Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 1

Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 1

Table of Contents Vision Statement... 2 Leadership... 3 Gibberish... 4 Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation... 4 Scholarships... 5 Contact Information... 5 Illustrious Grand Master Cryptic Masons... 5 Grand Recorder... 5 Website...... 5 Grand Council of Cryptic Masons Officers... 6 Pictures... 7 Humor... 9 CMMRF News Bulletin... 10 Sessions Time... 11 Vision Statement Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 2

Companions, Leadership Leadership is easy to define but hard to implement. Leadership is defined, as we find in the dictionary, as: noun 1. The position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group: He managed to maintain his leadership of the party despite heavy opposition. Synonyms: administration, management, directorship, control, governorship, stewardship, hegemony. 2. Ability to lead: As early as sixth grade she displayed remarkable leadership potential. Synonyms: authoritativeness, influence, command, effectiveness; sway, clout. 3. An act or instance of leading; guidance; direction: They prospered under his strong leadership. 4. The leaders of a group: The union leadership agreed to arbitrate. As you can see there is the definition but there is no instructions on how to be a leader. In defining leadership it does not tell anybody the work and dedication it takes to be a leader or the sacrifices and difficult decisions that have to be made to make an organization prosper and grow. To paraphrase a quote of Helen Keller on her blindness; It s sad that some people have sight but no vision. We as Grand Council have a vision or mission statement and we need to continue to fulfill this statement with continued action. We have a Leadership Training Program and we, as leaders, need to take advantage of this elite program by sending our members, young and old, to this program. We have to stop the thinking I m too old to contribute or He s too young for a leadership role. All our companions can contribute in some way and grow with experience. It is up to the leaders we have now to cultivate every aspect of our membership. I am going to continue to write and talk about Leadership to encourage all our membership to bring in new, vibrant, and dynamic companions from our Craft Lodges (our base). We have our Masonic teachings for encouragement and a tool to instruct new and current members on how to better communicate Craft. Remember communication and unity go hand in hand with leadership. Our Vision Statement: Cryptic Masons of California will be the preeminent York Rite Body in the nation, comprised of active and passionate companions recognized by all. As Cryptic Masons, we support the research dedicated to eliminate heart disease and diabetes. Cryptic Masons of California will progress to new heights through teamwork and the exemplification of the teachings of our Masonic Values. Hope to see ya ll soon. God Bless, William E. Price KYGCH Most Illustrious Grand Master Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 3

Gibberish I wrote an article about Masons, what it is to be a Mason, how to act as a Mason, gathered from information in the 1800 s and information from friends on Facebook and Twitter and then I decided to re-write. Probably after this article I will be put out to pasture but even Officers of the Grand Chapter are talking about something in their meetings besides read minutes, pay bills, and go home. It is well known York Rite in Central Valley is hurting. Another York Rite has died and will be buried (soon as all the votes are tabulated) and that leaves, using 99 as a guide, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Hanford, and Bakersfield. WOW. To be a Companion and Sir Knight in Central Valley causes you to travel; it is not uncommon to drive 2 hours to a meeting and then 2 hours back home. How long can we keep this going? I wrote several articles for Sword and Trowel publication, which was well received, Companions voiced their opinions with joy, articles were the talk of the town, and Companions danced in the street, NOT. Questions: Do the Companions in your Council, beginning with the Steward to Illustrious Master know the ritual? Let s narrow it down a little, does the Illustrious Master, Deputy Master, Principal Conductor of the Work, or Captain of the Guard know the ritual? Let s make it easier; does the Illustrious Master know the ritual? Personally, I do not think the ritual is that well known otherwise for the last 8 years I have been attending the Grand York Rite Sessions, the Director of Ritual would not have been voicing their opinion. Companions of the Grand Line, Assistant Directors of Ritual, Inspectors, those elected and appointed, you are ambassadors of Cryptic Masonry in California, and you are needed. But I do have a question for you, Where have you been? Example: Companion Lee P. Whelan will be the next Illustrious Grand Master, followed by Companion William S. Dann, and then Companion Eduardo Estrada. Those of you reading this publication do you actually know these Companions? Have they visited your Council? Of a Council known to me, the ADR is a frequent visitor, we had one (1) visit from a Grand Officer and Zero (0) visits by an Inspector. And does this apply to you and your Department When was the last SOI s (School of Instruction) held in your Department? The next School of Instruction will be held on March 25, 2017 in Hanford, for Royal Arch and for Companions in Sacramento, Stockton, that will be a long drive. If memories serves me correctly, and remember I am an old man, the last Cryptic Masonry School of Instruction for Central Valley was held in Visalia, 2015. Grand Officers, ADR s, and Inspectors, both elected and appointed, you must begin to visit the Councils in your Department Period. Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation Our Charity (Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation) can really use your support with Dollars. Please send all donations to me, so that I may process the proper receipts and mail all donations to Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation in Nashville, Indiana. Please take a few minutes and think about our charity. Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2017 10:53 AM Subject: CMMRF --- Announcement Good afternoon CMMRF State Chairmen, (1) This is to make you aware of a new option we established to collect funds for CMMRF. Granted it pretty much duplicates what can be done between our web page and Facebook page; however, it does provide another avenue for potential donors, especially non-masons, to find us and hopefully contribute. The site is www.gofundme.com. ; Perhaps you have heard of it. Here is the link to our front page: Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 4

