Volume 68 Number 8. Thank you to all who made the Fresno Scottish Rite Annual Dinner Auction a resounding success!

Transcription

1 Volume 68 Number 8 August 2015 Bulletin Thank you to all who made the Fresno Scottish Rite Annual Dinner Auction a resounding success! Thank you to the Friends of the Center Guild for their continued support!

2 Fresno Scottish Rite Bulletin Official publication of the Fresno Bodies Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Fresno, Freemasonry. California Published monthly at the Center, 1455 L Street, Fresno CA Phone (559) FAX (559) fresnosr@sbcglobal.net WEB PAGE: Web Master: Karl Wenn, 32 Editor: Juliet Vitz Asst. Editor: Bernard R. Hollenbeck, 33 Office Secretary Assistant to the Personal Representative Ross Simonet, 32 KCCH Venerable Master Fresno Lodge of Perfection Richard E. Vitz, 32 Wise Master Fresno Chapter of Rose Croix Ronald P. Obernolte, 32 Commander Fresno Council of Kadosh H. Vincent Carter, 32 KCCH Master of Kadosh Fresno Consistory David Coleman, 32 KCCH Orator James H. Clark, 33 Almoner Louis W. Jelinek Jr., 33 Secretary C. Ray Whitaker, 33 Treasurer The deadline for submissions is the third Monday of the month. Permission is granted to Masonic Publications to copy. ALL BRETHREN WHOSE NAMES AP- PEAR IN THIS BULLETIN ARE OF THE 32 UNLESS OTHERWISE IDENTI- FIED. Allegiance: The Bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, sitting in The Valley of Fresno, Orient of California, acknowledge the authority of and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council (Mother Council of the World) of the Inspectors General, Knights Commander of The House of the Temple of Solomon of the Thirty -Third Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America. Ill. Frank Loui, 33 Sovereign Grand Inspector General in California Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33 Sovereign Grand Commander Washington D.C. Ill. Richard Paris, 33 Personal Representative of the SGIG Advisory Conference

3 Thank you to all who made the Annual Fresno Dinner Auction an outstanding success on August 1 st! Carl & Bodil Ahroon Glen Barber Jr. Gene Bopp & Louise Rosenthal Susan Bredefeld Adam & Aubrey Budges James Buffo & Darlene Hays Gary & Nancy Campbell Art & Verta Carlson Kathy & Daniel Carr Vince & Gail Carter Jim & Janet Cassabon Peter & Mary Clark James H. Clark David & Louise Coleman Brenda & Lew Coles Robert & Denise Crossland Sherry Cunha Tony & Laverne Curroo William Dawson Marilyn Diehls Evans Feed & Livestock Sigmund de Guzman Elaine s Pet Spa Jack & Betty Farson Jeannette Fraley Ft. Millerton OES Fresno Grizzlies Larry & Jeanne Goeringer John & Sherry Green Dale & Juliette Hammel Jeff Hammel Dick & Bobbi Herrinton Mark & Lori Hodges Elizabeth Hodges Bernie & Lorna Hollenbeck Scott & Marsha Hollenbeck Richard & Judie Hopper Rick & Sharon Hutchinson Jim & Judy Irvine Linda Isgrig James Jackson Lou & Lisa Jelinek David & Sloan Johnson Mike & Pam Johnson Thomas Jordan Karla Morton Paul & Pat Kalpakoff David Kelley Ed & MaryJane Kerber Ted Kitamura Chuck & Joanne Koch Stan & Carol Lambourne Norma Lewis Natalia Long Ron Manfredi Eric Marsh Dennis McInerney Mid Valley Financial Sandra Miller Allan Miller Sally & Sam Mistretta JW Myers Inc. Michael Nella & Judi Houston Raul Padilla Manny Palanco Harry Papadakis Richard Paris David & Alicia Paris Larry & Lourie Paris Kristen Parris Kyliegh Parris Joe & Cindy Perry Marla Pettit Bill and Cathy Pfister David & Carol Pitts Jason & Penny Pitts Devon Pitts The Planning Center Chad & Dana Plavan Professional Print & Mail, Inc Jack & Barbara Rahl Janeen Roberts Jud & Jill Robinson Jack Rustigan Carla Sarkisian John & Barbara Scott Robert Scott Mary Shepherd Donna Maria Sileccho Dale & Janice Sorensen James & Joette Sperlich Terrelyn Stricker Sunnyside Country Club Jerry Tabor Caroline Taff Janet Tanaka Tom Tatum John Techman Howard & Cindy Terrell Patricia Towne John Tracy Kathy Tripp Zograb & Viktoria Tsolokian Betty Veffredo Visalia Rainbow Girls Richard & Juliet Vitz Westwood Restaurant C Ray Whitaker Don & Donna Williams James & Pam Wilson Caleb Wilson

