The Sword and Trowel

Transcription

1 rd 2014 The Sword and Trowel Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of California Most Illustrious Companion Richard W. Williamson, KYGCH 153 rd Grand Master Cryptic Masons April 2014 Volume 1 No. 4 Sword and Trowel... 2 Visit Blue Lodges... 2 Recorder Appreciation Month... 2 Understand the Resolutions... 2 Visits... 2 Desk of the Grand Director of Ritual... 3 School of Instruction... 4 Medical Research Foundation... 4 Illustrious Grand Master Itinerary... 4 Charter Requested... 5 Omega Council #11 Shines Brightly"... 6 Fun degrees:...7 Encompasser Order of the Purple Rose...8 Contact Information...8 Illustrious Grand Master Cryptic Masons..8 Grand Secretary...8 Editor...8 Website...8 Officers: Grand Council Cryptic Masons...9 Sessions Form Battalion & Belles..12 Super Excellent Master Degree... 6 Grand York Rite Sessions... 7 Souvenir Program Ad request form... 7 Final thought on booking the hotel rooms 7

2 Dear Companions all: Sword and Trowel Here we are at Vol. 1, No. 4 of the Sword and Trowel, the new bulletin your Grand Council officers are trying to provide for you. Our idea was to have the Sword and Trowel ed to each Council recorder who should then it to all their members who have s and attempt to provide it to those who don t. We did not intend to add additional mailing expense to any Council. As we all know, communication is vital to the well-being of any Masonic organization. Your input, feedback, etc. is welcomed and appreciated. Recorder s and Illustrious Master s, I ask you: Is this working and do you feel it is of value? We (The Grand Council officers) are ready to receive your comments. You can reach me at arty3@comcast.net. Every day that I am at home, I review my s and if my dear Secretary aka wife is available to edit my messages I shall respond. Visit Blue Lodges As Grand Illustrious Master I encourage you to: Gather up a group of your Companions, dress in your purple Council or red Royal Arch coats (take a Knight Templar along, too) and visit your local Blue Lodges. Be prepared to give a brief description of Cryptic Masonry and invite your Brothers to join York Rite. Remember our wonderful Cryptic degrees add to and explain the degrees received in Blue Lodge and Royal Arch. Recorder Appreciation Month Appreciate and assist your Council Recorder. A Council cannot be strong without a good recorder. He is responsible for keeping the Council Roster up-to-date: filing deaths, initiations, affiliations, demits and suspensions. Also: correspondence, keeping minutes and financial records, assisting the Illustrious Master for the business portion of the meeting, and filing reports to the Grand Recorder with copies to others. He must have the various forms available when needed, etc. He (and the Illustrious Master) must be sure that new Council Members sign the by-laws. A Council falls apart without a dedicated Recorder. April is LOVE YOUR RECORDER Month by decree of the Most Illustrious Grand Master of California. Don t forget our Grand Recorder, Ken Hope; the Cryptic Council would not operate without him. Understand the Resolutions Referencing to Resolution on the Council work, I am convinced most of our Council officers are truly working hard on perfecting their ritual for your regularly stated conclaves and the degree work. Personally, I wish we did not need legislation with consequences for not performing well. I want each of you to do to the utmost of your abilities because of the satisfaction it gives you, for the beauty of work performed well, for your companions and because when you joined the Council, it is a commitment you made. Please read the appeal from our Grand Director of Ritual Ken Nagel in this issue to help you consider and understand the proposed resolution to be voted on at the Grand York Rite Sessions. Visits I have recently been greeted at two receptions that may be my last ones. I very much appreciate being greeted by Stockton Council No.10 and Visalia Council No. 43. I treasure the honorary memberships and monetary gifts to myself and CMMRF from all Councils I have greeted this year. Sincerely and Fraternally, Richard Williamson, KYGCH Illustrious Grand Master Page 2 of 12

