What a way to start off the 2017 year! We were honored to have many distinguished visitors at the January Stated including: Most Worshipful Brother Julio César Aldana, 33°, Grand Master of Guatemala and Noble Shriner, and his aid, Brother Enrique Molina, Worshipful Brother Alberto Caneto 33°, Past Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge Of Uruguay, Past Master; and Noble Shriner Luis G. Cisneros 32°, Knight Commander of the Court of Honor, Past Master and Past Potentate of Almas Shriners 2015 from the Grand Master of Masons of Guatemala. I was both excited and challenged as the Grand Master’s first language is not English nor do I speak Spanish fluently, but our translator did a great job and the Grand Master’s message was on point and one we all share as Masons. That message being that no matter where you go in the world, a Brother is a Brother is a Brother. Our tenants and beliefs in the Brotherhood are aligned and our desire to be pillars and beacons of light for our fellow man and our community are always at the forefront of our minds.
In addition to our wonderful guests, we also finished up committee appointments. I hope that each Brother appointed will take on this task with the devotion and effort they would wish another Brother to have in their place. It’s our goal to be active and engaging. This requires cooperation and effort from all committee members and the Brethren. Things will not just happen, it requires work from all of us so please take your appointments seriously and be creative, be brave, be bold, present your ideas, ask questions, and always seek to improve our community and our Lodge.
At the February Stated we will confer a Fellowcraft Degree. I hope every Brother can be there for this wonderful event. It is a special night for our Entered Apprentices, and the more support we have the greater their experience will be. As there are many opportunities for practice, I hope that this degree will be an improvement from our previous ones, and, I know, as we move forward,, our degree teams will continue to get stronger, right along with our Lodge as a whole.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at the February meeting!
Sincerely and Fraternally,
James S. Parkhurst
Worshipful Master