4 From the Venerable Master Lodge of Perfection Brethren, Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful summer weather even if it seems strange. Sometimes hot, cool, thunder storms, rain; it all is quite a show. Enjoy this time of year with baseball, fishing, biking, BBQ s and most of all being with friends and family. Be safe, be healthy and see you all soon. While you are out and about, attend Blue Lodge and find new candidates for our fall class and don t forget about Masonry. Ross Simonet, 32 KCCH Venerable Master Friends of the Center proudly presents the Annual Sierra Hills "Tour De Oaks" bike ride on Saturday, October 3rd at the San Joaquin River Center! Cycling enthusiasts of all ages are welcome! Enjoy everything from a 2-mile "Family Ride" to a 100K round-trip ride to Prather and back! Registration is just $40 and includes brunch! Get more info at This event is brought to you, in part, by Interim HealthCare. It's the Annual Sierra Hills Tour de Oaks" and Poker Raffle to benefit the Childhood Language Disorders Center Rite Care, Page 4 Saturday, October 3rd!

5 From the Wise Master Chapter of Rose Croix Fresno Scottish Rite Brethren, We are more than half way through the summer and have had another great stated meeting in Tulare, with Ill. Allen Miller s great hamburgers. Next month we will be in Merced and Chapter Rose Croix will host and advance, hopefully all the officers will be able to attend to get a preview of their office for next year. If for some reason anyone is unable to continue next year please contact Brother Vincent Villarta, 32 KCCH. Also, anyone interested in taking a position in a line should contact that Lodge s Senior Warden. I have had some requests for sympathy and get well cards to those under the weather. I have also sent a few cards to Brothers unable to attend Lodge for various reasons. Please contact the office with information about anyone that needs a card. September will start the e-vites again for Stated meeting dinner, so watch your . If your address has changed or you would like to receive your e-vite at another please let the Office know. Stated meetings and dinner are a great way to meet brothers and their families from around the valley. Let s start now by asking our Blue Lodge Brothers if they would be interested in becoming a member of Scottish Rite. We were able to hold a spring class due to the efforts of a couple members just asking, would you like to join Scottish Rite. Let s strive to have a large class this fall. Richard Vitz, 32 Wise Master Page 5

6 Council of Kadosh Brethren, Over 180 Valleys in the Southern Jurisdiction have taken the first steps towards providing their members with the best possible Scottish Rite Member Experience by enrolling in VMAP: These valleys are beginning to implement the ideas and activities contained in VMAP and in doing so are planting the seeds of their future growth. Like planting a new fruit tree, it might take several years but with proper care, patience and nurturing, that tree will bear fruit for many years that follow. Log on and check out the VMAP Working Tools e- Newsletter or the VMAP Channel on SR Chirp or the VMAP Working Group on the Freemason Network. Be ready to share your thoughts and ideas! Speaking of Scottish Rite SR Chirp, it was released in September 2014 to the general Scottish Rite membership and now has 400 active users. It is a one-to-one and many-to-one messaging tool that facilitates communication among Scottish Rite Masons. Our members have a high degree of control over what content they can see and how that content is presented to them. The application alerts members when new messages "Chirps" are received. You can post pictures and reports, announcements of meetings, and personal experiences. Chirps can be up to 4000 characters in length [about 800 words] so you have plenty of room to express yourself! This is becoming an electronic, mobile community that is exclusive to Scottish Rite Masons! SR Chirp is a free download on both Apple iphone and Android mobile platforms. For iphones, visit the "App Store" and search for "SR CHIRP". For Android phones, visit the "Google Play" store and search for "SR Chirp". You can access it from your computer using this direct link: id ?ls=1 < &mt=8. Have some fun and contact a Mason today! Ronald P. Obernolte, 32 Commander of Kadosh