3 From the Desk of the Grand Director of Ritual As we approach this year s Grand Sessions, I would like to reflect upon the year just passed and our responsibilities to our own particular Councils. Just like our Blue Lodges that exist to make Masons, our Councils exist to make Cryptic Masons and to spread and enhance the story we were told in our first three degrees. We can best do this through our ritual, a ritual that has existed in its current form since As of this writing, I have completed a School of Instruction (SOI) in 5 of our 7 departments. What I have seen is both encouraging and alarming. Encouraging, in that more of our newer members are getting excited about our degrees and they are starting to assemble a cast in their Councils. This will only strengthen our jurisdiction, as currently we unfortunately have 22 of our 37 Councils that cannot confer either of our degrees. As I stated earlier, our Councils exist to create Cryptic Masons. So this new desire by some of our members to make a difference, makes holding our SOIs worthwhile. But on the other side, it is alarming how few of our dais officers even have the care of our ritual to show up and attend the schools. And many of those can only exemplify our work by having their ritual books open before them. This lack of attention to memorizing our ritual has carried over to our meetings as well. Much too large of a percentage of our officers continue to perform their work with open rituals. Although we have encouraged, pleaded and tried to lead by example, a change in this practice has been unsuccessful. volunteered to lead us, uphold their commitment to do just that. Our York Rite bodies are not a second tier organization and we should want to perform our work with the professionalism and honor it deserves. We all know that in our Blue Lodge, if an officer cannot properly perform his work, the Inspector will ban him from performing that work in open lodge until he has certified/recertified his proficiency in that portion of his duties. This resolution mirrors that practice. We also know that it is a Masonic offense to have an open cipher in our craft lodges. This resolution carries that same sentiment by writing into our Minutes, a Reprimand to those who don t want to follow our code. Finally, a habitual abuser of our law can be removed from office; no different than what would happen to a lodge officer who fails to follow our laws. Again, we should not fear this approach. We should embrace the concept that we are going to always perform our ritual with the utmost professionalism and pride we can muster. We are an all-volunteer organization. But once we volunteer, we have made a commitment to follow our laws and perform our duties with the highest excellence possible. I hope to see all of you at Grand Sessions, and I hope you will join me in making a profound statement and ensure that Resolution-01 passes. Reference Resolution at: /Resolutions-CM-2014.pdf See you soon, Kenneth Nagel Grand Director of Ritual A segment of our leadership, disheartened in this practice, has submitted a Resolution to try to arouse a desire to do better in our officers. Resolution-01, will create consequences for those who refuse to uphold their commitment to us as officers of our Councils. We as members should welcome this change to our Constitution, as it will strengthen who we are. We should not fear what this resolution brings, as it only keeps honest those whom we have elected to lead. We should not fear standing up and demanding that those who have Page 3 of 12

4 School of Instruction During a recent Officers School of Instruction presented by Most Illustrious Ken Nagel, Grand Director of Ritual, a discussion was held on ways to improve the quality of our ritual. Some of the Councils have started holding Stated Assemblies 6 times a year but they still meet 12 times per year. In the months which their Stated Assemblies are not held they work on their ritual. This has not only improved the quality of their opening and closing but allowed them to work on their degree work. His (Most Illustrious Ken Nagel, Grand Director of Ritual) own Council has followed this method and is able to confer both the Select Master and Royal Master degrees. I think this is an excellent way to get our Councils back into the habit of conferring the degrees in their own Councils rather than relying on Festivals for the work. Some of the Chapters and Councils meet on the same evening to reduce their rent. By alternating months between the Chapter and Council they would be able to hold their Stated meetings and then work on their ritual or gather for some social time. Most Illustrious Ken also spoke on some upcoming legislation for consideration at the upcoming Grand Sessions. It deals with qualification of the officers and use of ritual books during our meetings. Illustrious Grand Master Itinerary March 30: Grand Rainbow Assembly, Fresno April 10 th, - 12 th, Grand York Rite of Oregon April 17 th - 19 th, Grand York Rite of Idaho May 18 th, 19 th, 20 th, & 21 st, Grand York Rite of California Sessions at Bakersfield For the latest schedule details: Sincerely and Fraternally, Brett A. MacDonald, Grand Principal Conductor of the Work Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation CMMRF links for your personal research for information concerning Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation (Saving Lives & Advancing Medicine). Please review them, at your leisure, & see for yourself the advances caused by your generous donations. These links can be found: Page 4 of 12

