Fraternal Greetings, Brethren!
May is a month of beginnings and endings. As always, we begin the month with our monthly business meeting. Following that, much of this month will be dedicated to perfecting our ritual for the first degree, culminating in the initiation of a new brother Mason. Finally, we’ll close out this month’s labors with this year’s third Lodge of Education.
Our May Stated Meeting will be on the 2nd. You and your family are invited to join us for dinner before the meeting. We will be enjoying a salad, meatloaf, and dessert for only $5. Please RSVP with Annie by Friday, April 28.
This month’s District School of Instruction will be hosted by Pacific Starr-King Lodge on Monday, May 8. Attendance is mandatory for all officers, and highly encouraged for all of our Fellowcraft and Master Masons.
We will be practicing our first degree ritual on the 9th and the 16th in preparation for Yuri’s initiation into our Fraternity. Our degree team has been working hard to provide a memorable experience, and we’re proud to have a bunch of members performing new roles for the first time. All Masons and prospective members are invited to join for our meal at 6:30 P.M., though only Masons may remain for the practice that follows.
We’re excited to be initiating Yuri Tsapayev into our Fraternity on May 23rd. All Masons are invited to witness this important day in his Masonic career. We’ll enjoy a celebratory dinner at 6:30 P.M., followed by the conferral of Yuri’s first degree beginning at 7:30 P.M. It’s not often that we get to see a friend of our Lodge become a brother, and we hope to see many of you in attendance.
We’ll be hosting our May Lodge of Education on the 30th. As always, we’ll have a great meal, tasty beverages, rousing toasts, and (most importantly) thoughtful presentations and discussions on topics of Masonic interest. Last month’s Lodge of Education featured presentations on the theme of “The Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences” — a topic of special importance to Fellowcraft Masons, and of general use to all Masons wishing to further both their education and how they interact with the world around them. This month’s Lodge of Education promises to be another memorable addition to our Masonic Education program, and an exciting opportunity to further our philosophical, ethical, and spiritual development. Please RSVP via the Lodge App, or by calling or emailing me by the preceding Friday.
I end my article on a bittersweet note: our very own Worshipful Brother Ed Sadler will be moving East to Virginia toward the end of the month. While we’re very excited for him as he embarks on this new adventure, we’ll very much miss his presence on Tuesday nights. Ed has invested an incredible abundance of time and effort into our Lodge during his time here, from executing a busy calendar of Masonic events seemingly effortlessly, to happily and expertly performing any role required on our degree team. Ed has been both a mentor and a Masonic role-model for me, and I’ve been able to count on his good counsel to point me in the right direction during my entire Masonic career. I simply cannot imagine my personal Masonic journey thus far having been as rewarding or memorable without his presence and influence. We wish him well on this new chapter in his life, and we look forward to him visiting in the future. To quote the Tiler’s Toast oft repeated at our Lodges of Education and Table Lodges: “Happy to meet. Sorry to part. Happy to meet again.” Good luck in all your travels, Brother Ed!
Fraternally,
Michael Ramoneda
Junior Warden