https://www.gofundme.com/cryptic-masons-medical-research We can post updates, add pictures, and ad-hoc videos. This also gets shared to Facebook. It costs us nothing to put up this page. They do take 5% of whatever donations come in. So in that sense, it is a "pay as you go." Please spread the word on this. We never know who might find this an attractive way to support CMMRF. (2) Reminder that CMMRF Day is just over a month away. Remember to promote this as you speak to different groups. (3) Also, keep in mind that video presentations are available from our web page at http://www.cmmrf.org/videos.html. Fred J. Tiny Potter, MIPGM Chairman, Cryptic Masons Medical Research Foundation (California) 345 Otono Court Camarillo, CA 93012-6822 Scholarships Companions, your children, grandchildren, & for some, great-grandchildren may receive financial help for attending school. After opening up Scholarship Center website, have them go to bottom of page & find the Scholarship Manual in (PDF format 450KB) to download. There they will find instructions for filling out the forms. This is the link which will take you to the public Grand Lodge web page on scholarships. All the information you need should be right there. This is a complete manual that you can download that talk about all of the scholarships available from the California Masonic Foundation as well as the Scottish Rite, York Rite, Eastern Star, High Twelve, DeMolay, Job s Daughters, & Rainbow for Girls. Illustrious Grand Master Cryptic Masons: Most Illustrious Companion, William E. Price, KYGCH Grand Master Cryptic Masons of California (650) 759-1120 Grand Recorder: Ken Hope 11428 East Artesia Blvd, Suite 13 Artesia, CA 90701-3872 (562) 924-6500 (W) Website: Grand York Rite of California Contact Information Note: Hyperlinks or links to other pages or web sites are prevalent throughout the document. Please notice the reference Sword and Trowel; if you run your mouse over these names you will see Ctrl + Click to follow link. These are valid links to York Rite information. Have you gone to our Grand Council website lately? www.yorkriteofcalifornia.org/ Do you know that there you can find rosters of officers, forms that you need, and a complete copy of the Officers Guide. The Officers guide helps you plan and know what is expected you. Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 5

Grand Council of Cryptic Masons Officers We are here to assist you, please call upon us. DEPUTY GRAND MASTER Lee P. Whelan & Teresa Riverside Council No. 59 Cryptic Masons GRAND TREASURER Robert A. L. Whitfield, MIPGM & Genie Oakland Council No. 12 Cryptic Masons GRAND CHAPLAIN (North) Morris H. Moriuchi California Council No. 2 Cryptic Masons Most Illustrious Companion William E. Price, KYGCH, 156 th Grand Master Cryptic Masons & Janet California Council No. 2 C.M. GRAND PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR OF THE WORK William S. Dann & Anne Pacific Council No. 37 Cryptic Masons GRAND RECORDER Kenneth G. Hope, HMIPGM & Sonny Shekinah Council No. 35 Cryptic Masons GRAND DIRECTOR OF RITUAL David L. Chesebro, MIPGM & Sarah San Luis Obispo Council No. 38 Cryptic Masons GRAND CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD Eduardo Estrada & Natasha Omega Council No. 11 Cryptic Masons GRAND STEWARD Peter G. Champion & Jan San Luis Obispo Council No. 38 Cryptic Masons GRAND MARSHAL (North) Joseph K. Dongo Sacramento Council No. 1 Cryptic Masons GRAND SOLOIST K. Mark Harris Oakland Council No. 12 Cryptic Masons Grand Bible Bearer Antonio Cimarra, Jr. California Council No. 2 Cryptic Masons GRAND CHAPLAIN (South) Andrew B. Pippin Ventura Council No. 15 Cryptic Masons GRAND CONDUCTOR OF THE COUNCIL Robert A. Morrison & Pauline Butte Council No. 50 Cryptic Masons GRAND SENTINEL Guy M. Chalmers Redwood Empire Council No. 46 Cryptic Masons GRAND ORATOR Jordan T. Yelinek California Council No. 2 Cryptic Masons GRAND MARSHAL (South) Casey M. Latham H. Edward Barr s Oasis Council No. 64 Cryptic Masons GRAND MUSICIAN Arthur H. Walton San Jose Council No. 20 Cryptic Masons Grand Standard Bearer Michael T. Sherman Helix Council No. 258 Cryptic Masons Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 6

Pictures San Diego Reception WOW Bakersfield Installation Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 7

Copied this picture from the Internet because these two guys were smiling. Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 8

Humor Have you ever been guilty of looking at someone your own age and thinking, "Surely I can't look that old?" You'll love this one. My name is Alice Smith and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which showed his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name who had been in my high school class some 40-odd years ago. Could this be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then? Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School. "Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a Mustang," he beamed with pride. "When did you graduate?" I asked. He answered, "In 1959. Why do you ask?" "You were in my class!" I exclaimed. He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, old, bald wrinkled, fat, gray, decrepit son-of-a-gun asked, "What did you teach?" Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 9

CMMRF News Bulletin Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 10

Sessions Time Sword & Trowel March 2017 Volume 4 No. 10 Page 11

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