, and Thrice Potent Master James Best, Sovereign Prince Gary Smith, Most Wise Master Edward Kosinski, and Commander-in-Chief Paul Rosenblatt, along with all officers and members of the Valley of Albany, are working very hard to serve our members in all possible ways. Through these efforts we are attracting members and promoting the Craft. We are excited about the future of our Valley. Sincerely and Fraternally, John W. Scott, 33, Secretary Scottydawg2000@aol.com (518) Eastern Regional Degree Festival 7th Degree Cast 11th Degree Cast The Rite Light 3

4 A Message from the Hospitaler, Knight Commander and Webmaster My Brothers, Hospitaler Our Grand Almoner, Peter Samiec, is scheduled to do a presentation on the Almoner (called Hospitaler in our Valley) program at our Valley s meeting on February 21. Peter plans to share stories of how the program s funds have assisted our Masonic brothers and their families in time of need. The presentation promises to be informative and inspiring, so try to attend if you are able. to see the history of each brother s activity and the points recorded for them. I will gladly correct any errors. Feel free to contact me at (518) or sconant2@nycap.rr.com if you have suggestions, comments or concerns about these topics. Sincerely and fraternally, Steve Conant Hospitaler, Knight Commander, & Webmaster Eastern Regional Degree Festival Please continue to be as generous as possible when the Hospitaler collection tin is passed at Valley events. All such donations will remain in our local Valley for us to use as needed. Finally, let me know if you need assistance or if you become aware of a Valley brother who is in need of assistance. Knights of the Double Eagle I am pleased to report that as of mid-november, three Sublime Princes have accumulated the 500 points required to be knighted as a Knight of the Double Eagle. Sixteen additional Sublime Princes have accumulated enough points this calendar year to receive a ribbon or one or more service bars. The ceremony to honor these achievements will be held at our Valley's meeting on Thursday, February 21. Please mark the date on your calendar and try to attend this ceremony as we honor our worthy brothers for their active participation in Valley activities. Valley Website Please let me know of any errors or omissions on the Valley webpage, which may be accessed at I encourage each of you to review the Knights of the Double Eagle spreadsheet to ensure you have received credit for the Valley activities which you have attended and/or in which you have participated. I try to be as accurate as possible in recording KoDE points, but it s entirely possible that I might miss someone s attendance or participation, especially at large events such as our recent Degree Festival. The KoDE spreadsheet may be viewed on the website by clicking on KNIGHTS OF THE DOUBLE EAGLE located in the menu near the top of the page and then clicking on Click HERE to see the current list of points & awards located near the bottom of the page. Scroll down past the summary Peter Samiec 22nd Degree Cast Tools for 22nd Degree The Rite Light 4

5 AASR OFFICERS VALLEY of ALBANY Eastern Regional Degree Festival Ineffable & Sublime Grand Lodge of Perfection Thrice Potent Master James Best Deputy Master Kenneth M. White / Senior Warden Scott Angier Junior Warden Mick DellaValle Masonic Hall Assn. Rep. John W. Scott Grand Council of Princes of Jerusalem Sovereign Prince Gary Smith High Priest Charles W. Therrien Jr. Senior Warden Keith D. Becker Junior Warden Allison L. Aumick Masonic Hall Assn. Rep. Keith D. Becker Passport Stamping Albany Sovereign Chapter of Rose Croix Most Wise Master Edward Kosinski / Senior Warden David Chittick Junior Warden Kenneth Brown Masonic Hall Assn. Rep. Stephen S. King Standing Around Albany Sovereign Consistory Commander-In-Chief Paul B. Rosenblatt, Sr / st Lt. Commander Michael P. Slattery nd Lt. Commander Nicholas Blais Masonic Hall Assn. Rep. Ronald Noll Jewel Presentations Treasurer Secretary Hospitaler Officers of All Bodies Gerald R. Dievendorf / John W. Scott / Steven Conant Dinner The Rite Light 5

6 New York State Council of Deliberation Scottish Rite Scholarship Program The Supreme Council has established a form that is the ONLY form that will be accepted for the Abbott Scholarship. Old forms will NOT be accepted. Applicants should print the form, complete it, and mail it to the appropriate Valley secretary. Applicants should submit their application to the Valley of the sponsor of the applicant. The Abbott Scholarship application is available on the Supreme Council website at It is also available on the Council of Deliberation website at To keep things simple, we will use the Supreme Council form for ALL scholarship applications, whether Abbott or NYS Scottish Rite Charities. David E. Barnes 33, Chairman 211 Darrow Rd. Duanesburg, New York (518) dbarnes986@yahoo.com The Rite Light 6

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8 VALLEY OF ALBANY John W. Scott, Secretary Albany Masonic Hall 67 Corning Place Albany, NY Valley of Albany Meeting Dates January 26, 2019 Sat. Knights of Saint Andrew and Burns Celebration February 21, 2019 Thurs. Executive Board at 6:30 pm Lodge, Council, Chapter*, Consistory at 7:30 pm KoDE Celebration March 21, 2019 Thurs. Lodge, Council, Chapter, Consistory* at 7:30 p.m. April 4, 2019 Thurs. Executive board April 14, 2019 Sun. Feast of the Pascal Lamb Troy Masonic Hall, Brunswick, NY May 9, 2019 Thurs. Annual Meeting Election and Installation All four bodies, Consistory* at 7:30 p.m. May 16, 2019 Thurs. Lodge, Council, Chapter, Consistory* 23º Four Chaplains Degree at the USS Slater at 7:30 p.m. June 6, 2019 Thurs. Executive Board July 13, 2019 Sat. Family Picnic at Peebles Island August 1, 2019 Thurs. Executive Board * Opens and Closes Meeting The Rite Light 8