FROM THE MASTER'S DESK
My most humble thanks to all of you for re-electing me Master of Golden Rule Lodge for 2016. This will be my 4th – and hopefully last – time to occupy the Oriental Chair. It is a position fraught with a great many responsibilities, and I will do my best to live up to the faith and trust you have put in me.
I hope you all had a GREAT New Years, and that 2016 will be your BEST year ever!!
January was a very busy month for Golden Rule Lodge. On Jan 11 we Passed Bro. Sean Patrick to the Degree of Fellow Craft. The First Degree Proficiency he presented to the Lodge that night, prior to receiving his 2nd Degree, is the best and most meaningful I have ever heard! I wish you ALL could have heard it! Bro Sean has definitely grasped and understood the teachings of the First Degree. I may have him read it at a Stated Mtg. Then, on Jan 25, we Initiated Mr Nick Palomarez into Golden Rule Lodge, and set his feet upon the Road to Light in Masonry. Congratulations – BROTHER Palomarez!!
The culmination of one year, and the beginning of the next, is the Annual Installation of Officers. Our 2016 Installation was great! Most Worshipful Ken Nagel, Grand Master of Masons in California in 2009, was our Installing Officer, and our own Wors Art Pasquinelli, was Master of Ceremonies. We installed 13 of our 14 Officers (one being sick) which was more than ANY OTHER LODGE in the Valley!! We had a big turnout of Brothers, Family and Friends, and 17 Past Masters were present – more than any other two lodges combined!! We also had over one hundred Brothers, families and guests in attendance, one of the larger turnouts at any installation this year. It is this dedication of the Brothers and Past Masters of Golden Rule Lodge that has made us one of the premier lodges in California!! Additionally, Wors Chuck Mignosa volunteered to provide the music, and he did it to the nines! After slow organ music for the entrance of the Officers, he played the Darth Vader Theme from Star Wars as the Tiler was conducted to his chair. It continually got better, as anyone who was there can tell you. THANK YOU, Wors Chuck!!
And special thanks to Angela Athans who set out some great num nums both before and after the Installation, plus decorated the dining room.
Your Officers had a one day “Retreat” together on January 23, to work on leadership skills and make plans to make 2016 the BEST YEAR in Golden Rule Lodge’s history! We had goal setting and conflict resolution workshops, started planning activities for 2016, and even made a first stab at a 5 year plan. If you have any suggestions of things you would like to see or do in 2016, contact any Officer and tell us. We want to make 2016 YOUR year, so we need your input.
See the Calendar for our upcoming events. We have THREE Degrees planned in February, and THREE more in March – not to mention all the other activities listed. Please come down and join us, particularly if you haven’t been to lodge in a while. If you have a problem with transportation, call me and we will arrange a ride. Your Brothers MISS YOU, and I earnestly believe that after you step back into the warmth of the Lodge, you will wonder why you stayed away so long? PLEASE COME!!
Fraternally, Hank Vlcek – Master
FROM THE WEST
It’s just a week since all the officers of Golden Rule Lodge were installed. I really appreciate all the support from lodge brothers, Past Masters, family and friends and members of other lodges who attended the Installation. As we transition into our new roles, this is a good time to recap what my duties as Senior Warden are:
As Senior Warden, my jewel of office is the Level...symbolizing that all Masons meet on the level, without regard to social, political or religious beliefs or status.
As Senior Warden of the Lodge I am the second in command within the Lodge Officers.
In the absence of the Worshipful Master, I assume the Worshipful Master's duties.
My station in the lodge is in the West (symbolic of the setting sun) as I assist the Worshipful Master in opening and closing the Lodge. I am in charge of the Lodge when it is at labor and work is in progress. My position is similar to a Vice-President of any organization.
The ancient duties of the Senior Warden were to pay the Craft (the members of the guild) their wages and to handle disputes among the workers. It is my duty to support the Master and to prepare myself for that office during the following year.
The officers of the lodge spent a day together to set out the plan for 2016 and future years and to assess how best we can work together on projects, goals and objectives proposed to and accepted by our Worshipful Master. I look forward to another great year for Golden Rule lodge and I ask all Brothers and Past Masters to join in the fun, brotherly love, relief and truth as we participate and get involved in the various plans and activities as the Master rolls out the Masonic work for your support. I also look forward to supporting my fellow officers in their new roles and passing on any useful lessons I learned as Junior Warden last year. All Brothers can get involved and show their support by attending Stated Meetings and Degrees and supporting the goals and programs set up for the coming years.
Respectfully Submitted, John Cahill – Senior Warden
FROM THE SOUTH
Dear Brothers,
My name is Lee Brooks. I want to thank you for the trust you have shown in me to serve in this capacity. I have a few goals I want to accomplish this year - the first being to set up a night where a Grand Lodge representative will come and facilitate a Lodge Management Certification Program (LMCP) course, designed to present lodge leaders with cutting-edge tools, training, and guidance to address the unique management and administrative responsibilities of today's lodges. Another goal I have set for the year is facilitating an event to honor the Widows of our lodge. I want and need your suggestions. I want to create events that will inspire participation that spans generations. We need the Past Masters and Brothers of our lodge who have not been around to come, participate, and help the current and future Brothers of our Lodge. If you have any suggestions please call me, email me, text me. I am here for you.
Warm Regards,
Lee Brooks, Junior Warden, Golden Rule #479.