7 From the Master of Kadosh, Consistory Brethren, Our July Stated meeting was held in Tulare. A great dinner was prepared by Allan Miller and his crew. What a great hamburger with all of the fixings, Macaroni salad, chips and ice cream for dessert. Nothing is nicer than a make it yourself hamburger. This was also advance night for the Consistory. To all of the officers who attended and moved up, Dale Fresno Scottish Rite Hammel, James Green and Mike Scrivner. You did a great job. Thanks. By the time you receive this bulletin, the annual Dinner Auction will be over. With a new location, good food and good attendance, I know that A Hole in One for Rite Care was a great evening. A very special thank you to Juliet Vitz, for all of the hard work she did. Also I would like to thank all of the clinic Board members and other Scottish Rite Brothers who helped in various capacities. It was greatly appreciated. The Ft. Millerton Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star did the table decorations, nice job and thank you. Everyone who made auction donations, advertised in the Program, and bought tickets your support is greatly appreciated. Sunnyside Country Club is a wonderful place with a beautiful setting. I am sure that fun was had by all. An extra special thank you goes to the guild for the $12,000 donation to the Clinic. H. Vincent Carter, 32 KCCH Master of Kadosh, Consistory From the Clinic Board Chairman The Childhood Language Disorders Center Annual Dinner auction was held at the Sunnyside Country Club and was a great success. Fun was had by all who attended. I would like to thank all who donated items for both the silent and live auctions This was the second year we had the dessert auction and it was a great success. The bidding was lively and the deserts were Fantastic. Our two wine stewards did their usual great job. The wine was pretty much gone by the end of the evening. For those of you who could not attend the Dinner Auction there is still, time to make a donation. We will be back to Sunnyside Country Club next year so please mark your calendar for the first Saturday in August 2016 now. Jim Wilson, 32 KCCH Center Board Chairman

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10 Tom s Talks THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED THE ANNUAL SCOTTISH RITE DINNER AUCTION TO BENEFIT THE Rite Care LANGUAGE CENTER the lives touched by your financial generosity cannot be counted. the education given through improved learning cannot be measured. the love words expressed by children who could not speak is priceless. the lives that have become productive will build our communities. the child you helped make it to college will change our cities. the justice demanded by the voice of a once silent child will protect the world. Thank you Scottish Rite Members for quietly changing and influencing our community in deep and meaningful ways that many will never know. Because of your commitment we have helped thousands of children. Tom Tatum Clinic Director Page 10

11 EXPANDING ONE S CONSCIOUSNESS On occasion during a casual conversation with a fellow Scottish Rite Mason, either verbally or by inference, this question arises: Earlier as a candidate in pursuit of becoming a thirty-second degree Mason I observed and participated in the portrayals during the Scottish Rite Reunion. And as a result, I received a certificate stating I am a 32 Master of the Royal Secret, so what is the purpose of attaining further Masonic Light? My answer to this question is that the Mysteries of Freemasonry are all about arousing one s consciousness, to stimulate his imagination and help him to reflect. Our mysteries invite each candidate to seek, compare and judge for himself new information. This is accomplished by studying the teachings contained within all thirty-two degrees. Long ago in ancient times Sages, a vernacular meaning men of great wisdom, considered Light a metaphor for Truth. That is what the Scottish Rite class text is all about - A Bridge to Ancient Truths (Light). Freemasonry was the recipient of ancient and timeless Wisdom. The Masonic Tradition is literally the transmission of sacred knowledge and timeless truths that transcend humanity. Our Craft conceals profound truths within its ceremonies, allegorical stories and symbols. Everything in Masonry has deeper meanings than what initially appears to those that are not True Initiates in discovering our Craft s mysteries. Here is what the Illustrious Ronald A. Seale 33 Sovereign Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Masonry had to say about the pursuit of Truth: In the truest sense, the wisest among us always remain and retain with honor the status of candidate. We should forever be learning, growing, and discovering new truths and applying them against our life s experience as we progress in Masonry. ** Continued on next page. Page 11

