PROCEEDINGS GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER NEW HAMPSHIRE

Transcription

1 PROCEEDINGS GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE 197th ANNUAL CONVOCATION PORTSMOUTH, NH MAY 14,

2 Companion SCOTT M. AYEN MOST EXCELLENT GRAND HIGH PRIEST PRESIDING AND ELECTED 2

3 Scott M. Ayen Scott Matthew Ayen was born in Gouverneur, NY on August 20, 1974, the son of Mark and Ruth (LaRue) Ayen both of DePeyster, NY. He grew up on a dairy farm in DePeyster, NY and attended Heuvelton Central School and then later went on to attend undergrad at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. After St. Lawrence, Scott started working for Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg, NY as a Network Technician, in After three years of great experience in the Information Technology field with the hospital he moved to South Royalton, VT and became the Network Director for Vermont Law School. Near the end of his career with Vermont Law School he moved with his family to Newport, NH. After spending seven year with Vermont Law, in 2006, he moved on to a job with EDS/HP working for the US Navy / Marine Corp Intranet Project. He is now employed with a software company name Extegrity, Inc where he is the Director of Technology Services. Scott has worked from his home office since 2006 and enjoys the freedom and efficiency of that situation. He met his wife Ramona just prior to moving to Vermont in 1999 and they were married in June of They have two daughters, Alison (Moultenboro, NH) and Jordan along with a stepson Michael who lives in the Chicago, IL area. Ramona also works for Extegrity, Inc and is in charge of logistics for the several bar exams the company helps to proctor. Scott has practiced the martial art of Go Jyu Ryu Karatedo since 1993 when he was a student at St. Lawrence University. After college he took a brief hiatus until moving to Vermont where he reunited with his instructor. He hold the rank of Sandan (3 rd degree) and the teaching grade of Sempai. Masonic History Craft Masonry Initiated DePeyster Lodge #573 (NY) October 4, 1995 Passed DePeyster Lodge #573 (NY) October 18, 1995 Raised DePeyster Lodge #573 (NY) November 15, 1995 Affiliated Hiram Lodge #9 July 2008 Cheshire-Mt. Vernon Lodge #23 August 2014 Charter Member Phoenix Lodge #105 December 28, 2011 Installed Master Hiram Lodge #9 December 2010, 2011, &

4 Capitular Masonry Exalted Cheshire Webb Chapter #4 October 17, 2009 Affiliated (Merger) Trinity Chapter #2 March 1, 2014 Installed High Priest Cheshire Webb Chapter #4 March 20, 2012 Order of the High Priesthood April 28, 2012 Grand RA Chapter of NH Distinguished Service Medal May 10, 2013 General Grand Chapter Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze May 9, 2014 Cryptic Masonry Greeted Columbian-St. John Council #2 October 28, 2009 Affiliated (Merger) Horace Chase Council #4 March 1, 2014 Super Excellent Master October 30, 2009 Installed Illustrious Master Columbian-St. John Council #2 March 27, 2013 Order of the Silver Trowel April 20, 2013 Grand Representative to Ontario May 9, 2011 Chivalric Masonry Knighted Sullivan-Hugh depayens Commandery #6 December 5, 2009 Affiliated (Merger) Mt. Horeb Commandery #3 March 1, 2014 Installed Eminent Commander Sullivan-Hugh depayens Commandery #6 - March 20, 2012 Member Past Commanders Association March 8, 2014 Knight Commander of the Temple May 8, 2015 SRICF Joined - New Hampshire College - October 26,

5 York Rite Invitational Bodies Knight Masons Scenic Council #37 July 16, 2011 Excellent Chief September 26, 2015 Allied Masonic Degrees(AMD) John Harris Council #458 June 17, 2011 York Rite College Profile College #100 November 12, 2011 Sovereign College Service Award January 10, 2015 Red Branch of Eri New Hampshire Faslairt February 12, 2013 Red Cross of Constantine Granite State Conclave January 10, 2015 Knights of York Cross of Honor NH Priory #58 January 17, 2015 Holy Royal Arch Knights Templar Priests Palestine Tabernacle XLI December 13, 2015 AASR NMJ Joined the Valley of Norwood February 24, 1997 Attained 32 o April 25, 2009 Affiliated with the Valley of Concord October 6,

6 Grand Chapter Annual Business Convocation Masonic Temple in Tilton, NH April 16, 2016 The Grand Chapter was opened in ample form by ME Grand High Priest Companion Scott M. Ayen at 8:30 a.m. A flag salute was conducted, and following opening remarks, he called upon the Grand Secretary for the following: A roll call of Chapter Officers was taken at the credentials table and all Chapters had at least one credited representative present. Grand High Priest Scott M. Ayen Grand King Andy M. Lord Grand Scribe David R. Walters Grand Capt. of the Host Paul C. Smith Grand Treasurer Verne S. Anderson, Jr. Grand Secretary Dennis A. Sheridan, PGHP Asst. Grand Secretary Robert L. Sutherland, Jr., PGHP Grand Lecturer Paul M. Leary Grand Chaplain Paul M. Leary Grand Chaplain C. Jarvis Lewis, Jr. Grand Principle Sojourner Patrick J. O Sullivan Grand Royal Arch Captain David S. Collins Grand Master 3rd Veil Earl W. Cole, Jr. Grand Master 2nd Veil Kaleb J. Brown Grand Master 1st Veil Jeremy W. Allin Grand Sentinel Jackson E. Marston PGHP not previously counted: R. Bradley Alderfer Roger A. Douillette, Sr. Richard F. Cole, Jr. H. Stephen Wood John B. Clark, HPGHP PHP: J. David Meader, John R. Sheehan, Jr., Robert M. Porter, Robert G. Hatfield, Thomas X. Tsirimokos, David E. Lewis, and Walter P. Sword Members: Lovell Tedd Landon, Benjamin J. Langlois, Dale A. Mills, Daniel P. Gilbert, Ronald J. Brown, Arthur W. Stauff, Joseph J. Rella, Benjamin T. Heroux and Martin W. Koechel 6

7 The following Dias Officers were represented: Trinity (HP-Present, King-Present, Scribe-Proxy) Total 5 Washington (HP-Present, King-Proxy, Scribe-Present) Total 5 Meridian Sun (HP-Present, King-Proxy Scribe-) Total 2 Mt. Horeb (HP-Present, King-Present, Scribe-Present) Total 9 North Star (HP-Present, King-Present, Scribe-Proxy) Total 6 King Solomon (HP-King-Present, Scribe) Total 1 Temple (HP-Present, King-Present, Scribe-Proxy) Total 3 Hiram (HP-Present, King-Present, Scribe-Proxy) Total 3 Total in attendance - 36 The following reports were accepted as printed or presented: Preliminary Report of the Grand Treasurer & Secretary, Reports of Grand King, Grand Scribe, Grand Captain of the Host, Publicity and Public Relations, Finance Committee & Budget, Fraternal Correspondence, Life Membership Committee, RARA, Grand Lecturer and Ritual Review Committee and Unfinished Business. Life Membership Committee recommended election of Robert L. Sutherland, Jr. for 3 years. This motion was seconded and voted in favor thereof. A motion to donate $50 to the Tilton Fraternal Association was presented in the budget. Also a motion to reimburse the GHP for printing expenses of $ was voted favorably, A motion to purchase the 200 copies of the York Rite Promotional books was also passed. A motion to adopt a January to December reporting system for membership count only was adopted beginning December 31, ELECTION OF OFFICERS The following slate of Officers for was presented for election. Most Excellent Grand High Priest...Scott M. Ayen Right Excellent Grand King...Andy M. Lord Right Excellent Grand Scribe...Paul C. Smith Right Excellent Grand Treasurer...Verne S. Anderson Excellent Grand Assistant Treasurer...David R. Walters Right Excellent Grand Secretary...Dennis A. Sheridan, MEPGHP Excellent Grand Assistant Secretary...Robert M. Porter Right Excellent Grand Captain of the Host...Patrick J. O Sullivan 7

8 A motion was made and seconded that nominations be closed. Afterwards the above slate of Officers was elected. The ME Grand High Priest-Elect later made the following appointments: APPOINTED OFFICERS RE Grand Chaplain...Paul M. Leary RE Grand Chaplain...C. Jarvis Lewis, Jr. RE Grand Lecturer...Paul M. Leary E. Grand Principle Sojourner...David S. Collins E. Grand Royal Arch Captain...Earl W. Cole, Jr. E. Grand Master of the Third Veil...Kaleb R. Brown E. Grand Master of the Second Veil...Jeremy W. Allin E. Grand Master of the First Veil...Jackson E. Marston E. Grand Organist...John B. Clark, MEHPGHP E. Grand Organist...Alan M. Robinson E. Grand Sentinel...Daniel P. Gilbert Remarks from the Grand High Priest-Elect included notice of a Chapter and Council of Instruction to be held on August 27th in Concord at 10:00 a.m. with rehearsals on June 14 th, July 12 th and August 16 th in Concord at 7pm. The GHP presented all of the Officers and Committee Chairmen with a small token of appreciation in the form of a small bottle of maple syrup made by his parents in NY. After closing remarks, the GHP recessed the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of NH until May 14th. Following that, all PHP s were excused and the Secretary made a motion that the Grand Chapter take over the direction of the NH Council of High Priesthood which was adopted. The Minutes from the last meeting will be printed in the Proceedings and adopted as such. Respectfully submitted, Dennis A. Sheridan, MEPGHP Grand Secretary Report of Unfinished Business To the ME Grand High Priest and the Companions of the State of New Hampshire: Upon review of the Proceedings of 2015, all unfinished business was satisfactorily concluded. Sincerely and fraternally, Dennis A. Sheridan, PGHP, Grand Secretary 8

9 REPORT OF THE GRAND KING To the Most Excellent Grand High Priest: I greatly appreciate the opportunity to have served as Grand King for the past year. This year has been one of progress that I think all the companions in the state can rightly be proud of. Here are some of the areas I have seen improvement in this year: The year started off on a strong note with the reintroduction of the Chapter of Instruction. It is my hope that this tradition will continue over the next several years. The attendance was good for the first go around, and it is hoped that even more companions will be able to attend this year s Chapter of Instruction and engage in the conversations and presentation to further everyone s understanding of your ritual and symbolism. The theme of Do the Work seems to paying dividends. In each of the visitation I attended new masons were taking parts in the ritual. While ritual books were in use it is hoped that but going through the full opening at meeting will help build familiarity and assist in the memorization of the parts and that next year chunks of the ritual will be memorized. The chapters that I visited all had good discussions in their meetings. And it was a thrill to be exposed to the points of views of the companions. This should be done at every meeting. The more we think and talk about our rite the better and deeper insights we will have; which will logically lead to those lessons and philosophies being put into practice in our daily lives. There were several Royal Arch degrees performed this year. It is wonderful that they are becoming more than once a year events. The fact that in all those where help was needed the chapters where in communication with the grand line and with other chapters to help fill in where needed. Keep up the great work. One of the most interesting developments this year has been the York Rite round table discussion that Companion Mills has started in Portsmouth. These have meet with considerable success as evinced by the number of companions they just exalted to the Royal Arch this very week. This is a program that I think all chapters should look at and adapt to fit their particular characters. The more contact we have with and more information that we can pass to your brethren in the blue lodge that more interest they will have in the York Rite. A couple of area where some attention may be needed and some suggestions: 9

