Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of California Randy Downey, GHP. OCTOBER 2017 Vol. IX No. 5

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1 THE WORKMAN Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of California Randy Downey, GHP OCTOBER 2017 Vol. IX No. 5 GHP MESSAGE 1 WOODLAND DEGREES MARK/PAST 3 SECRETARY ESSENTIALS 3 GRAND SESSIONS ORDER OF HIGH PRIESTHOOD 3 GOLDEN STATE RESEARCH CHAPTER 4 GRAND CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIPS 4 THE CLOTHES LINE 5 THE ENCOMPASSER 5 GRAND HIGH PRIEST S CALENDAR 5 TRIP TO ISRAEL AND JORDAN 6 CONTACT INFORMATION 6 SECRETARY ESSENTIALS 7-8 GRAND SESSIONS RECEPTIONS & FESTIVALS 10 COLORADO RIVER FALL FESTIVAL SANTA MONICA BAY RECEPTION 14 STAR & COMPASS TRAVEL INFO 15 TRIP TO ISRAEL AND JORDAN Grand High Priest s Message Companions, I have received a significant amount of positive feedback from the article I wrote for the September issue of the Workman, wherein I talked about a needs gap between longerstanding members of our craft and our newer members. Many Companions have voiced their agreement that we must do more as a fraternity to attract, keep, and engage those members who need a more fulfilling York Rite experience. I hope you will all take this to heart, and continue to work to create meaningful and rewarding programs in your Chapters. This month, we should be thinking about transitions. We will soon be holding our annual installations, and in many Chapters, Companions will be assuming the East for the very first time. This should be a special and memorable time. Those who have walked that path before them should be there to mentor and guide these first-time High Priests, to the betterment of the Chapter. Year-long calendars should be prepared at least in draft form to try and ensure a full and well-rounded Chapter program for the year. Page 1 of 19

2 As preparations are made for officer transitions, I cannot emphasize strongly enough the need to commit learning the opening and closing ritual, and committing to performing it, from memory, at each and every meeting. Inspectors should be making arrangements to hear the work prior to installation, so that we can be assured of the proficiency of each officer. Remember Companions that ritual qualification is a requirement for the top four line officers. I am not naïve enough to believe that every sitting High Priest, King, Scribe, and Captain of the Host is fully qualified to do the work. I know for a fact that this is not the case. But I will tell you now that it is my goal to make it so going into the next year. I am instructing our Inspectors to make this a priority. Companions, we in York Rite have some of the most beautiful ritual in Masonry. Granted that opening and closing is but a small part of that. But if you truly have a commitment to Royal Arch Masonry, then you will want to put the work in, to learn the ritual and do it well. There is no faster way to lose pride in your own Chapter, and to lose new members, than to be ambivalent about the ritual, and to read it from a book meeting after meeting. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that the reward of a thing well done is having done it. This can certainly be said to be true of ritual. And yet, there are so many more rewards. There is the pride in yourself, your Companions, and your Chapter. There is the positive impression made on new Companions, which in turn makes them want to participate and do well themselves. There is the ancillary benefit that excellence breeds excellence, meaning that if you do well in one area, that pride will drive you to do well in other aspects of your Chapter activities. It should come as no surprise that those Chapters which consistently excel in their ritual are among the strongest and most vibrant Chapters in the state. Conversely, those who care little for the ritual they do, if indeed they actually do any, make up the Chapters that struggle. With smaller Chapters that struggle for members and officers, I often hear it said that they are just happy when people show up to the meeting. They don t have the luxury of worrying about the ritual. But I will tell you plainly that while apathy can lead to poor ritual, it is also surely the case that poor ritual leads to apathy. And that is something we can combat. I task each Companion who holds an office, and each Past High Priest who consistently fills in at meetings, to take that pride in doing the best opening and closing ritual that your Chapter can possibly do. Micki and I have been traveling quite a bit over the last several months, as you can imagine. We recently returned from the Colorado Grand York Rite sessions. What I am learning is that while the message and tenets of Royal Arch Masonry is universal, the ritual differs, often greatly, from state to state. When you see me, remind me to talk to you about some of the interesting differences I have seen in different states. It is quite fascinating. Companions, I remind you again to be in constant communication with your non-york Rite Masonic brethren, letting them know about the beauties of Royal Arch Masonry. Be an ambassador for our craft, by your knowledge of what we do and what we have to teach, and also by your own conduct and demeanor. Shine the light of the Royal Arch on others, so that they, too, may know what we know. Page 2 of 19