5 Companions Page 5 of 12 Charter Requested A formation of Sword and Trowel Mystic Council of Cryptic Masons U.D. is underway and a request for a Charter is being requested from the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of California. The last request for a Charter for the formation of a new Council happened in 1997, prior to that request 1979, 1951 through 1961 saw some activity; 1926 through 1927 was the last period of activities for the formation of new councils. A request for a Charter for a New Council of Cryptic Masons in the Masonic Center at Union City is being requested from the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons. The Sword and Trowel Mystic Council of Cryptic Masons, U.D., has the following objectives: 4 Stated Assemblies on the 3rd Tuesday in March (Research Paper), June (Research Paper), Sept (Research Paper) and December Election of Officers and Installation 4 Special Assemblies for degree conferrals. 2 in the Spring and 2 in the Autumn. April/May and October/November Sword and Trowel Mystic Council objective is to participate in the conferral of degrees of SELECT and ROYAL MASTER. Sword and Trowel Mystic Council will aim to fill the gap by having a Research element into aspects of CRYPTIC MASONRY Candidates will receive the degrees in ISH SODI Council as far as is possible and will be encouraged to participate in a discussion on the symbolism of the degrees Venue: Siminoff Masonic building at Mission Blvd. Union City. CA Day and time: 3rd Thursday at 6.30 p.m. Festive Board after the Assembly Festive Board (Light repast) after 3 Stated Assembly when a Paper on some aspect of Cryptic Masonry will be delivered. Installation and Festive Board Banquet at the December Stated Assembly. AIM to have 2 candidates per year to receive the degrees in the Council. Membership should be considered a privilege and highly prized. Quality not quantity! If we get a total of 20 who are prepared to participate fully while we may have others who are members in a supportive role only. Dues: $25. Charter membership fee: $25 AIM: To provide a qualitative experience for all members in a formal setting with a defined format and with Research content. Donation of Regalia and paraphernalia would be gratefully accepted!!! As a new Council we are in desperate need of paraphernalia for the Royal Master Degree. Some of the items needed are: 3 three branch candelabras, 1 seven branch candelabra, Hour glass, 3 gavels or trowels for Officers in the East, Robes, 1 gavel or trowel for H.A., and the council has the rest or can produce substitutes. If any Council has a surplus and would donate it to the Masonic Home for this Council, as Illustrious Master Designate, I will arrange collection and you will have my gratitude and thanks. Fraternal Regards, Edgar W. Fentum, KYGCH Illustrious Master Designate

6 Omega Council #11 Shines Brightly" This past weekend was a very special one for me. I traveled south to Burbank and was met by RI Companion Lee Whelan, Grand Steward of California's Grand Council of Cryptic Masons. He provided transportation to the Lodge in Van Nuys, where Omega Council #11 conferred the Royal & Select Master Degrees. Being a Bay Area Mason, I quickly rediscovered why I love being an active member of our Fraternity. I walked into a lodge dining room, hundreds of miles from home, that was soon filled with Masons and their Ladies that I have crossed paths with so many times in the past. Familiar faces, smiles, and warm hugs made me feel right at home. Dinner (Salmon) was fabulous and a healthy choice. Our Deputy Grand Master, RW Russ Charvonia was part of a 'Class of 34'. The degree teams of Omega were really on their toes that night with near flawless performances from so many Companions. I had heard so much about the storied members of Signet Chapter, Omega Council, and LA9 Commandery. That evening was almost an exclamation point on why they collect so many awards for excellence. It was, however, Omega's evening to shine brightly. Illustrious Master 'TJ' Oliva, IC's Bruce Hudson, Rick Baca, Steve Goad, and Carlos Gonzales, and ALL the cast members - you really showed that great ritual extends well beyond the walls of our Blue Lodges. Capping the evening was the crisp clear exchange between the East and the West in the full form closing ceremony. As I left the building that night, I felt a real sense of pride. I had just traveled so far from home and these York Rite Masons had obviously prepared and executed a program that made every mile worthwhile. Much more importantly, I knew there were 34 candidates, now Cryptic Masons, who had witnessed exactly the same thing. Fraternally and Sincerely Robert A.L. Whitfield, KYGCH, KCT, CSV MIPGM, Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of California Super Excellent Master Degree Oakland Council No. 12 is hosting the Super Excellent Master Degree on Monday November 10, 2014 at Oakland Scottish Rite. Dinner will begin at 6:00pm with the Degree beginning at 7:00pm. Mark your calendars, sign up info to follow. Fraternally and Sincerely K. Mark Harris, Grand Soloist Page 6 of 12