10 There have been some large classes of companions added to our chapters this year. The challenge is now to find ways to engage support and mentor these new companions. We have talked a lot in the last couple of years about the need to the word out to get new members and that seems to be happening. Now let us endeavor to make the fully active members. There seemed to be fewer instances of new members just being obligated this year. That is a testament to the work of the individual chapter. We now must work toward eliminating that practice. I think this will die a natural death as more chapters are able to perform all the degrees on their own or with help from the grand line and other chapters. If we are work to get to a place where all chapters are doing all the work on a regular basis, if a situation arises where a candidate is not able to make a degree that another chapter will be doing that same degree within a reasonable period time and the candidate will be able to take that degree at another chapter. Our degrees and the lessons they exemplify are the heart of our rite and we ought not to be short changing our candidates by allowing them to skip the full form degrees. As a result of the numbers of new candidates we have had throughout the state this year there have large numbers of candidates taking the degree. While it is great to see so many new members this presents some unique challenges as well. With so many candidates taking degrees at once they are missing the opportunity of being fully immersed in the initiation experience. This may be a situation that is corrected naturally as all the chapter work to be able to perform the work on a more regular basis, but we need to be mindful of how we conduct degrees now when we have large classes. It is my strong belief that each candidate needs to experience as much of the degrees as possible and not just site on the side lines watching. There are other places they go for that kind of experience. In short this has been an exciting year full improvement throughout the states. As we begin to see growth and new emphasis on the ritual and some of those long lost traditions it has been interesting to see what new challenges are presented. I am so very honored to have been able to serve this Grand Chapter as King this year. I look forward to seeing the progress that awaits us all in the next year. Respectfully Submitted Andy M. Lord, Grand King 10

11 REPORT OF THE GRAND SCRIBE To the Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Grand Chapter Officers and Companions From: David R Walters, Grand Lecturer I was appointed as Grand Scribe for the Season. I attended my own visitation as well as the visiting Grand officer for 2 other Visitations. The work of the year was performed in a good manner; the full form openings were done in a good manner. Some parts were read out of the book, but a majority was done from memory. There is a great improvement over last year and I hope to see this trend continue. I also attended Rainbow last July and will attend the Grand Rainbow Sessions this year as well. I was also attended the supreme council of 33 degree masons last year and,.i will be attending again this year as well as Grand Lodge I will be traveling to Maine for their Grand Session and look forward to representing New Hampshire I attended the majority of town hall meetings and have noted some feedback in which I am impressed with ME Scott Ayen in promoting our chapter throughout New Hampshire. I have been proud to work with him as one of his officers. Although I am stepping out of the progressive line to take on the eventual duties of the grand treasurer, I have enjoyed my years serving the grand line and look forward to the many challenges ahead I would like to thank the Grand Chapter for giving me this opportunity this year and look forward to the new challenges Dave Walters 11

12 GRAND CAPTAIN OF THE HOST REPORT TO: ME Scott M. Ayen, Grand High Priest FROM: RE Paul C. Smith, Grand Captain of the Host DATE: March 16, 2016 RE: Grand Officer s Report Most Excellent Grand High Priest: It has been an honor to serve you and this Grand Chapter during the Capitular year, The following is a brief synopsis of fraternal visits from the past year. Additionally, I have observations and thoughts with which I will conclude. In the two weeks that followed my installation as Grand Captain of the Host last May, the local bodies and the Grand Officers were all busy. Just two days after being installed (May 11), we all travelled to Pembroke for the Mark Master Mason degree where I introduced the Grand High Priest and assisted in the work for the evening. The following Tuesday (May 19) I attended the stated meetings of the Concord bodies where I delivered a presentation on the Beatitudes and concluded the week by serving as the Scribe during the Royal Arch degree hosted by Mt. Horeb Chapter in Manchester (May 22). On June 15, the York Rite bodies began their regional town hall meetings, the first in Lancaster. I served as the scribe for most of these meetings. Additional meetings were held in Goffstown, Concord and Rochester. (I missed the Nashua meeting.) The results of the meetings mainly yielded many of the same observations: increased programming, how to gain attendance, leadership, etc. I expect more detailed reports from the Grand Heads with respect to these meetings. On August 1 I attended the Grand Chapter Convocation of Instruction in Concord. The Grand Chapter did open in full form and performed it better than I had hoped, especially as we did not use ritual books. The Grand High Priest is right: doing the work means we will do it more and get better at it, and the Grand Chapter is a perfect place to show this-especially as all Companions can see. Additionally, I was pleased to present a program for the companions, as well as produced a document which I hope they may have used in stimulating discussion in their home chapters. On September 6, I attended the DeMolay Installation of Officers and Chevalier investiture with many of our York Rite Leaders. It was a great event and I was pleased to bring some comments that day. 12

13 On September 8, I officially visited Washington Chapter No 3 in Portsmouth. I brought the fraternal greetings of the Grand High Priest, presented on his MAPLE program and then proceeded to have a conversation about communication. The fact that many in the Grand Line didn t even have notification of when meetings were being held in the various chapters around the state is completely unacceptable, and I was deliberate in mentioning that this must change for the future which led to my concluding remarks about the future. Imaging Freemasonry on its last legs in our state, our rite all but gone who would step up to change the future? To save the future? The message was well received. On September 29, I officially visited Temple Chapter in Rochester. This was a most interesting visit. The opening ritual was presented well. First, I helped the High Priest discover the antique chest plate used in the Royal Arch Degree by the High Priest and encouraged him, as a sign of the office and the meaning of its ritual importance, to wear it. He did, and others informed him that they d never even seen the chest plate before (which tells to the lack of costume undoubtedly during the Royal Arch degree). I presented the Grand High Priest s MAPLE program again for the consideration of the companions. I then proceeded to discuss the allegory of the Cave, as espoused by Plato. I encouraged the Brethren to not be afraid to turn away from the shadows on the wall and seek out light for themselves. It was, I hope, a well-received message. On October 20, I attended the visitation at Trinity Chapter in Concord. The work of the night was the council degree, but the chapter opened and it was nice to see the work performed well. It was clear to me that Trinity takes it seriously. On October 28, I attended my home chapter meeting in Mt. Horeb Chapter in Manchester. We did walk through the opening, with all participating. On December 8, Mt. Horeb Chapter hosted the PM and MEM Degrees in Goffstown, I participated in both degrees. We had rehearsed twice and had a few candidates participate who enjoyed the degrees. There were some ritualistic things that need to be addressed, one of which is the clarification of some floor work by the GHP s ritual committee-this will endeavor to make things easier in the long run, I believe. This report will be submitted before the Capitular year has ended, however, I believe the above adequately reflects the majority of the year. Observations: 1) The Grand High Priest s message of just do the work is resonating amongst the companions and York Rite as a whole. He is to be commended. Additionally, every officer must make this part of their mantra in continuing into the future. Doing the work=getting better at the work. 2) I stand by my prior year s recommendation of formulating a strategic plan that will actually work and be productive for us as a rite. It is feasible and frankly, imperative. 3) Communication is woefully inadequate between the constituent bodies and grand bodies. Every 13

14 grand officer should be on every mailing list regarding stated meetings or trestle boards. I hope the Grand High Priest will insist upon this in his second year. 4) The Convocation of Instruction was wonderful. Instruction in all forms was well presented and received and I was happy to play a part. I see by the York Rite calendar a follow up has already been planned for 2016 and I look forward to supporting the Grand High Priest in whatever manner necessary that day. In sum, many of us have varying responsibilities among all aspects of the Craft, and that is truly laudable. We must remember however not to spread too thinly, else we try to give too much to too many and we run out of support behind us. Strengthening the York Rite at all levels, and Craft Masonry at large, will solve those problems. We will all undoubtedly remain overactive, but we will remain so knowing that we are doing good work, square work. REPORT OF THE GRAND PRINCIPLE SOJOURNER TO: Officers of the Grand Chapter RE: Annual Report of the Eminent Grand Principle Sojourner Companions, The following is the report of your Grand Principle Sojourner for the year This year was my first official full year in the chair. I was able to visit two chapters beyond my own. I was able to attend the Hiram Chapter No. 24, Temple Chapter No.20, and my own, Mt. Horeb Chapter No. 11, where I was serving as the High Priest. All were very enjoyable gatherings with the companions present and the work done was wonderful. I wish to thank MEGHP Scott M. Ayen for having appointed me as the Grand Principle Sojourner for the year. Sincerely, Patrick J. O Sullivan, Eminent Grand Principle Sojourner Grand Royal Arch Chapter of NH 14

15 Report of The Grand Royal Arch Captain M.E. Scott M. Ayen Grand High Priest Grand Chapter of New Hampshire Dear M.E. Ayen, It was my pleasure to serve the Grand Chapter for the State of NH as a Grand Royal Arch Captain this past year. I am certainly no stranger to Capitular Masonry in NH but this was my first year in serving in this position. I did attend many York Rite events throughout the State in the past year but sometimes my position as a Grand Lodge Line Officer did not allow me to attend as many events as I wanted to. I had the pleasure of attending the joint Grand Chapter and Grand Council of Instruction on August 3, I found the day informative and encourage the leaders of these Grand Bodies to continue this instruction annually. I attended Trinity Chapter in Concord on July 14, 2015 and assisted in a Royal Arch Degree on a large number of candidates. I had never seen this many candidates done for the Royal Arch Degree before and this was an excellent evening for all involved. It was also my pleasure to fill in for the Grand Lecturer as the Inspecting Officer at Hiram Chapter #24 s inspection on November 9, The Degree work was done extremely well with all officers being well prepared for their parts and the Candidates seeing an exemplary Degree. I am encouraged with the recent growth with the York Rite in New Hampshire and hope we will be able to see a larger amount of active members in the future. Thank you Most Excellent for the pleasure of serving the Grand Chapter of NH. Sincerely and Fraternally, David S. Collins David S. Collins, PHP, Grand Royal Arch Captain 15

16 REPORT OF THE GRAND MASTER OF THE 3 RD VEIL To: Scott Ayen M. Excellent High Priest, Officers, and Companions of the Grand Chapter of New Hampshire Attended the Grand Meeting on May 9 and was installed as Grand Master of the Third Veil. I am very happy and honored to assist the new Grand High Priest on his journey. On May 11, attended the Mark Master Mason degree in Penacook. It was great to see 35 Companions in attendance of which eight were new candidates. Excellent ritual performed by all. During February, I attended the King Solomon Chapter in Milford. Unfortunately, there were only 5 members present. They were all very enthusiastic. Had a lot of questions regarding formality, number of Chapters, and communicating with other Chapters in NH. I feel your attempts to get the Chapters more involved by requesting they open and close in long form is a great idea. By promoting this, it makes the Chapters more involved in the ritual and more purpose other than just declaring the Chapter open. Although we have a web site, I feel it would be a great idea to have a notice sent out to all the Chapters informing them of the names and locations of all the Chapters in NH and the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of the current High Priest. I am sorry to report that I have nothing to report regarding the Committee that I have been appointed to, that being RARA/Charitable Endeavors. Respectfully submitted Companion Earl W. Cole, Jr. Grand Master of the 3 rd Veil 16

