Personal Representative’s Message – January 2013

raymond_godekeDear Friends and Brothers, I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits!

Most Worshipful and Illustrious William F Stovall 33°, Sovereign Grand Inspector General for the Orient of California has retired fr3om his office effective December 31, 2012. He served Scottish Rite Masonry for 12 years in that capacity. During his term of office, he also served as Chairman and President of the California Scottish Rite Foundation. In both capacities, Most Worshipful and Illustrious Bill truly has made a difference for our fraternity.

Effective January 1, 2013, Most Worshipful and Illustrious Frank Loui has been appointed as Deputy of the Supreme Council in the Orient of California. He and wife Jeannie are very active in the Fraternity. I think he just caught his breath after serving the Grand Lodge of California as Grand Master for the 2011 – 2012 Masonic year! I’m sure many of you know Most Worshipful Brother Frank and as such know he will serve our orient very well.

On Saturday, January 12th we will have our first Advisory Council meeting of the year. While I expect all officers to be attendance, you should consider attending. This is an opportunity for you to participate in setting the future direction of the Valley. The officers to be installed on January13th will be providing us with their insight as to their vision for the Valley at that same meeting. Please come join us in this important event.

I am pleased to report the Christmas Party for the Children of the Language Center was a resounding success! Thanks to all of you who supported this special evening for the Children we serve. If you have the desire to support the Language Center financially, you can log on and make a donation on-line. A special thanks goes to Ruth Honer, Ruth Ketchersid and Fardowsa Mohamed who volunteered their time to help the evening go smoothly. We are truly fortunate to be associated with the likes of these three very special Ladies!

Consider this a reminder that applications for scholarships from the California Scottish Rite Foundation are due by February 13, 2013 at 5:00 PM. You can log on to the Foun-dation web site at www.casr-foundation.org to get further information and to download the application.

Get involved, my Brothers, you can make a difference.

Fraternally,
Ray

From the Venerable Master – January 2013

Bob McNamara, 32⁰ KCCH Venerable MasterMy Brothers,

The 2012 year rapidly came to a close. With it, my year as your Venerable Master is about to close. I have been truly honored to serve the Santa Ana Valley this past year. We witnessed many changes. The biggest one was our move to the DeMolay Center in Anaheim. Joining Long Beach Valley for our reunion was another. Our Century Club, Berry the Pig, CLC 365 Club and Recycling program continued to do well. Our Super Breakfasts made much needed profits for the Valley. And the Master Craftsman course produced more completions. The Maundy Thursday, Easter Observance and Feast of Tishri were held on the proper dates. All in all, I think we had a very success year and I am proud of officers and membership for making all of this happen. Thank you!

Our installation on January 13 will install our newly elected Venerable Master, Steve Bass, 32⁰ KCCH and a new corps of officers. I wish them well and am looking forward to their leadership.

Sincerely and Fraternally,
Bob McNamara, 32⁰ KCCH
Venerable Master

From the Incoming Venerable Master

Steven Bass, 32° KCCHBrethren

I hope you and your loved ones had wonderful Holidays together and I want to wish you a very Happy New Year! I am excited with the Officer line for 2013. We hope to continue the great work this Valley of Santa Ana Scottish Rite and its Brothers have laboriously erected with the skills of the Craft. This is going to be a good year. I want to thank Junior Past Venerable Master Bob McNamara, 32⁰ KCCH, for his energy and commitment in 2012 (he was committed, I saw them take him away). He steered a steady course and the Valley made progress under his leadership.

My motto for this year is “Welcome, back.” We want to encourage attendance and participation not only for the Valley, but also for supporting the Child Language Center. Remember why you joined, continue the Fellowship once started with hopes of new connections.

Thank you my Brothers for electing me Venerable Master. I will work hard for the Valley and I hope I can count on your help and support.

S&F,
Steven Bass, 32′ KCCH
Valet Parking Attendant #3 – on weekends
Venerable Master on the 1st Monday of the Month

Scottish Rite Research Society

As you are no doubt aware, the Scottish Rite Research Society (SRRS) was founded in 1991 to promote deeper study of and reflection on the teachings of Freemasonry. Since then, the SRRS has grown into the largest and most dynamic American Masonic research group today. Drawing from an esteemed and international cadre of Fellows and scholars, the SRRS annually publishes some of the most im-portant works in Masonic research.

With over 4,000 members, the SRRS continues to grow in the Southern Jurisdiction but we would like to publicize it to an even wider audience; namely, our newest Scottish Rite Brethren. If any brother would like more information on the Scottish Rite Research Society please visit our website.

 

william-sizemore-signature

Operation Backpack Update

My Brothers,

Thanks to your generous contributions, we were able to provide each child attending the Language Center with a very nice backpack, full of the “right” grade-appropriate supplies to help them thrive academically.

My personal thanks to Venerable Master, brother Bob McNamara, Asst. Personal Representative, Illustrious brother Rich-ard Wood, Illustrious brother Wayne Butterbo, brothers David Frias and family, Andrew Todd, Daniel Willerton, James McCallion, Jamie Hopkins, Daren Gress, Jim Nyfer, Thomas Olsen, and my extraordinary wife, for their generosity and support.

The “stuff the backpack” event held at our home was a total success! Together we assembled 56 backpacks, which were formally presented to the Language Center on Thursday August 30th.

As you can see, our children received their Rite Backpacks with great smiles!

I would like to share with you some of the statements made by our children and their families, in a beautiful book presented to the Scottish Rite during our Language Center appreciation dinner, which took place on Monday October 1st, at the DeMolay Center in Anaheim.

Esther’s family wrote:

We are so thankful for your donation! Thank you so much. We really enjoyed the use of the school supplies. It was enough to share among my sister and brother.

Katie’s family wrote:

Scottish Rite, Valley of Santa Ana, thank you for your kindness and generosity. Katie was thrilled to receive one of the your Operation Backpacks. It truly made her feel special. There are so many school supplies to keep her love of learning thriving for a very long time. Here smile says it all! Thank you again for your kindness and generosity.

The Nevine family wrote:

My family and I would just like to take a moment and thank you for your generous donation. My daughter Rachel was able to receive a beautiful backpack for school thanks to your generous donations. She was in desperate need for one as school recently started but we were unable to provide one for her. Once again, we give our heart-felt and sincere thank you for your philanthropy.

Brothers, this is the impact we make in the lives of our children. The Language Center is our Philanthropy, so let’s continue our work, as after all, this is what masons know how to do best!

If you missed out on this great opportunity, get ready, Operation The Rite Christmas is coming next! As I mentioned earlier, the “Rite” is here to stay!

Fraternally yours,
Frankie Rosario, 32°
Wise Master

Operation The Rite Christmas

My Brothers and Ladies,

Just a quick word to thank everyone who participated in the Operation The Rite Christmas’s event for your generosity and time. The event hosted on Saturday November 17th was a total success! Together we wrapped over 60 gifts for the children of the Language Center, so Mr. Santa Claus could distribute them on Monday December 3rd, during the Scottish Rite Holiday Dinner. We are certain these gifts will uplift the spirits of every child attending the Language Center during this very special holiday season. Once gain, thank you for being part of this very special event and for making a difference in the life of our Language Center children.

Once gain, thank you for being part of this very special event and for making a difference in the life of our Language Center children.

If you missed this event don’t worry, another “Rite” operation will come soon! As I say, the Rite is here to stay!

Fraternally yours,
Frankie Rosario, 32°
Wise Master