Sacramento York Rite News Published by Sacramento York Rite, Sacramento, California March 2016 March CALENDAR Monday, March 7, 2016 Commandery officers practice... 7:00 pm Saturday, March 12, 2016 Chapter Stated Convocation... 9:00 am Commandery Stated Conclave and Annual Inspection... 10:00 am Monday, March 14, 2016 Chapter Mark Master practice... 7:00 pm Saturday, March 19, 2016 Sacramento Sierra York Rite Festival Chapter (Royal Arch) Degrees Woodland Masonic Temple... 8:00 am Monday, March 21, 2016 Order of the Temple practice... 7:30 pm Monday, March 28, 2016 Royal Master Degree practice... 7:00 pm Looking ahead Monday, April 4, 2016 Commandery officers practice... 7:00 pm Saturday, April 9, 2016 Council Stated Assembly... 9:00 am Commandery Stated Conclave 10:00 am Honors Luncheon... 12:00 noon Monday, April 25, 2016 Royal Master Degree practice... 7:00 pm Saturday, April 30, 2016 Sacramento Sierra York Rite Festival Council (Cryptic) Degrees Auburn Masonic Temple Stated Meetings - Second Saturday Chapter & Commandery Meetings March 14th Sacramento Chapter #3, Royal Arch Masons, will hold its Stated Covocation on Saturday, March 12th, at 9:00 a.m. in the York Rite room of the Sacramento Masonic Temple. Business items include balloting on petitions for the Royal Arch Festival March 28th. Sacramento Commandery #2, Knights Templar, will then hold its Stated Conclave in the same place at 10:00 a.m., or as soon after that as the Chapter is finished. This meeting is the Annual Inspection (or official visit) of our Inspector, Sir Knight Wes Mindermann, and it is essential that all officers be present. Grand Sessions Grand Sessions will again be held at the Doubletree Hotel along Highway 99 in Bakersfield the week before Memorial Day, Saturday May 21 thru Wednesday May 25. The official Grand Chapter Session is Monday, Grand Council meets on Tuesday and Grand Commandery on Wednesday. There is a formal banquet on Sunday, and Saturday is devoted to AMD activities. Dias officers have an obligation to attend the business meetings, but all York Right Masons are invited to join in the activities. The Doubletree is offering a special group rate of $94 per room per night if reserved before April 15th. More information, as well as reservation forms for meals and activities, are on the website: www.ca-gyrs.org.
Page 2 March 2016 Companions! As sure as Spring rain and the return of God s beautiful daffodils and jonquils, the time for commencing 2016 Chapter activities has arrived. Our first convocation of the year is Saturday, March 12th at 9 a.m. Hope to see every Sacramento Chapter companion there. I know full well that is probably a vain hope. But, it is a fine thought. Participation by all, or at least as many companions as possible, is what will enable us to have a successful, interesting and fun year. Hopefully, you will all prioritize high enough in importance your attendance at our Saturday morning meetings every other month. We -- and I emphasize this we -- cannot succeed without participation. I mentioned this as my first point in my Trestleboard article last month. May I point out again a simple fact? No leader can lead without participation by others; no leader can accomplish very much alone. It requires a team. That team is the key to everything. I want you on the team -- not just elected and appointed officers, but also you sideliners we seldom see. We need interested, dedicated sideliners if we are to accomplish much at all. Please think about this, and take action to set aside time to at least attend our scheduled Saturday meetings. Growth, my second point of emphasis, requires that we all reach out to Masons in our Symbolic Lodges and invite them to become Royal Arch Masons and get the light we have to shine on them. And, this, of course, requires you to attend assiduously to this important task. Otherwise we will not grow. Not growing in numbers means that we will only slowly decline in power, influence, and effectiveness over time. That cannot be an option if we are to remain viable. What of our other Chapter aims, and purposes? We will be discussing these more beginning in our (High Priest continues on page 3) From the dias Greetings, Companions! Thank you to the companions who were present at our last stated assembly. All the officers did excellent memory work. Our Deputy Master did a fine job demonstrating the signs; I am sure that we all will do