17 REPORT OF THE GRAND MASTER OF THE SECOND VEIL To: The Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Officers of the Grand Chapter of New Hampshire and Companions It has been a pleasure to serve this Capitular year as your Grand Master of the 2nd Veil. This year I had the opportunity to attend a few of the Royal Arch meetings and visitations around the state. On August 1,2015 I attended the chapter/ council of instruction and assisted in the full opening and closing of the Grand Chapter. I found the discussion during the meeting to be interesting and Informative. I attended two Visitations. Temple Chapter #20 and Trinity Chapter #2. Both visitations showed that they had put a lot of effort into the work presented. I also attended my home Chapter, Washington #3 where I was currently serving as High Priest. Do the Work the motto of our Most Excellent seems to be resonating throughout the state and more and more new companions are being made. There is excitement building throughout the whole craft about York Rite and I believe it is because we are doing the work. Fraternally, Kaleb R Brown Grand Master of the 2nd Veil 17

18 REPORT OF THE GRAND MASTER OF THE FIRST VEIL To the Most Excellent Grand High Priest and members of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of NH I humbly submit my report for the last Capitular Year. I was pleased to be elected and installed as Scribe of North Star Chapter No. 16, RAM of Lancaster, NH. I supported many different meetings of the Bodies in the North Country and Appendant Bodies as possible. I attended the Chapter and Council of Instruction held on August 1, 2015 in Concord. I attended the Visitation of North Star Chapter on October 19, 2015 in Lancaster. Unfortunately, my occupation and family concerns left me unable to make further Visitations during the weekdays last year. I am pleased to have served the Grand Chapter over the last year. Fraternally, Jeremy W. Allin, Grand Master of the First Veil 18

19 REPORT OF THE GRAND SENTINEL To the ME Grand High Priest, Grand Officers, and Companions of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire: It was an honor and pleasure to be asked to serve as Grand Sentinel this past year. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to participate in what has been an exciting year in Royal Arch Masonry in New Hampshire. I had the opportunity to do some travelling and attend some Chapter events, including a very large class of Mark Master Masons who received a well performed degree at Hiram Chapter #24, with an impressive group of Companions on the sidelines, and also some degree work at Washington Chapter #3 in Portsmouth. I also attended the Chapter/Council of Instruction, which inspired me to continue to grow and learn more about Royal Arch Masonry. I continued to hold an office in my local body, Trinity Chapter #2 in Concord, serving as Scribe, and assuming different positions for our own Chapter Degree work. Thank you, Most Excellent, for opportunity to serve the Grand Chapter. I look forward to continued growth of Royal Arch Masonry in New Hampshire in the future, and also to opportunity to continue to participate. Fraternally, Jackson E. Marston, Grand Sentinel 19

20 PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE GRAND REGULATIONS Change Article III, Section 5.1 to come into alignment with the Grand Lodge in how they assign the chain command Moves the next in line from senior past GHP to the junior past GHP to preserve continuity. Current Reading Article III, Section 5 - Officer Succession 1. In case of the permanent absence of the Grand High Priest, Grand King, Grand Scribe, or Grand Captain of the Host, the elective officer next in rank shall replace his superior. In the event the Grand Captain of the Host progresses to the office of Grand Scribe, the Grand High Priest shall make a temporary appointment to fill the office of Grand Captain of the Host. In the absence of all the above listed officers, the senior Past Grand High Priest present shall preside. Redline of changes Article III, Section 5 - Officer Succession 1. In case of the permanent absence of the Grand High Priest, Grand King, Grand Scribe, or Grand Captain of the Host, the elective officer next in rank shall replace his superior. In the event the Grand Captain of the Host progresses to the office of Grand Scribe, the Grand High Priest shall make a temporary appointment to fill the office of Grand Captain of the Host. In the absence of all the above listed officers, thesenior junior Past Grand High Priest present shall preside. Proposed Final Reading Article III, Section 5 - Officer Succession 1. In case of the permanent absence of the Grand High Priest, Grand King, Grand Scribe, or Grand Captain of the Host, the elective officer next in rank shall replace his superior. In the event the Grand Captain of the Host progresses to the office of Grand Scribe, the Grand High Priest shall make a temporary appointment to fill the office of Grand Captain of the Host. In the absence of all the above listed officers, the junior Past Grand High Priest present shall preside. 20

21 Change Article VI, Section 1 - To change the Finance committee from elected to appointed by the GHP We haven t had an election for this committee in several years, time to get things as we actually do them. Current Reading Article VI, Section 1 - Standing Committees 1. The Finance Committee shall consist of at least three members, who shall be elected at each Annual Convocation. 2. The Grand High Priest immediately after his installation shall appoint the following Standing Committees: Credentials; Correspondence; Jurisprudence; Unfinished Business Redline of changes Article VI, Section 1 - Standing Committees 1. The Finance Committee shall consist of at least three members, who shall be elected at each Annual Convocation. 21. The Grand High Priest immediately after his installation shall appoint the following Standing Committees: Credentials; Correspondence; Finance; Jurisprudence; Unfinished Business Proposed Final Reading Article VI, Section 1 - Standing Committees 1. The Grand High Priest immediately after his installation shall appoint the following Standing Committees: Credentials; Correspondence; Finance; Jurisprudence; Unfinished Business Change Article XVI, Section 2 - To soften the language around General Grand bodies fees Essential changes the language from shall to may. Moves us away from being obligated to collect this fee to just being allowed to collect it. Current Reading Article XVI, Section 2 - Payment 1. Each Chapter in this jurisdiction shall pay annually to the Grand Secretary, on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of April, the following: A. Three dollars ($3.00) for each candidate exalted in that Chapter during the year ending March 31st. 21

22 B. A sum to be set in the Annual budget by the Finance Committee and approved at the annual Business Meeting by each member of that Chapter, which shall include all General Grand Chapter International fees and assessments. C. Each Special Assessment approved by this Grand Chapter. Redline of changes Article XVI, Section 2 - Payment 1. Each Chapter in this jurisdiction shall pay annually to the Grand Secretary, on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of April, the following: A. Three dollars ($3.00) for each candidate exalted in that Chapter during the year ending March 31st. B. A sum to be set in the Annual budget by the Finance Committee and approved at the annual Business Meeting by each member of that Chapter, which shallmay include all General Grand Chapter International fees and assessments. C. Each Special Assessment approved by this Grand Chapter. Proposed Final Reading Article XVI, Section 2 - Payment 1. Each Chapter in this jurisdiction shall pay annually to the Grand Secretary, on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of April, the following: A. Three dollars ($3.00) for each candidate exalted in that Chapter during the year ending March 31st. B. A sum to be set in the Annual budget by the Finance Committee and approved at the annual Business Meeting by each member of that Chapter, which may include all General Grand Chapter International fees and assessments. C. Each Special Assessment approved by this Grand Chapter. All proposed changes to the Grand Regulations were adopted at this meeting. 22

23 REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE To the Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Grand Officers and Companions of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire: Your Finance Committee met with our Grand Treasurer, R.E. Companion Verne S. Anderson, on April 5, 2016 for the purpose of auditing the Grand Chapter financial records for the past fiscal year. Once again your Committee found the financial records in excellent condition and commends the Grand Treasurer for his excellent work. Your Finance Committee has also prepared a recommended budget for the year , which is hereby presented for acceptance. The Finance Committee recommends an increase to the per capita of $1.00, making the Grand Chapter Per Capita $9.00. This increase is to defray the $92 loss budgeted last year, plus the following items: Northeast Regional Conference Last year s budget had income of $1, from the Permanent Fund for the Emerging Leaders Program. That income is not in the budget. However, there is still $1,000 in the budget for sending officers to the conference. Miscellaneous Expenses The budget had a significant cut in this line item which is increased to $150. Donation for Building Use Last year s budget set aside $50 for the Business Session of the Annual Convocation. An additional $75 is budgeted for the use of the Masonic Temple for two days for the Second Session of the Annual Convocation. The budget also has the following expense cuts: Grand Convocation $300 reduction (from $1,500 to $1,200) after last year s increase of $500. York Rite Information System Last year s budget was for adding Grand Chapter s member records to the database. This year, $50 is budgeted for ongoing maintenance of the system, resulting is a $400 reduction in the line item. We thank the Grand Chapter for the opportunity to serve as the Finance Committee. Respectfully submitted: ROBERT M. PORTER, Chairman Robert L. Sutherland, Jr., PGHP Rodney A. Robinson 23

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25 Report of the Grand Lecturer To: The Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Grand Chapter Officers and Companions of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire. The Most Excellent Grand High Priest and the Most Illustrious Grand Master had a discussion that changed the way we would be doing the Annual Visitations. They would be a joint Visitation by a Visiting Officer and would be rotated with either Chapter or Council and the one that did not open would schedule a Degree with the Lecturer for his Inspection. With the mantra of Do the Work, hopefully from memory and if not, read it, but read it well with understanding and feeling. From what I have seen I do believe we are off to a good start. This is my first year as Lecturer and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of work done by the Chapters this year. There seems to be an air of excitement in the Rite across the bodies and not as much dread when it comes to the Annual Inspection of the Ritual Work. At this years round of Official Visitations we observed six Chapters doing the opening and four doing the degree work for inspections. For the openings the work was done well with most Chapters doing the work from memory and those that had to read the work read it well and with feeling. There were several words added that did not change the meaning and/or enhanced what was said, but as a reminder we must try to do the Ritual as written to the best of our abilities. I also want to applaud the Officers who took the time to check the work to see what words they missed or parts left out. The floor work for the most part was done well and much of the confusion came as we try to implement the bow during the opening around the altar so that all members can participate. I would hope that some of the younger Officers, over time, would try to have the 12 around the altar during the opening so that does not become a lost art. Let s keep all our members involved. Again, I applaud our Most Excellent Grand High Priest for the recommendation that when we do the sign in the opening of the Royal Arch we do all the signs. That way, over time, they will be remembered by all. As a reminder to the Officers, when we are doing degree work, take the time to walk the Candidates through the signs that he or they will need that evening for the degree. That evening it is all about them, our Candidates, not the inspecting or visiting Officers. That applies to our Courtesy Candidates as well, for how we rehearse, will be how we perform. We need to get it right each time we do the work for our Candidates as well as our members and Officers. A reminder for all, especially those of us still holding Office in the Blue Lodge, try not to let the Masonic Ritual flow into the York Rite Ritual. We are not addressed as Gentlemen or Brethren but rather Companions. When you know that you are having a Visiting Officer attending know his correct title and how to address him as it is all part of the Courtesy that we afford Visitors especially our Grand Officers. For the evening of the Inspection or Official Visitation please have an Officers list so the players are known to the Visiting Officers and the Lecturer, especially when they make comments, as it is a lot nicer to mention them by name when praising the work of the evening rather than just by Office. 25