12 Continued from previous page. The teachings of Freemasonry, through studying ancient knowledge, can lead a dormant mind out of darkness and into a higher state of consciousness. In this way, Masonry can be, and should be, so much more than just a facilitator for social activities, performing memory work, and charitable activities. Brother John L. Tracy 32 [ Advancement towards the Light study group will be on August 24, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Scottish Rite Temple.] ** Scottish Rite Journal September-October 2010, page 2 CATHEDRALS The third of the significant Masonic organizations in this time, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry was composed of a series of 30 degrees conferred upon men who previously had been initiated into a Masonic lodge. These degrees, which drew upon biblical narratives, Neoplatonic symbols, Rosicrucianism, Cabalistic numerology, Hermeticism, and other mystical traditions, introduced men to Western esoteric thought. While the narrative and philosophical material of the degrees remained relatively unchanged, the Rite underwent radical transformation as an organization during this temple-building period. Before the Civil War, the Scottish Rite degrees frequently had been communicated to a candidate by an officer who simply explained the regalia, symbols, and passwords associated with a degree and therefore were almost purely oral experiences with no physical rituals performed and few ceremonial objects. Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, however, Scottish Rite bodies, meeting in Masonic lodge rooms, enhanced their presentation of the rituals, often purchasing paraphernalia and costumes from national fraternal regalia firms. In these years, the Scottish Rite also transformed meeting schedules so that instead of gathering regularly throughout the year to initiate members, Valleys began to hold annual or semi-annual events in which many of the Scottish Rite degrees were presented theatrically. But the first decade of the 20 th century, these reunions drew members from the hinterlands surrounding hosting cities, and stretched over the course of four or five days. MORE TO COME IN THE SEPTEMBER BULLETIN Presented by PETE CLARK, 32, KCCH Page 12

13 ALMONERS CLOSET I wish to thank each of you who have made both monetary and ambulatory donations in the past. We however continue to need wheel chairs, the demand for good light weight chairs in good condition, with foot rests, are always needed. We also need walkers with a seat and shower chairs. Thank you for any assistance you might give. James H. Clark 33 Almoner In Memoriam As one by one, the autumn leaves fade in the forest deep, So one by one, in each of you must come the touch of sleep; As one by one, the roses burst into the morning light, So one by one, your souls shall wake again beyond the night. Athal R. Lamb James T. Manning Masonic Youth Groups around the Central Valley State Center DeMolay: Regular meetings are the 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7:00 p.m. at the Fresno Masonic Center. Lemoore DeMolay: Regular meetings are the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at the Lemoore Masonic Center. Fellowship fun nights are the 3rd Friday of the month. Lemoore Job s Daughters: Regular meetings are the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Lemoore Masonic Center. Heart of the Valley Rainbow Assembly: Regular meetings at Las Palmas Masonic Center the first and third Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.

14 Contributions to the Fresno Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorder Clinic, Rite Care Donations Wayne Towne Family Foundation Helen Kovacevich Richard and Judi Hopper in honor of the Ferguson Family David and Louise Coleman Memorials May Brash Deborah Hughes Dennis Frenchy Johnson Louis & Lisa Jelinek Richard Paris C Ray & Joyce Whitaker Orine Paris Byron & Phyllis Martin Michael P.S. Thomason Mark & Cheryl Allen Robert & Denise Crossland George Williams Robert & Denise Crossland Herbert Cray Terrance Cray H. Clifton Cray Matthew and Beverly Cray Louis & Lisa Jelinek Victor Howard C Ray & Joyce Whitaker

15 Coming Events August 1 Saturday Dinner Auction at Sunnyside Country Club 17 Monday Stated Meeting in Merced (Chapter Advances) 19 Wednesday Clinic Board Meeting 6:00 p.m. at Scottish Rite 24 Monday 6:30 p.m. Dinner, Advisory Conference Study Group 7:00 p.m. at Scottish Rite September 7 Monday Labor Day (Office Closed) 14 Monday Executive Committee 5:30 p.m. Advisory Conference 6:30 p.m. (Council Practice) 21 Monday Stated Meeting (Council Host) 6:00 p.m. Hors d oeuvres, 6:30 p.m. Dinner 22 Tuesday Clinic Board Meeting 6:00 p.m. at Scottish Rite 26 Saturday Honors Ceremony Oakland Scottish Rite 28 Monday Study Group 7:00 p.m. at Scottish Rite October 12 Monday Advisory Conference 6:30 p.m. (Lodge Practice) 19 Monday Stated Meeting (Lodge Host) 6:00 p.m. Hors d oeuvres 6:30 p.m. Dinner Feast of Tishri Rededication 20 Tuesday Clinic Board 6:00 p.m. Scottish Rite Page 15

16 Louis W. Jelinek, Jr., 33, Secretary Scottish Rite Center 1455 L Street Fresno, CA REQUEST TO THE FAMILY OF THE ADDRESSEE WHOSE NAME APPEARS BELOW. PLEASE NOTIFY US (ADDRESS ABOVE LEFT) IF THIS PERSON IS IN A HOSPITAL OR NURSING HOME, HAS MOVED OR IS INCAPACITATED IN ANY WAY. THANK YOU NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No Fresno, CA 93706