better with them in the future. I was reading part of the lecture of this degree: Our three Grand Masters, Solomon, King of Israel, Hiram, King of Tyre, and Hiram Abif, being in possession of writings of Moses and the Prophets... [in order to protect those sacred writings] agreed to erect a Secret Vault underground, leading from King Solomon s most retired apartment and ending under the Sanctum Sanctorum or Holy of Holies Thank you all, and I will say bye with this nice part of our ritual: What to remains to be done? To retire in peace, practice virtue and maintain silence. Fraternally, Juan Faranda, Illustrious Master juan.faranda@yahoo.com Greetings, Sir Knights! At our February Stated Conclave, Sir Knight Alex Townsend and Sir Knight Jesse Solis-Jacques were installed as Generalissimo and Standard Bearer, respectively, of our Commandery. Congratulations to you, Sir Knights, and thank you for your willingness to serve. The installation ceremony was performed by Sir Knight Wes Mindermann, Inspector for Department VI, Division B, who served as Installing Officer and Sir Knight Joseph Dongo, our Junior Past Commander and Recorder, as Installing Marshal. Thank you, Sir Knight Wes and Sir Knight Joseph, for a job well done. Also at our February Stated Conclave, Sir Knight Joseph Wallach was elected to serve as one of our (Commander continues on page 3)
March 2016 Page 3 (High Priest continued from page 2) first Chapter meeting on the 12th. Our Chapter will be performing the Mark Master Degree at the York Rite Festival in Woodland on March 19th. This will be our focus for the month. It is a free degree and a very interesting one. Try to enlist a Brother in your Blue Lodge to accept this degree. I encourage all degree cast members to attend planned rehearsals our degree master will have. Fraternally, Dusty Deryck, High Priest dusty@gotsky.com (Commander continued from page 2) delegates to the annual meeting of the Masonic Temple Association. Congratulations, Sir Knight Joseph! Sir Knight Greg Voetsch, Jr., KYCH, our Officers Coach, has been named this year s recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal. There will be a luncheon reception immediately following our April Stated Conclave to honor Sir Knight Greg. The next Commandery officers practice will be on Monday, March 7th, at 7:00 pm. Our next Stated Conclave will be held on Saturday, March 12th. More importantly, we will welcome Sir Knight Wes Mindermann on his official visit and Annual Commandery Inspection. All Officers will assemble in the Asylum prior to the Opening Ceremonies for Knights Templar Uniform Inspection. We enjoin everyone to attend. We strongly encourage each officer to present from memory all portions of the Ritual which he is assigned. Till next issue, Sir Knights. Let me leave you with this parting thought: Believe in your own abilities. Make sure you are right and then, go ahead. And may we never fail to do our best. Lito Viray, Commander Jsviray32@yahoo.com Royal Arch Degree Festival The annual Sacramento Sierra York Rite Association (SSYRA) Festival will kick off on Saturday, March 19th, when all four Chapter degrees are presented at the Woodland Masonic Temple. Registration and coffee will begin at 8:00 am, and the Degrees will start at 9:00 am. The Mark Master Degree will be the first presented, followed by the Past Master and Most Excellent Master Degrees. After a break for lunch ($10.00 each, reservations to ssyra@ssyra.org), the day will conclude with the impressive Royal Arch Degree, which will end around 3:30 pm. As has been customary in recent years, Sacramento Chapter #3 is responsible for conferring the Mark Master Degree. There will be a cast rehearsal on Monday, March 14th, at 7:00 pm in our Temple. Anyone interested in learning parts for future conferrals is encouraged to attend. The SSYRA Festival will continue with the Council Degrees on Saturday morning, April 30th, at the Auburn Masonic Temple, and conclude on June 11th when we host the Commandery Orders at our Temple. Petitions for the Chapter Degrees must be presented and balloted on at our March 12th Stated Convocation, so don t delay. Applications are available from the Secretary or on the Grand York Rite website: www.yorkriteofcalifornia.org. In Memoriam Leonard M. Kirkpatrick, Jr. Entered Eternal Life December 5, 2014 Almighty Father, into Thy hands we commend the soul of our departed companion.