26 Another reminder that when you open in a Royal Arch degree and you are going to do degree work make sure you take time to change over the Bible for the correct degree and double check if you have the correct sign for the Degree being given. These are just a few of the common issues that came up the Chapters this year. On the whole in New Hampshire we are doing good Ritual Work and we need to strive for the best we can do and aim for Ritual Excellent knowing that most of us will not reach it but you have to have a goal always to strive for. So I applauded all the Chapters for their work, courtesies extended and the willingness to try different things to make the Initiatic Experience the best we can for each Candidate we work. I would also like to thank the Deputy Grand Lecturer for covering for me at Hiram Chapter in Suncook for their Inspection while I was attending my Blue Lodge and his report is attached. I would also especially like to thank the Grand Officers who traveled to support or Most Excellent Grand High Priest and his Visiting Officers at the different Chapters and most especially the support given to those Chapter and volunteering to take parts when necessary! I would like to thank the Most Excellent Grand High Priest for the opportunity to serve as the Grand Lecturer this year; it has been a most interesting and rewarding position to serve our Grand Chapter. Fraternally, Paul M. Leary, Grand Lecturer Report from E. David S. Collins, Grand Royal Arch Captain Acting as Deputy Grand Lecturer Grand Royal Arch Chapter of NH RE: Inspection Report for Hiram Chapter # 24, Suncook, NH Dear Right Excellent, It was my pleasure to fill in for you as the Inspecting Officer at Hiram Chapter #24 s inspection last night November 9, The following is my report. The Chapter performed the Mark Master Mason Degree on (6) new Brothers from various Chapters around Southern NH. The majority of the degree work was performed by 26

27 officers/members from Hiram Chapter with assistance from several Grand Chapter Officers. The Degree work was done extremely well with all officers being well prepared for their parts and the Candidates seeing an exemplary Degree. As a note - Most Excellent Grand High Priest Scott Ayen did an excellent job on the Master s part. I complimented the Chapter on the Degree work and how well they coordinated the filling of the vacant positions so that the Candidates saw nothing but a smooth, well-presented Degree. Hiram Chapter showed that they continue to focus on quality in their Degree Work. Fraternally, David S. Collins E. Grand Royal Arch Captain. Grand Chapter/Council Membership Committee Report To the Companions of New Hampshire: This report is a reiteration of that presented by the Membership Committee of the Grand Commandery. As we have been working as a Joint Committee across all three grand bodies for a few years now, it only makes sense that the content be the same across all three bodies as well. While the final tally of our membership for this year is not known in its entirety at this moment, it is likely that our numbers are essentially similar to those of the previous year. This supposition is made by the fact that while we have had losses, we have had many new members come in and our budget projections are based on a minor loss in membership. But who cares? The point of this membership committee over the past several years has been to try and assist the local bodies in their work FOR the membership; this committee does NOT exist to recruit, although that is a natural evolution of its activities. That may seem a bold statement to make, however it is a statement of fact. In the proposed budget, this committee is being given some funds with the hope that it will utilize those funds for membership purposes. Whether this means buying materials, visual aids, etc., the goal is to increase the opportunity for this committee to extend further than it has recently. Our vision is not to stand at the entryway of each lodge, petition in hand; rather, it is to enable our local bodies in utilizing the membership programs and ideas they want to devise in order to increase, enthrall or entice. How can this committee help? First, in terms of offering programming. By presenting programs that led to fulfilling conversations. This committee stands ready to assist in those endeavors in local bodies across the state. Two years ago, the then Chair, ME Grand High Priest Scott M. Ayen, wrote in his report 27

28 that programming should take place at every meeting. Whether that means analyzing ritual, dissecting it, and then discussing its many symbols, ideas, etc., our meetings will become more engaged. Second, as ME Companion Ayen pointed out again two years ago, planning. This committee, and indeed all the Grand Body officers, stand ready to assist the local bodies in planning out programs, open houses, or other events that may benefit in the realms of membership. This committee should be utilized as a tool to assist the local bodies in their goals. All this being said, with the addition of a (frugal, yet meaningful) monetary line for this committee in the ensuing year, perhaps the three grand bodies will put together an extensive and joint plan to assist in the development and long term implementation of a solid membership plan. Ideas for this could include a new member packet, designed by us; a mentor program that we devise to coincide with the various York Rite degrees and orders; or perhaps simply purchasing books and having an active presence at Grand Lodge events (to include Lodges of Instruction held throughout the state). As heretofore discussed, this committee stands ready to assist and willing to move the cause of the York Rite forward. Paul C. Smith Andy M. Lord Scott M. Ayen, MEGHP, Chairman REPORT OF THE GRAND SECRETARY To the ME Grand High Priest, Grand Officers and Royal Arch Companions of NH: I hereby submit my report as Grand Secretary for the year The Proceedings for 2015 are completed and have been placed on the web site. I have ed our sister Jurisdictions notification of the same, as well as the General Grand Chapter Office. Bills for the Proceedings including materials, duplication and postage, as well as copying and postage for Annual Convocation notices, have been submitted to the Grand Treasurer. We are going to continue ask all Grand Officers to again sign for materials supplied to them from the Grand Chapter. We are still progressing on getting our Chapters into YRIS and hope for positive results soon. Thank you, ME Sir, for allowing me to serve you and your Grand Chapter. Respectfully submitted, Dennis A. Sheridan, PGHP, Grand Secretary 28

29 REPORT OF FRATERNAL CORRESPONDENCE To the Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Grand Officers and members of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons for the State of New Hampshire: Your Grand Secretary reports that all Fraternal Correspondence has been received through this Office and has been acted upon, with the expressed knowledge and approval of the Most Excellent Grand High Priest. Correspondence was generally in the form of approving and recommending Grand Representative Appointments. Respectfully submitted, Dennis A. Sheridan MEPGHP, Grand Secretary Report of the Committee of Publicity and Public Relations To the Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Grand Officers and Companions of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the State of New Hampshire: The Publicity Committee reports that New Hampshire York Rite is still progressing well with Chapter Degree Work being performed around the State in active fashion. We are now using the web site at currently posting events on that page and info on our York Rite Bodies Trestleboards page. We still make use of the calendar to keep track of degree work and meetings. We strongly encourage all York Rite Bodies to submit their notices to the Grand Secretary s Office by so they may be included and their degree dates, etc. added to the calendar. Also please remember to inform the Grand Secretary when changing or cancelling events so that the calendar can be updated to reflect the change. Our Facebook page is very active and attracts interested masons to inquire about the York Rite. Most Excellent Grand High Priest, it is a pleasure to serve on this Committee for the Grand Chapter. Fraternally, Paul C. Smith, PHP Scott M. Ayen, GHP Dennis A. Sheridan, PGHP Chairman 29

30 REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE RARA COMMITTEE To: Scott M. Ayen, Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Officers, and Companions of the Grand Chapter of New Hampshire The following is a report on the RARA/Charitable Endeavors Committee Donations received are as follows: Earl W. Cole, Jr. $5.00 Harold M. Chase, Jr. $25.00 Howard L. Lyman $1.00 John W. Dunklee $5.00 Robert G. Hatfield $1.00 Roger L. Baker, Jr. $5.00 Temple Chapter #20 $ Respectfully submitted, Earl W. Cole, Jr., Chairman 30

31 REPORT OF THE GRAND TREASURER 31

32 REPORT OF THE MASONIC YOUTH COMMITTEE To Most Excellent Grand High Priest Most Excellent: It is an honor to bring you this report on the state of the Masonic youth for the State of New Hampshire. The status of our youth groups in the State is much like that of the Craft in general is greatly impacted by its membership numbers. They, however, are faced with the additional challenges to their membership in that their members are not members for life, dependent of course on maintaining good status. Their membership ends at the age of 21. This presents two unique challenges to Rainbow and DeMolay. First, that just as their most experienced members reach the point of being most comfortable with both the ritual and the particular administrative aspects of their respective organizations they are no longer members. This particular trait is amplified by the greater impact of members who are 18 and have graduated moving out of state to attend college, military careers along with those who are entering the workforce for the first time and are faced with the demands of their work schedules. Second, when as these older and more experienced members majority out or see their involvement disrupted as the accepted the challenges and adventures of young adulthood; they cede the care of their organizations to the young members and their adult advisors. A third unique challenge face DeMolay and Rainbow that unique to youth organizations. That is their organization both at the state and local chapter and assembly cannot function without adult advisors. The impact of these challenges is most obvious in DeMolay. Currently there are seven chapters in the state located in Rochester, Derry, Manchester, Milford, Concord, Keene and Cornish. Of these Concord has not meet in a meaningful way in nearly two years. Concord largest issue is a want of adult advisors. Without which no meetings can be held. If adults can be found to commit to be advisors for the long term then a program will need to be put in place to attract and retain young men as members. Rochester s membership has dipped to a level that could jeopardize its charter. Rochester s situation from my point of view is related to need for more adult advisors and a program to attract and retain young men as members. The chapters in Milford and Keene have recently seen an influx of younger members. They are in the situation where they lack older members to help mentor them. In both these case the adult advisors are doing yeoman s work to train these young men up correctly. Both Milford and Keen can use more adult help. Cornish, has seen in the last year has experience for the first time in its existence the impact the majority of its members graduate high school and move into their working 32

33 and collegiate careers and just plain majority out. They, for the first time, are in the situation of trying to figure out to attract new and younger members to maintain the membership level required to retain their charter. While they have a strong core of advisors, more are always needed to ease the stress of busy personal and Masonic commitments. The two newest chapters Derry and Manchester are progressing nicely. Their advisory boards are trained and are working apace on reaching the membership levels required to receive their permanent charters. Rainbow while facing these same challenges seems to be in a slightly different situation. They are in the situation where their older members are about to leave for college and working life and many will be reaching their majority, creating a deficit of experienced member. Yet, New Hampshire Rainbow is currently sixth in the world for new members. The challenge is then having the local chapter be able to function without those older members who know the ritual and the administrative function. I think all would agree that this is more desirable position to be in. What then is my recommendation or conclusion when it come our Masonic Youth? I would recommend that if Grand Chapter chooses to make a donation to the youth organization that it be with intent of supporting or starting those new membership efforts for both organizations. And whenever possible to encourage all the companions in the State to be personally active in their nearest Respectfully Submitted DeMolay chapter (the really need the help) or Rainbow Assembly. Andy Lord, REGK, Chairman 33

34 2016 GRAND CHAPTER CREDENTIAL COMMITTEE REPORT-BUSINESS CONVOCATION Your Committee on Credentials reports the following as those members present at this Annual Business Convocation of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire: 16 GRAND OFFICERS 8 MOST EXCELLENT PAST GRAND HIGH PRIESTS 5 CONSTITUENT HIGH PRIESTS 6 CONSTITUENT KINGS 4 CONSTITUENT SCRIBES 18 CONSTITUENT PAST HIGH PRIESTS We thank you for allowing us to perform this duty on behalf of our Grand Chapter, and we move that this report be accepted as read GRAND CHAPTER CREDENTIAL COMMITTEE Committee Members (Sign) Chairman Robert M. Porter Members J. David Meader 34