7 Grand York Rite Sessions Companions who are serving as Illustrious Master heard in their installation that It is his (IM s) privilege and duty, together with the Deputy Master and the Principal Conductor of the Work, to attend the meetings of the Grand Council, either in person or by proxy; and the well-being of the Council requires that this duty should on no occasion be omitted. Registration form on page 8 with information on page 9. Currently, only 68 Companions and Sir Knights have registered for the Grand York Rite Sessions. I believe we can and should do better, please register for the sessions. We are reviewing the successes from the past and considering some fresh ideas. Grand Sessions is open to all York Rite Masons and their Ladies, not just the presiding officers who obligated their attendance at their installation. Please encourage everyone in your Chapter, Council, and Commandery to attend this year. We want this to be the most successful year ever. Souvenir Program Ad request form: One of the challenges that we faced last year was receiving many of our ads after the deadline. There is a great deal of planning and associated revenue and expense projections involved. Mason volunteers, your Brothers and Companions, do all this work in their spare time. Please try to help them. Installations in December and January are a great time to get your pictures for the program. Without the Ads it would be impossible to fund the sessions so please place your ads and do so early. And one final thought on booking the hotel rooms on time, through the regular registration process, and at the GYRS rate by identifying yourself as a Grand York Rite Sessions attendee, if you speak to the hotel directly, this is much more important than you may realize. We are contractually obligated to meet a certain number of room nights in exchange for thousands of dollars in concessions from the hotel. This includes the use of the many rooms, and ballrooms that house our registration, many side meetings, degree conferrals, the drill team competitions, hospitality suites, the Grand Recorder s office, and so much more. You are doing your part in making California s Grand Sessions the premier program that it is. Page 7 of 12 No other state can boast the quality and depth of program that we put together every year. Booking after the deadline or outside of our block could put us in a situation that, quite frankly, we can t afford. Looking forward to seeing you there! Fun degrees: The first is the Order of Zanzibar and it is open to all masons. It is a light hearted fun degree that raises funds for the Cryptic Medical Research Foundation. The second is for our ladies, we will be conferring the Royal Arch Widow s degree, this is an opportunity to show the ladies how much we appreciate them and their attendance at our sessions, any proceeds will go to the Royal Arch Research Assistance Fund. Fraternally, Gregg Hall, 2014 General Chairman

8 Encompasser Do you read & know about the Encompasser a quarterly publication of the Grand York Rite of California. It had been available by subscription which covered mailing, but is now available on line. Go to York Rite of California: and on the left of the home page, click ENCOMPASSER. Then click the big green ENCOMPASSER PUBLICATIONS. You now can read present and past issues. Check out the new format available you can now read the Encompasser online! No need to even print it out. Many thanks to our web-master, Excellent Companion Richard Thornton, for his efforts in applying this technology to our needs! Order of the Purple Rose For the Special Lady(ies) in your Council In an obscure corner of The Constitution of the Most Illustrious Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of the State of California lies a jewel of a standing resolution. Standing Rule X (pg. 47) reads: The Grand Council hereby establishes a meritorious service award for ladies to be known as the Purple Rose, the rules granting this award to be as follows. 1. The award shall be in the form of a certificate to be provided by the Grand Council for the cost of printing the form & handling. 2. Each Council may make a maximum of two (2) awards per calendar year. 3. Lady s eligibility is based on service to the Council for four (4) or more years, determined by constant giving of her unselfish time & service for the betterment of the Council & its members. 4. The lady selected to receive this award shall have been selected by any member who feels that a lady deserves. The selection of the candidate for the award shall have the approval of the Council presenting the award. The lady s name(s) selected as candidate(s) for receiving the award shall be forwarded to the Grand Recorder for preparation of the certificate. Grand Recorder will send the award to Council Recorder for presentation. Contact Information Illustrious Grand Master Cryptic Masons: Companion Richard W. Williamson, KYGCH Most Illustrious Grand Master Cryptic Masons of California 1555 E. Tabor Avenue, Fairfield CA Arty3@comcast.net 707/ Grand Secretary: Ken Hope E. Artesia Blvd, #13 Artesia, CA (562) (W) (562) (C) ca.yorkrite@verizon.net Editor: Richard E. Thornton (209) (C) sj19secretary@att.net Website: Page 8 of 12