3 I look forward to seeing you around the state throughout the coming months. My door is open by means of and telephone. I invite you to contact me with questions, concerns, ideas, or suggestions. LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE! Randy R. Downey, KYGCH 163 rd Grand High Priest, Royal Arch Masons of California MARK MASTER & PAST MASTER DEGREES Woodland Royal Arch Chapter #46 is pleased to announce that on Wednesday, December it will be conferring the Mark and Past Master degree at 7:30 PM at the Woodland Masonic Lodge located at 228 Palm Avenue in Woodland, California. All area Royal Arch chapters who have potential candidates are invited. We would be most pleased to confer the two above mentioned degrees upon them. If you have a candidate(s), please contact the chapter s secretary, Don Kilmer, at 916/ by Tuesday, December 5 th. You are also encouraged just to visit us on the conferral date. We d appreciate all you companions to join us for an evening of fellowship. SECRETARY ESSENTIALS Secretaries new and old: near the end of this newsletter you will find a two-page document that serves as guidelines for Secretaries especially new ones. GRAND SESSIONS 2018 Dates for the 2018 California Grand York Rite Monday, May 21, 2018 Grand Council Tuesday, May 22, 2018 Grand Commandery Wednesday, May 23, 2018 Grand Chapter A copy of the flyer announcing the change to the Wyndham Hotel in Visalia, and showing future years as well, is included at the back of this newsletter. ORDER OF HIGH PRIESTHOOD It is a requirement of the Constitution that all High Priests receive this Order. Altogether, 22 candidates received this Order in the afternoon of May 23 rd If you are a newly elected or installed High Priest, or a past High Priest who has not yet received the order, you should plan to do so at the Grand Chapter Convocation on May 23 rd next year, at 2:00 pm in the afternoon. See the application below in the document labeled SECRETARY ESSENTIALS. Page 3 of 19

4 GOLDEN STATE RESEARCH CHAPTER We are now entering the last quarter of 2017 and we now need to prepare for the upcoming year. All of our officers must make the commitment to be prepared to fulfill their role. If you are an officer of your chapter, you are one of their leaders and you represent your chapter so at every opportunity, you should bring your best and let your light shine. Companions, I hope when you receive this message, you are in good spirits and in good health. I want to remind everyone that our semiannual meeting will be held in San Francisco at the Grand Lodge on October 14, Check in with the York Rite Information both in the vendor area for the specific location. This year, as part of my duties for the Grand Chapter, I ve been visited many chapters in California and have observed that our chapters could add a lot of color to their meetings by simply adding the sharing of Masonic information. By having one or two companions present a paper or share their ideas, our chapter meetings can be much more fulfilling and at end bring in more companions to join our meetings. I d like to see current and incoming High Priests use the information available on the Grand Chapter and on the Golden State Research Chapter web pages or bring in speakers. This could be done during the fellowship prior to the meeting or as part of the agenda for each of your stated convocations. Be safe and I hope I can see you in my travels. Fraternally, REC Anthony Tony Yuson, KYCH High Priest, Golden State Research Chapter GRAND CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIPS For further info about Scholarships, go to the following website: rch/rara.html The Masonic Family has a large number of scholarships available to our youth, but how many of those in need of assistance really "KNOW" they are available? California Royal Arch $1,000 Scholarship requirements: A member of the Masonic Family (ie: Rainbow, Jobs Daughter or Demolay) A US Citizen A California Resident A 3.0 Grade Point Average Enrolled or Accepted at an Educational Institution Deadline to apply for the 2018 Scholarship Program will be published in January Scholarship requirements will remain the Page 4 of 19

5 same. Early submissions can be forwarded to the Office of the Grand Chapter Secretary at Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons Attn: Grand Secretary East Artesia Blvd. Suite 13 Artesia, CA Telephone: (562) Once chosen, the award of $1,000 is renewable for a total of 4 years, as long as the requirements are maintained. Do you know a Rainbow Girl, Job's Daughter or DeMolay that could benefit by knowing this information? What are you waiting for - make that call! THE CLOTHES LINE A line of Jackets for our York Rite bodies continues to be available at MP. ENTERPRISES. The price for red and blue is great -- $75.00 plus tax and shipping, for sizes 34 to 49 in short, regular and tall; and $87.00 plus tax and shipping for sizes 50 to 60, also in short, regular, and tall. Purple Jackets are little more expensive at $95.00 for the smaller and $ for the larger. Also available are Men s and ladies vests, tuxedos and shirts, pins, patches, and flags, and OES T-Shirts. Contact Max Luy at (510) ; or at his website: or directly to his at maxluy@hotmail.com. ENCOMPASSER The July 2017 edition of the Encompasser is now available at the following website: passer_issues.html OR Go to and click on The Encompasser on the left of the top toolbar. GRAND HIGH PRIEST S CALENDAR JULY 2017 TO MAY 2018 Date Event Location Oct 12- Grand Lodge San Francisco 15 Oct 15- Colorado River Laughlin, NV 18 Fall Festival Oct 24- Grand Chapter Visalia 28 OES Oct 29 3-Way Reception Santa Monica Nov 2-3 Southwest Las Vegas, NV Regional Conference Nov 9-11 SCIOTS Supreme Morgan Hill Nov 24- NorCal DeMolay Sacramento 25 Dec 6 Mark and Past Woodland Master Degrees Jan 30 Scottish Rite San Jose Installation Feb 9 3-Way Reception Santa Rosa Feb 17 3-Way Reception San Diego Feb 24 YR College & Auburn KYCH Mar 9-10 Officers Visalia Conference Apr 19- Grand Chapter New Mexico 21 Apr 22- May 5 Grand Chapter Trip Israel and Jordan May Grand York Rite Visalia If you would like to attend any of these events and need to know particulars about where and when and cost, please call any of the contact numbers below, or go to the Grand York Rite website calendar at: rch/ghpcalendar.html Page 5 of 19