35 ORDER OF HIGH PRIESTHOOD Alderfer, R. Bradley (11) Anderson, Verne S. Jr. (03) Ayen, Scott M. (04) Bailey Jr., Raymond E. (08) Bennett, Lewis W. (09) Bissell, Alvin C. (03) Bower, Howard L. (20) Buehrer, Gerald F. (03) Chapman, George B. (25) Chase Jr., Harold M. (04) Clark, John B. (11) Cole Jr., Richard F. (15) Coidakis, Demetrios G. (09) Covey, Melvin L. (07) Curtis, William F. (15) Douillette, Roger A. (24) Durgin, Charles B. (13) Gasner Jr., Ralph E. (17) Geas, John S. (11) Gooch, Roland E. (13) Gordon, Glen R. (03) Hartman, Jack D. (03) Hatfield, Robert G. (02) Heath, Larry G. (15) Hutchinson, Herbert H. (17) Induisi, Anthony M. (08) MEMBERS 2015 (as of April 16, 2016) (70) McNally, John M. (11) Meader, Dwight V. (20) Metcalf, Ronald E. (03) Morris, Marshall S. (03) Morrison Jr., Roderick (11) Morrison, William J. (17) Papadimatos, George (16) Patoine, Troy A. (02) Pike, Gary A. (20) Provencher, Norris L. (18) Robertson Sr., Douglas L. (13) Robinson, Alan M. (03) Robinson, Rodney A. (03) Sawyer, Nathaniel H. (15) Senter, John G. (09) Sheehan, John R. (24) Sheridan, Dennis A. (16) Smith, Paul C. (11) Sousa, Leonard S. (11) Spence, James S. (20) Steel, Robert D. (16) Stevens, Donald L. (03) Sutherland Jr., Robert L. (03) Sword, Walter P. (24) Thompson, Timothy H. (24) Tillotson, Aldine J. (16) Tsirimokos, Thomas X. (11) Jackson, Andrew (11) LaBerge, Thomas G. (03) Lewis, David E. (16) Lewis Jr., Charles J. (16) Lord, Andy M. (04) Marion, Joseph J. (03) 35 Welch, Frederick J. (13) White, Philip H. (04) Whitney, Stephen A. (16) Willey Jr., Richard M. (25) Wood, Armand F. (26) Wood, H. Stephen (20) Woolf, John P. (24)

36 NEW HAMPSHIRE COUNCIL ORDER OF HIGH PRIESTHOOD The 189th Convocation of the Order of High Priesthood was held at Pembroke, NH on Saturday, Sept. 28, The Assembly was opened by the Excellent President, John S. Geas at 2:00 P.M. The officers present were: Ex. Pres. Ex. V. Pres. Chaplain Secretary Treasurer M of C Conductor Herald Guard John S. Geas H. Stephen Wood R. Bradley Alderfer Dennis A. Sheridan Verne S. Anderson, Jr. Scott M. Ayen Absent Andy M. Lord, pro tem Vacant Member present was Walter P. Sword, Sr. The Secretary read the minutes of the April 20, 2013 meeting and they were accepted. The Ex. President then opened the Annual Meeting. The Secretary and Treasurer s Reports were accepted as read. New degree Team consists of: Ex. Pres. Ex. V. Pres. Chaplain Secretary Treasurer Conductor Herald Guard Dennis A. Sheridan R. Bradley Alderfer H. Stephen Wood John S. Geas Verne S. Anderson, Jr. Scott M. Ayen Andy M. Lord Paul C. Smith The next meeting date will be determined and information supplied to the members. Ex. President Geas proceeded to close at 3:00 P.M. True and attest, Dennis A. Sheridan, Secretary 36

37 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE The One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Convocation of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the State of New Hampshire was held in Portsmouth, NH on Saturday May 14, 2016 A.D. at 8:30 a.m. The Grand Chapter was opened in due form by Most Excellent Companion Scott M. Ayen with the following Grand Officers present: PRESENT Scott M. Ayen, Grand High Priest Andy M. Lord, Grand King David R. Walters, Grand Scribe Verne S. Anderson, Grand Treasurer Robert M. Porter, Grand Secretary, pro tem Robert L. Sutherland, Jr., Deputy Grand Secretary C. Jarvis Lewis, Jr., Grand Chaplain Paul M. Leary, Grand Chaplain Paul M. Leary, Grand Lecturer Paul C. Smith, Grand Captain of the Host Patrick J. O Sullivan, Grand Principle Sojourner David S. Collins, Grand Royal Arch Captain, Excused Earl W. Cole, Jr., Grand Master of the Third Veil Kaleb R. Brown, Grand Master of the Second Veil Jeremy W. Allin, Grand Master of the First Veil Jackson E. Marston, Grand Sentinel, Excused MOST EXCELLENT PAST GRAND HIGH PRIESTS James S. Spence* Robert L. Sutherland, Jr. William J. Morrison* Douglas L. Robertson, Sr.* Richard F. Cole, Jr. John S. Geas* Ronald E. Metcalf William F. Curtis* H. Stephen Wood Roger A. Douillette, Sr. Herbert H. Hutchinson* Melvin L. Covey* Norris L. Provencher* Dennis A. Sheridan* R. Bradley Alderfer Nathaniel H. Sawyer* Robert D. Steel* *Absent 37

38 2015 GRAND OFFICERS GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF NH NAME OFFICE ME Scott M. Ayen...ME Grand High Priest RE. Andy M. Lord...RE Grand King RE David R. Walters...RE Grand Scribe RE Verne S. Anderson, Jr....RE Grand Treasurer Ex. RE Rodney A. Robinson...RE Asst. Grand Treasurer ME Dennis A. Sheridan, PGHP...RE Grand Secretary Ex. ME Robert L. Sutherland, Jr, PGHP...RE Asst. Grand Secretary RE Paul C. Smith...RE Grand Captain of the Host RE Paul M. Leary...RE Grand Chaplain RE C. Jarvis Lewis, Jr....RE Grand Chaplain RE Paul M. Leary...RE Grand Lecturer E Patrick J. O Sullivan...E Grand Principle Sojourner E David S. Collins...E Grand Royal Arch Capt. Ex. E Earl W. Cole, Jr....E Grand Master 3rd Veil E Kaleb R. Brown...E Grand Master 2nd Veil E. Jeremy W. Allin...E Grand Master 1st Veil E Rodney A. Robinson...E Grand Organist Ex. ME John B. Clark, MEHPGHP...E Grand Organist Ex. E. Jackson E. Marston...E Grand Sentinel Ex. M.E. Honorary Past Grand High Priests Ralph E. Gasner, Jr Ex. John B. Clark Ex. Dwight V. Meader.2015 Ex. R.E. Honorary Past Grand Scribe Andrew Jackson Ex. 38

39 PAST HIGH PRIESTS OF CHAPTERS Andy M. Lord TRINITY NO. 2, CONCORD Robert G. Hatfield Scott M. Ayen WASHINGTON NO. 3, PORTSMOUTH Verne S. Anderson, Jr. Glen R. Gordon Robert L. Sutherland, Jr. Craig Brown Kaleb R. Brown Richard F. Cole, Jr. Ronald E. Metcalf MERIDIAN SUN NO. 9, NASHUA Robert M. Porter MOUNT HOREB NO. 11, MANCHESTER Thomas X. Tsirimokos Paul C. Smith R. Bradley Alderfer David R. Walters Patrick J. O Sullivan NORTH STAR NO. 16, LANCASTER Paul M. Leary Charles J. Lewis, Jr. KING SOLOMON NO. 17, MILFORD Richard Welch TEMPLE NO. 20, ROCHESTER H. Stephen Wood Daniel P. Gilbert HIRAM No. 24, SUNCOOK John R. Sheehan, Jr. Roger A. Douillette, Sr. 39

40 REPRESENTATIVES OF CHAPTERS TRINITY NO. 2 Earl W. Cole, Jr...HP Andy M. Lord...King (Proxy) Scott M. Ayen...Scribe (Proxy) WASHINGTON NO. 3 Kaleb R. Brown...HP Glen R. Gordon...King (Proxy) Richard F. Cole, Jr....Scribe (Proxy) MERIDIAN SUN NO. 9 Robert M. Porter...HP Benjamin J. Langlois...King (Proxy)...Scribe MOUNT HOREB NO. 11 Thomas X. Tsirimokos...HP Arthur W. Stauff...King Benjamin T. Heroux...Scribe NORTH STAR NO. 16 Paul M. Leary...HP Jeremy W. Allin...King C. Jarvis Lewis, Jr....Scribe (Proxy) KING SOLOMON NO. 17 Richard A. Welch...HP...King...Scribe TEMPLE NO. 20 Daniel P. Gilbert...HP H. Stephen Wood...King (Proxy)...Scribe HIRAM NO. 24 John R. Sheehan, Jr....HP Roger A. Douillette, Sr....King (Proxy)...Scribe 40

41 VISITORS The Grand Secretary moved that all Royal Arch Masons in good standing, in the City of Concord, be admitted as visitors to this Convocation. Adopted. ROLL CALL It was moved and seconded to omit the Roll Call of Chapters as there was a constitutional number present. Adopted. RECORDS It was moved and seconded that the reading of the Records of the last Annual Convocation be omitted, having been copied to CD ROMs and distributed, and they be accepted as presented. Adopted. REGRETS Regrets were received from M.E. Companion Donald R. MacKay from Nova Scotia. 41

42 2016 GRAND CHAPTER CREDENTIAL COMMITTEE REPORT-ANNUAL CONVOCATION Your Committee on Credentials reports the following as those members present at this Annual Business Convocation of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire: 13 GRAND OFFICERS 7 MOST EXCELLENT PAST GRAND HIGH PRIESTS 7 CONSTITUENT HIGH PRIESTS 6 CONSTITUENT KINGS 5 CONSTITUENT SCRIBES 24 CONSTITUENT PAST HIGH PRIESTS We thank you for allowing us to perform this duty on behalf of our Grand Chapter, and we move that this report be accepted as read GRAND CHAPTER CREDENTIAL COMMITTEE Committee Members (Sign) Chairman Kaleb R. Brown Members Benjamin J. Langlois 42

43 RECEPTION OF THE DISTINGUISHED GUESTS The Most Excellent Grand High Priest, the Most Illustrious Grand Master received the following: RHODE ISLAND Comp. Russell J. Lorenson...Most Excellent Grand High Priest Comp. Philip Crawford..Right Excellent Grand King Comp. David Jarrnaielli..Most Excellent Past Grand High Priest Comp. Stephen A. Rubinstein...Right Illustrious Grand Steward NEW YORK Comp. Bruce Testut...Right Excellent Grand King Comp. Larry N. Barnard...Excellent Past Grand Master of the 1 st Veil CONNECTICUT Comp. Richard A. Eppler... Most Excellent Grand High Priest Comp. Charles O Neill... Most Past Excellent Grand High Priest Comp. Michael E. Seamon... Most Puissant Grand Master Comp. Clyde Kayser, II... RI Grand Principle Conductor of the Work VERMONT Comp. Jonathan P. Park...Most Excellent Grand High Priest Comp. Kirk C. White...Most Illustrious Grand Master MAINE Comp. Bruce W. Clark...Most Excellent Grand High Priest Comp. Ernest A. Lowell...Most Excellent Past Grand High Priest Comp. Daniel T. Crowley...Most Illustrious Grand Master PENNSYLVANIA Comp. Charles M. Bombich... Right Puissant Deputy Grand Master NEW JERSEY Comp. John D. Barnes.... Most Excellent Past Grand High Priest Most Illustrious Past Grand Master 43