Page 4 March 2016 Grand Chapter Scholarships The filing deadline for York Rite scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year is June 30, 2016. All current members of Masonic youth groups Job s Daughers, Rainbow and DeMolay -- are eligible, so talk it up in your local Lodge, as well as among your families and Masonic friends. Information is available on the York Rite website, www.yorkriteofcalifornia.org. Increased donations to the Scholarship Program are badly needed if we are to maintain the program. Send donations to the Grand Chapter Scholarship Program at 11428 E. Artesia Blvd, #13, Artesia, CA 90701. Remember, all donations are tax deductible. York Rite Jackets A line of Jackets for our York Rite bodies continues to be available at MP ENTERPRISES. Prices range from $75.00 to $107.00, depending on size and color. Also available are men s and ladies vests, tuxedos and shirts as well as pins, patches, flags and OES T-Shirts. Contact Max Luy at (510) 527-5728, or cell: (510) 502-3224; or email at maxluy@hotmail.com. The California Encompasser is the official publication of the Grand York Rite Bodies in California. It is issued quarterly. The January 2016 issue is now available on the web-site: www.yorkriteofcalifornia.org. In addition to educational articles on diverse subjects, the issue includes information about upcoming events around the State. Sacramento York Rite Masonry 1123 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 Secretary/Recorder, all three bodies: Joseph Dongo, KYCH... 916-776-6440 Joe@JosephDongo.com 2016 Sacramento York Rite Officers Royal Arch Chapter High Priest... Dusty Deryck... (530) 919-1773 King... Antonio Weary Scribe... Luis Montero Treasurer... Richard Wilson, PHP Secretary... Joseph Dongo, PHP Chaplain... Juan Faranda, PHP Captain of the Host... Ron Charles Principal Sojourner... Joseph Wallach Royal Arch Captain... Jesse Solis-Jacques Master of the 3rd Veil... Carlos Brusel-Casals Master of the 2nd Veil... Floyd Tritt Master of the 1st Veil... Francisco Marques Sentinel... Inspector, Dist. 11... Richard Wilson, KYCH Cryptic Council Illustrious Master... Juan Faranda... (916) 928-4354 Deputy Master... Timothy Harper Principal Cond. of the Work... Colin Cooper Treasurer... Richard Wilson, IPM Recorder... Joseph Dongo, IPM Chaplain... Phil Hardiman, IPM Captain of the Guard... Ron Charles Conductor of the Council... Luis Montero Steward... Carlos Brusel-Casals Sentinel... Joseph Igbinadolor Inspector, Arch 7... Joseph Dongo, KYCH Commandery Knights Templar Commander... Josilito Lito Viray... (916) 509-9467 Generalissimo... Alexander Townsend Captain General... Ron Charles Senior Warden... Juan Faranda Junior Warden... Joseph Igbinadolor Prelate... Phil Hardiman, PC Treasurer... Richard Wilson, PC Recorder... Joseph Dongo, PC Standard Bearer... Jesse Solis-Jacques Sword Bearer... Colin Cooper Warder... Patrick Malley Sentinel... Luis Montero Inspector, Department VI, Division B... Wessel J. Wes Mindermann, KYCH
March 2016 Page 5
Page 6 March 2016 Comptche Outdoor Degrees The 44rd Annual Outdoor Royal Arch Degree Festival will be held at the Tunzi Ranch near Comptche on Saturday, June 25, 2016. The Degrees start at 8:30 a.m. and conclude in mid-afternoon. The degree site is an amphitheater in a redwood grove on the ranch. Group meals are available Friday dinner thru Sunday breakfast, and camping is available on-site. The Tunzi Ranch is about ten miles inland (east) from the coastal village of Mendocino. Self-contained RVs and tent campers are welcome to set up any time during the week, and restroom and shower facilities are available. There are also a wide variety of motel accommodations in Mendocino and nearby Fort Bragg. Nancy Hardiman and Kitty Wilson are planning a ladies trip into Fort Bragg or Mendocino for shopping and lunch on Saturday while the degrees are being conferred. Plan now to attend this fun event and bring a friend to take the degrees. New Members Needed The Sacramento York Rite Bodies have experienced significant growth the last couple of years. But, that growth must continue if we are to be a vibrant and relevant organization. New members are always welcome, particularly if they are interested in sharing in the work. Please find the time now to contact that Master Mason whose petition you would like to sign, and invite him to join us. After the spring 2016 SSYRA Chapter Festival is past, the Royal Arch Degrees will next be offered June 25th at Comptche (see left). Deadline for petitions for that festival is our May 14th meeting. For more information about York Rite Masonry, visit the excellent website maintained by the Golden State Research Chapter: www.goldenstatechapter.org. Membership in the Research Chapter is open to all Royal Arch Masons for a one-time application fee of $10. There are no annual dues. Contact Companion Joseph Dongo, PHP, at Joe@JosephDongo.com.