6 GRAND CHAPTER TRIP TO ISRAEL AND JORDAN You should seriously consider the trip planned by M. E. C. Randy to the Holy Land in late April to early May next year. See the last 4 pages of this newsletter for details. GRAND CHAPTER CONTACT INFORMATION Grand High Priest: Randy R. Downey, KYGCH (408) (C) oldmandowney@msn.com Grand Secretary: Editor: Website: Ken Hope E. Artesia Blvd, #13 Artesia, CA (562) (W) (562) (C) sec-rec@californiayorkrite.org Phil Hardiman, KYGCH (916) (C) philipandnancy@aol.com GOLDEN STATE CHAPTER OF RESEARCH Website: GRAND SESSIONS, FORMS & SCHEDULES Website: Page 6 of 19

7 SECRETARY ESSENTIALS Forms and Documents you will need are located at the Grand York Rite website, which is: Scroll down and click on "York Rite Forms and Documents" Then click on Grand Chapter logo. A window opens where you enter the userid, which is "cagyr" and the password, which is "brio" Scroll down to Officers Manual, which has info for the Secretary, and print that out. Priorities are as follows: 1. Membership control -- Especially important is the very last item, Royal Arch Monthly Report. If you fill this out each month, whenever you encounter changes to the membership, you will find it much easier at the end of the year to produce the year-end report, which is used to compute the amount of per capita the Chapter needs to pay. That payment is due by Jan 15th each year. Important changes to your membership include new members, demits, remits and deaths. Maintain addresses for members and you can easily then forward the monthly newsletter, The WORKMAN, to them. 2. Per Capita -- The Per Capita payment, due each Jan 15 th, does not require action by the Chapter to be paid. You will need good, up-to-date membership data in order to compute the end-of-year number of active members that is crucial to computing your per capita payment. Without good data you will most likely overpay your per capita requirement. It is sensible to wait until the first of the new year to begin your process. It is also sensible, if you have access to the Grand Lodge database, to check each member to see if they are still alive 3. Insurance -- The Insurance payment, due each July 15 th, does not require action by the Chapter to be paid. You will be billed for the payment by the Grand Secretary. 4. Lodge Book of Marks Maintain this up-to-date, or perhaps arrange for a PHP to take on the responsibility of maintaining. 5. Minutes Take good minutes, but don t over-do it by trying to capture everything that is said. Focus on having a clear representation of motions made and the vote count by which they passed or failed. In addition to keeping petitions in a separate file, it is good practice to replicate the basic petitioner information in the minutes. It is also a good practice to keep the names of attendees at each meeting in the minutes. If conferring a degree, keep a copy of the cast members and the candidate(s). Page 7 of 19

8 6. Grand Chapter Before the May meeting, remind the Dais officers they are responsible to attend, and arrange a stipend if your Chapter can afford it. Remind members who expect to attend to be sure to take their dues cards. If Dais Officers cannot attend, they may issue a proxy, or the Chapter may elect a representative. The appropriate forms can be obtained on the Grand York Rite website: Scroll to "Elected Representative and Proxy Credentials." 7. Order of High Priesthood Be sure the current HP and PHPs know they are eligible to receive this Order. In fact, it is a Constitutional requirement! Share the petition below with them and send to the Grand Secretary: ORDER OF HIGH PRIESTHOOD PETITION Chapter No. High Priests and Past High Priests, who have not received the Order of High Priesthood, may complete the following petition for membership and submit it with the required fee of $35.00 to the Chapter Recorder prior to February The Order will be conferred during Grand Sessions Make check payable to: ORDER OF HIGH PRIESTHOOD To the Grand Convention of Anointed High Priest of California: Companion First Middle Last Address City State ZIP Birth Date Office Tel # incl. area code Home Tel # incl. area code I am a member of Chapter No. I (am the Elected)(am)(was) High Priest of Chapter No. Located at having served during. Companion Signature For Grand Secretary s use only: Life Membership - fee $ The below listed items were issued: Bible Honorary Membership - no fee. Membership Card By-laws / / Date petition received. History Lapel Pin / / Date initiated. Certificate The completed petition with fee must be in the Grand Secretary s Office, 801 Elm Avenue, Long Beach, CA no later than April 1. If not, the certificate may not be prepared for presentation during the next conferral of the Order. Page 1 of 1 R.A. Form No. AP-7 (2004) Page 8 of 19

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