44 GENERAL GRAND CHAPTER & GENERAL GRAND COUNCIL Comp. Steven Tiner...ME General Grand Scribe General Grand Chapter R.A.M. Int. Comp. Gene Fricks...NE Deputy General Grand High Priest General Grand Chapter R.A.M. Int. Comp. Steven A. Rubenstein..Associate General Grand Chaplain General Grand Chapter R.A.M. Int. Comp. Brad C. Buckley..Ambassador for Rhode Island General Grand Chapter R.A.M. Int. Comp. David A. Grindle.RP General Grand Recorder General Grand Council Cryptic Masons, Int. Comp. Charles A. McCollum...NE Assistant Deputy Grand Master General Grand Council Cryptic Masons, Int. GRAND LODGE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Comp. John F. Gordon...Most Worshipful Grand Master Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of New Hampshire RECOGNITION OF THE PAST GRAND HIGH PRIESTS Seven other Past Grand High Priests were recognized and welcoming by the Most Excellent Grand High Priest, who thanked them for their assistance in the years past. GRAND REPRESENTATIVES RECOGNIZED All Grand Representatives were recognized with congratulatory remarks from the Most Excellent Grand High Priest. SPEAKER FOR THE DISTINGUISHED GUESTS Most Excellent Grand High Priest Richard A. Eppler from Connecticut addressed the Companions and thanked the Grand High Priest for the courtesies extended to him and his fellow Visiting Grand Officers. 44

45 ADDRESS OF THE MOST EXCELLENT GRAND HIGH PRIEST GRAND CHAPTER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE From: Scott M. Ayen M.E. Grand High Priest To the Officers and Companions of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire, I would like to start out by thanking you all for coming today! I would like to thank all of the Most Excellent Grand High Priests from our sister jurisdictions who travelled to be here with us today. Also, I want to welcome to our representatives from the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons International, Right Excellent Deputy General Grand High Priest for the Northeast, Companion Gene Fricks and Right Excellent General Grand Scribe, Companion Steven Tiner. Thank you both for coming! And finally to our Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New Hampshire, Brother and Companion John F. Gordon, welcome and thank you for attending today! We have had a remarkable year! I would state how humbled and thankful I am for trust reposed in me this year and next with the helm of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire. It truly is an honor and privilege to serve. I would also like to thank the great supporting cast we had all year, your grand officers. They performed very admirably and assisted greatly in the planning, establishment of the mission and strategy set forth by this Grand Chapter. The trend and expectation we are setting across the whole of the York Rite in New Hampshire is that of Unity. We have had unity of message, unity of efforts and unity of spirit. It is indeed like the scripture says, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! Thank you to every companion for your diligent work in the quarry this year, your efforts have not gone unnoticed. I would also like give a special thank you to my partners in crime this year, our Most Illustrious Grand Master Companion H. Stephen Wood and our Right Eminent Grand Commander, Sir Knight Paul M. Leary. We truly did work well as a team and because of that teamwork the groundwork and foundation has been laid to allow us to rebuild our Rite on the strongest of foundations possible. Core Message From day one the message has been, DO THE WORK. Every chapter in the state stepped up to the plate and took this simple phrase to heart. As we travelled around the state we saw vast improvements in the ritualistic work. We need to continue this philosophy into the future. It is vitally important to our future that we continue to do the work and improve upon it every time we do it. It is nice to see chapter meetings where we are actually opening the chapter rather than declaring them open, doing business and going home! Attendance appears to be growing as well. Like the quote from A Field of Dreams, if you build it they will come. It is evermore evident that meetings with substance and advancement for the members will encourage these companions to attend. 45

46 Joint Visitations & Convocation of Instruction This year we saw several new and exciting things happening throughout Royal Arch Masonry and in the York Rite in general. The introduction of Joint Chapter and Council visitations was well received, from every account I heard. The joint visitations allowed for the officers of the local bodies to focus on one night and only one set of ritual. Most excelled at this format and it allow them to conduct a degree on another night to keep the spirit of do the work alive without adding another night to the calendar. I am looking forward to year number two of joint visitations throughout the state. It is great to see every chapter making the effort to do the work and improve on it each time out. For the first time in several years we conducted a Convocation of Instruction in Concord. The program consisted of performing a full form opening of a chapter, the introduction of some minor changes to ritual for opening and how best to manage with varying amounts of companions present. The general feedback was to continue this practice and next year we are planning on doing the Mark Master Mason degree as the program and discussion. Town Hall Meetings Together with the MI Grand Master and RE Grand Commander we held a series of town hall discussions this year and put forth a document with our finding on the State of the Rite at the business meeting. Those discussions made it very clear to us that communication was and is the biggest area of concern. We will be doing many things this year to help correct our communication woes. It is clear that communication between the local and grand body level needs to be more efficient and become a two way street. By working together and communicating we can get more active participation from around the state and at the same time have a more fulfilled membership experience. We are planning to have yet another round of town hall meetings this year to keep the conversation going and keep everyone advised on direction of the grand bodies as well as receive feedback from the local level on your success and challenges. Dispensations and Decisions Over the course of this year I issued only one dispensation. The dispensation was granted to allow a couple candidates to be obligated in the Mark Master Mason degree to join the class that was already in progress. This practice must become a VERY rare exception to the rule. With proper planning this type of dispensation would not be necessary. I am happy to report that each of the candidates who were obligated for this degree did catch up and take the degree in full form at a later point in the year. Proper planning prevents poor performance. These are the 5 P s to success and I thank everyone for stepping up and making this year a success on that front. I received only one request for a bylaws change this year. I was forced to reject those changes because they were not in a proper format and clearly had typographical errors in them. To those chapters wishing to make by-laws changes and get them approved in a timely manner, you need to get them to us prior to March 1 st. The 46

47 reason for this is, if any revisions are required they can be made and approved prior to being finally approval at the Annual Business session in April. External Representation In representing your Grand Chapter the first duty I was honored with was attending the Grand Master s Banquet and the Grand Lodge Annual Communication on your behalf. Throughout the year I represented your Grand Chapter at the Annual Convocations of Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. Due to business trips I was unable to attend convocations in Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island and Vermont. New Jersey this year was at the same time as New York and Ontario and Quebec were both on the same days as our Annual Business meeting. Hopefully this year I will be able to complete the circuit of visitations to other states as your Grand High Priest. It is nice to travel outside of the state and see how others perform capitular masonry in their jurisdictions. During my travels I also had the pleasure of attending two Royal Arch meetings in London, England. I was afforded a place of honor and enjoyed the events and hospitality afforded me. I highly recommend a visit if ever you get the chance. In June I had the privilege of representing you at the New Hampshire Council of Deliberation for the Scottish Rite. I was introduced at various York Rite invitational bodies as your representative. And in December, I attended the Annual Christmas Observance held by the Grand Commandery of NH in Tilton. Awards I had the honor and privilege of presenting several David A. Dean Quarry Awards this year throughout the state. This year s recipients were Daniel P. Bascom, Earl W. Cole, Jr, Jack R. Sheehan, Kaleb R. Brown, Richard A. Welch, and Daniel P. Gilbert. I want to thank each and every recipient for their above and beyond efforts in the quarries of Royal Arch Masonry. This year s recipient of the NH Distinguished Service Medal was instrumental in formulating a program which worked very well for recruiting and retaining new members in their chapter. Thank you and congratulations to Companion Dale Mills of Washington Chapter for allowing your chapter to be rejuvenated with new and engaged members because of your efforts. This year s recipient of the General Grand Chapter Distinguished Service Medal in Bronze was a Companion that has been a consummate advocate for Royal Arch Masonry at the Grand Lodge Level for many years. For these efforts, we owe him our thanks. Thank you Companion David Collins of North Star Chapter and congratulations! Observation and Recommendation #1 We came into the year with chapters that could barely open, to ending the year with many chapters regularly performing full form openings and engaging their membership in new ways. This past year we exalted 16 new companions and I can report that we have more than 20 working toward that goal within the next 2-3 months. It would be a great goal for us to double our number of exaltations from last year. We are well on our way to accomplishing that goal. Aim high companions! 47

48 We also need to work on engaging our more experienced members and start transferring that institutional knowledge they possess to the next generation. This year the Grand Architect recalled many of our past presiding officers and once active companions. We beseech the Grand Architect to look over their families and give them comfort. Engaging our new companions to learn even the smallest of parts in the ritual will allow us to become more flexible and provide coverage for all of the degrees. If you have some bandwidth, pick up your book and learn a small part or two. Maybe even tackle one of the larger parts, a history or lecture perhaps. Work together, break the large parts up and trade parts. We need to take the time to rehearse these degrees. Rehearsals allow the cast to become comfortable with their parts and this comfort is what builds confidence. Let s rebuild our bullpen and have coverage for all of the parts in all of degrees again across the state. Observation and Recommendation #2 Meaningful, educational programs are critical to our future success. Today s brethren are looking for more and if you need help in this area reach out to our Grand Chapter officers for assistance. As we continue to do the work, we also need to pay attention to our members. It is time to stop ignoring their wants and needs. We need to preserve the initiatic experience to the best of our abilities. We can do this by carefully thinking about and rehearsing how to provide the best experience possible for our new candidates. If we can keep our class sizes smaller it will help preserve this initiatic experience, this means potentially more work and definitely requires good planning. Using MEPGH Alderfer s mantra of Schedule the Work together with the simple concept of Do the Work we can continue to get stronger and eventually stem the tide of declining numbers while preserving the core of what Royal Arch Masonry is all about. I challenge each and every chapter to schedule a degree, communicate when it is and what you need for help to make it happen sooner rather than later! Observation and Recommendation #3 At this year s business meeting we voted to make the annual reporting year for membership to move back to a calendar year. This will allow for better planning and a more accurate accounting of our membership on an annual basis. This year we will get all of the chapters into the YRIS system. YRIS is a system that the Grand Encampment has been using for the last several years for membership tracking. They have recently opened it up to Royal Arch Chapters and we will be taking advantage of getting into this system. This will provide Secretaries and Recorders a one stop shop for maintaining membership data and hopefully a more accurate record of how we are doing on an ongoing basis. Another area we would like to investigate once we are fully on line with YRIS is the creation and issuance of a common statewide dues card. We feel this will not only save time for our local chapters and council secretaries and recorders but give us a unified look throughout the state. Observation and Recommendation #4 This coming year we are anticipating the creation of a new set of marketing materials for Royal Arch Masonry here in NH. The membership committee has been tasked to produce these materials and have them available for all to use by the fall. It will enable our local bodies to be more competitive in the recruitment of 48