9 Officers: Grand Council Cryptic Masons We, as officers of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons, are here to assist you, Please call upon us. 153rd MOST ILLUSTRIOUS GRAND MASTER Richard W. Williamson (29) Judy (707) cell (707) East Tabor Ave, Fairfield DEPUTY GRAND MASTER David L. Chesebro (38) Sarah GRAND PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR OF THE WORK Brett A. MacDonald (35) Donna GRAND TREASURER Frederick J. Tiny Potter MIPGM (15) Donna GRAND RECORDER Kenneth G. Hope, HMIPGM (35) Sonny GRAND DIRECTOR OF RITUAL Kenneth G. Nagel (20) Kathy GRAND CHAPLAIN (North) Leland G. Routt (10) Leslie GRAND CHAPLAIN (South) Charles A. Rodey II (15) Margaret GRAND CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD Henry Clayton Jr. (29) Maxine GRAND CONDUCTOR OF THE COUNCIL William E. Price (2) Janet GRAND STEWARD Lee P. Whelan (59) Teresa GRAND SENTINEL William S. Dann (37) Anne GRAND ORATOR Geoffrey P. Holbrook (60) Courtney GRAND MARSHAL (North) Guy M. Chalmers (46) Jeanne GRAND MARSHAL (South) Eduardo Estrada (11) Natasha GRAND SOLOIST K. Mark Harris (12) GRAND MUSICIAN Mark H. Rose (46) GRAND BIBLE BEARER John E. Trauner (62) Dana GRAND STANDARD BEARER Harold D. Leister (17) Have you gone to our Grand Council website lately? Do you know that there you can find rosters of officers, forms that you need, and a complete copy of the Officers Guide. The Officers guide helps you plan and know what is expected you. A line of Jackets for our York Rite bodies continues to be available: MP.ENTERPRISES. The price for red and blue is great -- $75.00 plus tax and shipping, for sizes 34 to 49 in short, regular and tall; and $87.00 plus tax and shipping for sizes 50 to 60, also in short, regular, and tall. Purple Jackets are little more expensive at $95.00 for the smaller and $ for the larger. Also available are Men s and ladies vests, tuxedos and shirts, pins, patches, and flags, and OES T-Shirts. Contact Max Luy at (510) ; or at his website: or directly to his at maxluy@hotmail.com. Page 9 of 12

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11 2014 Grand York Rite Sessions May 17th to May 21st, 2014 Bakersfield, CA Please send page 1 of this form and payment to: CA-GYRS 6431 Valley Hi Dr. Sacramento, CA Reservation forms postmarked after 04/18/14 are subject to a 25% late fee Forms submitted onsite will be charged a $10 onsite processing fee Contact Bakersfield Doubletree Hotel 3100 Camino Del Rio Ct Bakersfield, (800) 222-TREE(8733) tell the agent that you are in the Grand York Rite Group for your hotel reservation before 04/15/14 Room rate: $93.00 for balcony rooms ($10 more per night if you requested a courtyard/pool facing room) + taxes There is also a link on to make your hotel reservation online Questions, General Chairman: Gregg Hall (408) chairman@ca-gyrs.org Please contact: Executive Officer: James Baum, (760) executiveofficer@ca-gyrs.org Meal/Event reservations: Dave Glass (916) reservations@ca-gyrs.org No refunds after May 05th, 2014 unless approved by the Grand York Rite Sessions Executive Committee. More forms (including the Order of High Priesthood, Thrice Illustrious Master & Past Commanders Association), menus and schedule are available from A few words about Reservation Only events: Although there is no charge for these events, please enter in a numerical value for the events you want to attend. This provides a headcount for the preparation of the event. Also, if the event is cancelled or changed you can be notified. Saturday shuttle to the Casino: A local casino is providing free shuttle service for our Ladies and others who are not attending the AMD In-Gathering. The times are subject to change based on reservations and you will need to co-ordinate with the shuttle driver for your return time. Sunday Vesper services: Vespers is our gathering to honor our departed Companions and Sir Knights. All are encouraged to attend. The Ladies Masonic Information Sessions are designed as an informal gathering in the Lake Rooms for our Ladies during the Business Meetings. The subjects of the Sessions will be available on the web site. Members of the Royal Arch Research Chapter (and those that want to join) will be gathering on Monday afternoon in the Lake Rooms. Learn about what the York Rite College does at the Meet and Greet on Tuesday afternoon in the Lake Rooms. Fun Degrees Order of Zanzibar Degree is for the Companions; enter in a 1 in the field to register as a candidate. You will receive a certificate after receiving the degree. Those that have received the degree and sit on the sidelines, do not need to make the reservation. Royal Arch Widows Degree is for our Ladies enter in a 1 in the field to register as a candidate. You will receive a certificate and a pin after receiving the degree. Those that have received the degree and the Companions who wish to sit on the sidelines, do not need to make the reservation. Page 11 of 12

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