49 potential new candidates. Gaining new active members should be the goal of our recruitment efforts. We need to continue to support our blue lodges by being active. We will also be working on the cleanup and creation of a new master ritual, so that each of the local bodies can have the resources needed to do the work. In summation, I think that this year was very fruitful for Capitular Masonry in New Hampshire. The future is bright and even though we lost numbers again this year, we gained in active participation. Our companions are starting to come out and participate. It truly is wonderful to see. I want to thank everyone again who assisted this year, there are too many to name so I won t in fear of leaving someone out. You all know who you are and I humbly from the bottom of my heart thank you for your support! I do want to paint a positive picture Royal Arch Masonry because things are moving in a positive direction. But, I also want to caution you that we need to continue to do the work on every front to maintain this progress. And, lastly to my family, I am sorry that was not around as much as I probably should have been. I love you more than you could know and thank you for your undying love and support. To Mom and Dad, thank you for providing me the most excellent foundation to build upon. To Jordan, thank you for being my dinner date this year and travelling with me when time permitted. And to Mona, just think only a few more years of this to go! Fervently Submitted, Scott M Ayen M.E. Grand High Priest Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire 49

50 REPORT OF THE JURISPRUDENCE COMMITTEE To Companion Scott M. Ayen, Most Excellent Grand High Priest, and the Companions of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire: Your Jurisprudence Committee has reviewed the report of the Grand High Priest for the Capitular year and thanks him for its timely submission. The report of the Grand High Priest should provide the most accurate record of the annual doings of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire for our posterity, and the Committee finds this report to be generally comprehensive. The Committee reviewed the level of activity shown by the Grand High Priest both within and without the State in consideration of work commitments, and is of the opinion that he represented this Grand Chapter well under the circumstances. Members of the Committee believe the Grand High Priest represented Capitular Masonry in activities with Masonic bodies other than the York and Scottish Rites, but none were reported. It is important to show involvement with other organizations in the New Hampshire Masonic family, especially DeMolay and Rainbow. Mutual support among all Masonic organizations in the state is an important element of success, and support and encouragement of our youth is a contribution to building a strong Masonic future. The Committee reviewed the decisions made and actions taken by the Grand High Priest, and finds them to be in proper order. We recognize his initiative to hold Convocations of Instruction, and believe this incentive can do nothing but improve the overall performance of our Grand Chapter over time. The Committee also concurs with those awards presented to Companions of this jurisdiction. We too frequently fail to recognize those who work silently solely for the benefit of others. I would like to divert slightly out of the Jurisprudence role for a moment and share an observation with you and this Grand Chapter. Over the past several years, York Rite in New Hampshire has been undergoing a much needed transformation. The process has been difficult and painful for some and not always without a degree of acrimony between proponents and opponents of change. You have frequently been the balancing influence on the proponent side, and that levelheadedness has been an invaluable asset to success. Your care for and devotion to the entire York Rite is both evident and appreciated. Most Excellent Sir, we congratulate you on a successful year and wish for you nothing but continued success. It has been a pleasure working with you during the past Capitular year, and we thank you for the privilege and opportunity of serving this Grand Chapter. Sincerely and Fraternally, Paul M. Leary, PHP R. Bradley Alderfer, PGHP Richard F. Cole, Jr., PGHP, Chairman 50

51 Exalted Affiliated Restored Demitted Died Suspend NPD Error REPORT OF THE GRAND SECRETARY I submit my membership roll report for the year of , Fraternally Dennis A. Sheridan, Grand Secretary Chapters 4/1/2015 members 4/1/2016 members Fees Exalted Dues Per Capita Total Dues Trinity No $12.00 $ $ Washington No $0.00 $ $ Cheshire/Webb No $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Meridian Sun No $600 $ $ Mt. Horeb No $12.00 $ $ North Star No $0.00 $ $ King Solomon No $3.00 $ $ Temple No $9.00 $ $ Hiram No $0.00 $ $ Totals $42.00 $6, $6,

52 CHAPTERS UNDER THE GRAND JURISDICTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE APRIL 1, 2016 No. Name - Location High Priest Secretary Stated Convocation 2 Trinity - Concord Earl W. Cole, Jr. Scott M. Ayen 3rd Tues. Mar., Apr., Sept. & Nov. 3 Washington - Portsmouth Kaleb R. Brown Craig R. Brown 2nd Tues. Mar., May, Sept. & Oct. 9 Meridian Sun - Nashua Robert M. Porter Stephen K. Bahsler 2nd Mon. Mar., June, Sept. & Dec. 11 Mount Horeb - Manchester Thomas X. Tsirimokos Martin Koechel 4th Wed. Sept., Oct., Mar. & May 16 North Star - Lancaster Paul M. Leary Dennis A. Sheridan 4th Tues. Mar., May, Sept., & Oct. 17 King Solomon - Milford Richard A. Welch Mark E. Langis 3rd Wed. except July & Aug. 20 Temple - Rochester Daniel P. Gilbert H. Stephen Wood 1st Tues. except July & Aug. 24 Hiram - Suncook John R. Sheehan, Jr. Eric Gregoire 2nd Mon. except Jan., Feb., June, July & Aug. 52

53 ELECTION OF OFFICERS The following slate of Officers for was presented for election. Most Excellent Grand High Priest...Scott M. Ayen, MEPGHP Right Excellent Grand King...Andy M. Lord Right Excellent Grand Scribe...Paul C. Smith Right Excellent Grand Treasurer...Verne S. Anderson Excellent Grand Assistant Treasurer...David R. Walters Right Excellent Grand Secretary...Dennis A. Sheridan, MEPGHP Excellent Grand Assistant Secretary...Robert M. Porter Right Excellent Grand Captain of the Host...Patrick J. O Sullivan A motion was made and seconded that nominations be closed. Afterwards the above slate of Officers was elected. APPOINTED OFFICERS RE Grand Chaplain...Paul M. Leary RE Grand Chaplain...C. Jarvis Lewis, Jr. RE Grand Lecturer...Paul M. Leary E. Grand Principle Sojourner...David S. Collins E. Grand Royal Arch Captain...Earl W. Cole, Jr. E. Grand Master of the Third Veil...Kaleb R. Brown E. Grand Master of the Second Veil...Jeremy W. Allin E. Grand Master of the First Veil...Jackson E. Marston E. Grand Organist...John B. Clark, MEHPGHP E. Grand Organist...Alan M. Robinson E. Grand Sentinel...Daniel P. Gilbert Greetings were received from ME Companion Gene Fricks, Deputy General Grand High Priest representing Steven Tiner, General Grand Scribe on behalf of the General Grand Chapter, and from Most Worshipful Senior Grand Master Brother John F. Gordon from the Grand Lodge of N.H. INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS Installing High Priest Robert L. Sutherland, Jr. Installing Chaplain Paul M. Leary Installing Marshal Paul M. Leary All of the Officers were declared Installed. 53

54 Chapter Committees Regular Committees Credentials: ROBERT M. PORTER, William F. Curtis, Thomas X. Tsirimokos, Benjamin T. Heroux Finance: ANDY M. LORD, David S.. Collins, Paul C. Smith Jurisprudence: RICHARD F. COLE, JR., Paul M. Leary, R. Bradley Alderfer Fraternal Correspondence: DENNIS A. SHERIDAN, Robert M. Porter Unfinished Business: DENNIS A. SHERIDAN, Robert M. Porter Special Committees Education and Membership: SCOTT M. AYEN, Andy M. Lord, Dale A. Mills, Patrick J. O Sullivan, Paul C. Smith Publicity and Public Relations: DENNIS A. SHERIDAN, Paul C. Smith, Scott M. Ayen RARA/Charitable Endeavors: Arthur W. Stauff 54

55 Other Committees Youth Organizations Andy M. Lord DeMolay Daniel R. Hotchkiss - Rainbow Thomas X. Tsirimokos Boy Scouts NH Council of York Rite Bodies SCOTT M. AYEN, Patrick J. O Sullivan Chapter Ritual Review SCOTT M. AYEN, R, Bradley Alderfer, Richard F. Cole, Jr., Paul M. Leary, Andy M. Lord, Dennis A. Sheridan, Paul C. Smith GRAND REGULATIONS REVIEW PAUL C. SMITH, Paul M. Leary, Andy M. Lord, Scott M. Ayen *-Chairman of the committee is listed in ALL CAPS CLOSING There being no further business to come before the Chapter, the One Hundred Ninety-sixth Convocation was recessed in ample form. A True Record Attest: Dennis A. Sheridan, Grand Secretary 55

56 GENERAL GRAND CHAPTER MEDAL PREVIOUSLY AWARDED *HERMAN CHRISTOPHER, MOUNT HOREB # *BENJAMIN F. PULSIFER, MERIDIAN SUN # *FRANCIS L. PLAISTED, EDWARDS # *KENDRICK P. BARRINGTON, BELL # *J. CLAIRE PEASLEE, PEMIGEWASSET # *PERCY E. ARMSTRONG, KING SOLOMON # *JOSEPH W. SINCLAIR, ST OMER # *JOHN F. THOMAS, MOUNT HOREB # *HENRY C. MOREAU, WASHINGTON # *ARTHUR J. STEVER, WEBB # *WILBUR S. DREW, ST ALBAN # *LAURENCE V. WILCOX, TABERNACLE # *LEON M. HUNTRESS, PEMIGEWASSET # *THURLOW A. ROWE, TRINITY # *ELI G. EMMERT, CARROLL # *DONALD COCHRANE, EDWARDS # *GEORGE BROWNING JR, HIRAM # *GEORGE W. N. STARRETT, SIGNET # *HARRY C. DOWNING JR, MERIDIAN SUN # HERBERT H. HUTCHINSON, KING SOLOMON # *EVERTT TASKER, TRINITY # *LEONARD D. ROWELL, MOUNT HOREB # *EDWIN L SWAW, UNION # *DAVID W. CLAY, PEMIGEWASSET # *CHARLES W. WEED, TEMPLE # *LEIGHTON A. DROWN, MERIDIAN SUN # *ERWIN A. CHASE, HIRAM # *STUART DAVIS, WEBB # JOHN B. CLARK, MOUNT HOREB #

57 *GEORGE W. BURNS, COLUMBIAN # *JOHN D. RANDALL, SIGNET # ALDINE J. TILLOTSON, NORTH STAR # *SCOTT E. ROGERS, UNION # *JOHN W. BAKER, NORTH STAR # *OLIVER H. AKERMAN, ST ALBAN # *THOMAS E. SAWYER, MERIDIAN SUN # *MYRON L. MESERVE, ST OMER/UNION # *WILLIAM H. GREENOUGH, HIRAM # *ARTHUR F. WALKER, BELKNAP # *HAROLD S. REMICK, KING SOLOMON # *C. LEON WILKINS, SIGNET # *RAYMOND T. ROBB, HIRAM # *RAYMOND D. HURLBUTT, NORTH STAR # CHARLES J. LEWIS JR, NORTH STAR # *SHIRLEY H. SHEPPARD, TRINITY # NOT PRESENTED 1997 DALTON P. ORDWAY, ST OMER/UNION # *ALAN J. POLLARD, MOUNT HOREB # *GEORGE A. ROLLINS, TRINITY # DAVID E. LEWIS, NORTH STAR # ROBERT D. STEEL, NORTH STAR # RALPH E. GASNER, KING SOLOMON # WILLIAM J. MORRISON, KING SOLOMON # RAYMOND E. BAILEY, JR., TEMPLE # ROLAND F. YOUNG, JR, MERIDIAN SUN # ANDREW JACKSON, MOUNT HOREB # NOT PRESENTED 2008 R. BRADLEY ALDERFER, MOUNT HOREB # DAVID R. WALTERS, MOUNT HOREB # NOT PRESENTED 2011 PAUL M. LEARY, NORTH STAR #

58 SCOTT M. AYEN, CHESHIRE-WEBB # PAUL C. SMITH, MOUNT HOREB # DAVID S. COLLINS, NORTH STAR # GENERAL GRAND CHAPTER EPHRAIM KIRBY AWARD DENNIS A. SHERIDAN 2014 GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE DISTINGUISED SERVICE MEDAL *ARNOLD M. ASHLEY, TEMPLE # *OLIVER E. LOY, ST OMER/UNION # NOT PRESENTED 1991 *THOMAS E. SAWYER, MERIDIAN SUN # NOT PRESENTED 1993 NOT PRESENTED 1994 *GEORGE N. FLANDERS, WASHINGTON # ALDINE J. TILLOTSON, NORTH STAR # ROBERT L. SUTHERLAND SR., WASHINGTON # *FRED MARDEN CURRIER, WASHINGTON # ARTHUR W. SANDBORN, ST OMER/UNION # *WILLIAM H. HERRINGTRON, BELL # THOMAS E. LARSON, CHESHIRE-WEBB # DENNIS A SHERIDAN, NORTH STAR # RODNEY A. ROBINSON, WASHINGTON # DWIGHT V. MEADER, TEMPLE # RAYMOND T. ROBB, HIRAM # NATHANIEL H. SAWYER # *EDWARD M. YOUNKER, BELL # NATHANIEL C. FOSS, MOUNT HOREB # NOT PRESENTED 2008 JOHN B. CLARK, MOUNT HOREB #

59 WALTER P. SWORD, SR., HIRAM # NOT PRESENTED 2011 SCOTT M. AYEN, CHESHIRE-WEBB # ANDY M. LORD, CHESHIRE-WEBB # PATRICK J. O SULLIVAN, MOUNT HOREB # DALE A. MILLS, WASHINGTON # DAVID A. DEAN - GRAND HIGH PRIEST QUARRY AWARD *ARNOLD M. ASHLEY, TEMPLE # *ROBERT M. ARGEL, WASHINGTON # ALDINE J. TILLOTSON, NORTH STAR # *THOMAS E. SAWYER, MERIDIAN SUN # ROBERT L. SUTHERLAND JR, WASHINGTON # *NORMAN TRENOWETH, ST ALBAN # *NICHOLAS SERVETAS, TEMPLE # JOHN B. CLARK, MOUNT HOREB # ALLEN ILSLEY, TRINITY # FRED M. CURRIER, WASHINGTON # RODNEY A. ROBINSON, WASHINGTON # *ROBERT G. DAVIS, NORTH STAR # *RAYMOND T. ROBB, HIRAM # THOMAS G. LABERGE, WASHINGTON # NATHANIEL H. SAWYER, SAINT ALBAN # *NORMAN B. SHERWOOD, TEMPLE # RAYMOND E. BAILEY, BELKNAP # *MICHAEL E. DEAVILLA, BELL # DAVID E. LEWIS, NORTH STAR # JOHN F. PROULX, BELL # *LEIGHTON A. DROWN, MERIDIAN SUN # CHARLES J. LEWIS, JR., NORTH STAR # EDWARD F. BROWN, ST OMER/UNION # GERALD F. BUEHRER, WASHINGTON # *ALBERT N. OLMSTEAD, NORTH STAR # WILLIAM F. CURTIS, SAINT ALBAN # WILLIAM J. MORRISON, KING SOLOMON #

60 ROBERT D. STEEL, NORTH STAR # GEORGE WHITE, TEMPLE # ALBERT LANE, SIGNET # ROGER A. DOUILLETTE, SR., HIRAM # HOMER R. DAVIS, NORTH STAR # MILTON S. TASKER, TRINITY # DENNIS A. SHERIDAN, NORTH STAR # JOHN G. SENTER, MERIDIAN SUN # JOHN S. GEAS. MOUNT HOREB # THOMAS A. LADD, NORTH STAR # GEORGE B. CHAPMAN, BELL # GILBERT P. BEMIS, MERIDIAN SUN # DAVID R. WALTERS, MOUNT HOREB # ERIC JENSEN, KING SOLOMON # ALDINE J. TILLOTSON, NORTH STAR # JAMES S. GEAS, MOUNT HOREB # MARK A. LANGIS, KING SOLOMON # STEPHEN K. BAHSLER, MERIDIAN SUN # WALTER P. SWORD, SR., HIRAM # C. JARVIS LEWIS, JR., NORTH STAR # NOT PRESENTED 2011 PHILLIP J. BEINER, NORTH STAR # ALBERT M. MCNALLY, MOUNT HOREB # DAVID S. COLLINS, NORTH STAR # RONALD J. BROWN, TEMPLE # RALPH E. GASNER, JR., KING SOLOMON # PAUL C. SMITH, MOUNT HOREB # TIMOTHY THOMPSON, HIRAM # JACKSON E. MARSTON, TRINITY # JOHN R. SHEEHAN, JR. HIRAM # DANIEL P. GILBERT, TEMPLE # KALEB R. BROWN, WASHINGTON # RICHARD A. WELCH, KING SOLOMON # EARL W. COLE, JR., MOUNT HOREB # DANIEL P. BASCOM, TEMPLE # *DECEASED 60

61 In Memoriam GRAND CHAPTER Roll of Necrology THE GRAND CHAPTER OF THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE ROYAL ARCH MASONS MEMORIAL SERVICE CALL TO WORSHIP BY MEGHP RE Grand Chaplin: We gather at this time in loving memory for those Companions of our Holy Royal Arch who have departed this earthly life to find home with the Grand High Priest of Heaven. Let us remember that we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen for the things that are seen are transient and the things that are unseen are eternal. [Light Candle.] We light this candle as a symbol of our brotherly love for them. Let us worship God this morning before Him our departed Companions: Father in Heaven, we praise your holy name for all who have finished this life, loving and trusting you, for the example of their lives, the life and grace you gave them and the peace in which they rest. As we honor their memories, make us more aware that you are the One from whom comes every perfect gift is given. We praise you today for your servants and for all that you did through them for our Fraternity. Meet us in our sadness now and fill our hearts with praise and thanksgiving, in your name we pray. Amen 61

62 Trinity Chapter: John Franklin Goddard, Jr. Joseph E. Thomas Walter S. Wheeler Andrew Allen Houle Thomas Edwin Larson, PHP Robert Joseph McMahon, PHP Everett Smith Richer North Star Chapter: Lawrence Flavius Clough Clarence Albert Frizzell Washington Chapter: Charles Wesley Beatty Alvin Charles Bissell Richard Asa Gilbert, Sr., PGHP Temple Chapter: Samuel David Richard M. Keene Luther Clayton Perkins, Jr. Edward B. Holt Donald Mitchell Miller Meridian Sun Chapter: Freeman Keith Anthony Mount Horeb Chapter: Fred O. Brockway Lloyd W. Cracraft Norman H. Dunbar Gilbert Phinney Bemis Richard Alan Dickinson David Bruce Molnar, PHP Gary Nelsn Stapleford Wilfred J. Ferguson Russell Louis Gilbert Elliot F. Hardy Kenneth C. Jordan Vissaltos Pavlidis King Solomon Chapter: Richard Aan Dickinson Major Royal Foskett Charles L. Anderson 62

63 MEMORIAL PRAYER RE GRAND CHAPLAIN CLOSING BENEDICTION EXTINGUISHING FLAME Our companions have found their safe lodging in the Temple not made by human hands. There they find their true home. We extinguish this flame ever reminded that our brotherly love for them should burn in our hearts and lives forever. [Extinguish Candle] AMEN 63

64 Dedicated to the Deceased of other Grand Jurisdictions 64

65 PERMANENT MEMBERS OF GRAND CHAPTER M.E. PAST GRAND HIGH PRIESTS Nathaniel H. Sawyer PO Box 92, Newton, NH Douglas L. Robertson, Sr. 508 East High St., Manchester, NH James S. Spence 325 Fox Hollow Way, Manchester, NH Robert L. Sutherland, Jr. 280 Bayside Rd, Greenland, NH Roger A. Douillette, Sr. 20 Tilton Hill Rd., Pittsfield, NH Ronald E. Metcalf PO Box 846, Portsmouth, NH Melvin E. Covey 158 Morrill Sr., Gilford, NH Herbert H. Hutchinson 11 Country Club Dr Apt 19, Manchester, NH Richard F. Cole, Jr. 176 Front St., Exeter, NH Norris L. Provencher PO Box 18, Milton, NH Dennis A. Sheridan PO Box 621, Littleton, NH Robert D. Steel 135 Howe Hill Rd., Benton, NH William J. Morrison 2 Willow Lane, Amherst, NH John S. Geas 4 Gena Avenue, Derry, NH William F. Curtis 13 Morrill Ct., Epping, NH R. Bradley Alderfer PO Box 788, Manchester, NH H. Stephen Wood 184 Lovell Lake Rd., Sanbornville, NH

66 2016 GRAND OFFICERS GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF NH NAME OFFICE ME Scott M. Ayen...ME Grand High Priest RE Andy M. Lord...RE Grand King RE Paul C. Smith...RE Grand Scribe RE Verne S. Anderson, Jr....RE Grand Treasurer RE David R. Walters...RE Asst. Grand Treasurer ME Dennis A. Sheridan, PGHP...RE Grand Secretary RE Robert M. Porter...RE Asst. Grand Secretary RE Patrick J. O Sullivan...RE Grand Captain of the Host RE Paul M. Leary...RE Grand Chaplain RE C. Jarvis Lewis, Jr....RE Grand Chaplain RE Paul M. Leary...RE Grand Lecturer E David S. Collins...E Grand Principle Sojourner E Earl W. Cole, Jr....E Grand Royal Arch Captain E Kaleb R. brown....e Grand Master 3rd Veil E Jeremy W. Allin...E Grand Master 2nd Veil E Jackson E. Marston...E Grand Master 1st Veil E Alan M. Robinson...E Grand Organist ME John B. Clark, MEHPGHP...E Grand Organist E Daniel P. Gilbert...E Grand Sentinel M.E. Honorary Past Grand High Priests Ralph E. Gasner, Jr John B. Clark Dwight V. Meader.2015 R.E. Honorary Past Grand Scribe Andrew Jackson