Greeting from the East
July 2018 was a month for recognizing dedicated Brothers for their long and faithful service to the lodge, our youth groups and Masonry in general. At the July Stated Meeting, I had the honor and pleasure of informing the Brethren in attendance of the names of the two deserving Brothers receiving the 2018 Hiram Award and Mason of the Year Awards.
Mason of the Year – Recognizes a brother for outstanding continuous service during his Masonic career and in particular for the 2018. (Awarded each year during the Grand Master’s reception at the Scottish Rite Center dinner). This year the ceremony and dinner are on Saturday, 25 August 2018, from 1700 to 2000. Please make reservation for this event. The contact information for reservation was sent in a separate announcement to each Brother email address.
CONSUELO’S 2018 MASON OF THE YEAR WINNER: This Brother joined Agate Chapter, Order of DeMolay in 1980, where he progressed through the Agate Chapter Office positions including Junior Councilor, Senior Councilor, Master Councilor (similar to WM of a Lodge) and is currently a long serving Chapter Dad. He was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in July 2009 and has held the office of Consuelo Marshal. He has provided critical behind the scene continuous Masonic Services for our Consuelo and concordant Youth Groups. To list a few, currently and continuously as a DeMolay Dad and Job’s Daughters Advisor, he has organized and prepared many Stated Meeting Dinners and other events for our lodge. He has participated in the Child I.D. He is always in the front lines of our Lodge social event such as the Christmas party, Lodge and Youth Group Officer installations and numerous other events providing care for brethren, guidance, great food, music and fun. He is currently helping with the care of a fellow Master Mason with failing health. He has also become a Certified Adult Advisor for Job’s International. Roger Parker, our 2018 Mason of the Year. Congratulations Brother Roger!
Hiram Award – This is the Highest Award given by the lodge to an esteemed Brother for LONG AND FAITHFUL SERVICE TO HIS LODGE, TO MASONRY IN GENERAL and to his community. The recipient is selected by the Past Hiram Award winners of his Lodge). The Hiram Award Ceremony and dinner for 2018 will be conduct on Saturday, 13 October 2018 at Consuelo Lodge from 1400 to 1800. Make reservations with our Junior Warden Tracy Reynolds.
CONSUELO’S HIRAM AWARD WINNER: This Brother has been on the front lines year after year on Consuelo Lodge’s behalf from before 1986 when he was a young man joining DeMolay, became a Master Mason, then a long term and enduring DeMolay Chapter Dad, and councilor. For years, he has participated in guiding DeMolay young men, managed AGATE Chapter, and prepared our Stated Meeting Dinners as lead adult for DeMolay and volunteering for other groups. I cannot remember a time when he did not participate in Consuelo Lodge activities such a Child ID, Christmas parties, picnics, and many other events over a long, long time. For his long devotion to DeMolay youth, and to Consuelo Lodge, I can only be talking about our devoted, and active 32-year Master Masons: John Daniel Proffitt, as our Consuelo Lodge 2018 Hiram Award Winner. Congratulations Brother Daniel!
The winners of the last two awards, Consuelo’s 2018 Best Ritualist and Outstanding Officer of the Year, will be awarded at the November Stated Meeting. This a Lodge work in progress for the 2018 Consuelo Pillars and you the Consuelo Brethren to decide. Please submit your nominees and a brief summary for your selection of this nominees to the Master by 15 October 2018. Please plan on attending these important award ceremonies to honor our long serving and faithful Consuelo Brothers.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN AUGUST 2018:
- A Consuelo 1st Degree ceremony will be conducted on Monday, 6 August 2018 at 1830. Please attend and welcome our new Brother to the Lodge. Rehearsal 5 Aug, at 1830.
- MASONATHON 2018, Saturday 11 Aug 2018 from 0900 to 1700 at the Scottish Rite Center. Masonic Ritual at its finest. The best ritualists of Division IX will be conducting a 3rd degree, then members from Prince Hall Lodges will be conducting a 3rd degree as well. Do not miss seeing our talented all district and the Prince Hall Officers deliver Ritual at its best! Reservation required. http://masonathon.org/
- Consuelo’s Stated Meeting and Dinner will be conducted on Monday 13 August 2018, Dinner at 1830 and Stated Meeting at 1930.The Officers of the Lodge will plan, prepare, and serve an excellent Dinner – and clean up afterwards. Dinner Reservation required. Consuelo will read, and/or vote on several new Applications for degrees and affiliation. The stricter “get to know you”, applicant pipeline is starting to bring outstanding candidates to our lodge.
- After Stated Meeting, Consuelo Lodge will be dark until the first Monday in September – if possible and no unforeseen situation arise?
- Officers still needing to qualify for their next year positions, Contact Wor. Doug, Consuelo Officer’s Coach to set up an appointment.
- All District First Annual Picnic, 18 August 2018, At Dixon Lake from 1000 – 1400.Reservations required: Contract Gabe Borboa at (951) 567-9829 or email [email protected]. This will be a good time!
Have a safe and fun August, please attend the Consuelo’s degrees, Stated Meeting, the Division IX Masonathon and bring your family to the District Picnic.
Semper Fi!
Wor. Ross. Douglas
From the West
Did You Read the Cover?
For the 4th year in a row, I have been involved with the Masons4Mitts campaign and I am always happy to represent Consuelo and the North County masons in spreading the word of the different philanthropies that we are involved with and how we can make a difference in a child’s life.
As Masons, we are always being asked to make a donation for this charity or for that charity, but that is because we are lucky enough to be able to make an impact on others’ lives. There are many unfortunate kids, right here in San Diego, that don’t have the opportunity or the ability to have a baseball glove to call their own.
I remember when I was a kid and I had the opportunity to play Little League baseball, having a glove and a ball gave me the chance to play catch with my own father, and he in turn helped developed my skills so I could play in Little League. Those were some fun times of my life.
Now, I have the chance to ask my brothers to help raise money for those kids in San Diego who need our assistance.
My brothers, I am asking you to donate at least $20 to buy a kid a mitt worth $60-$70.
The mitt is a Rawlings mitt. It’s a top notch quality mitt that will last a kid a long time and give him the chance to look at the emblem burned into the leather and the name of the group that gave him or her a chance to be a kid.
And speaking of being a kid, it’s time to come together and go as a group to the ball field and watch the San Diego Padres play against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday September 18 at 7:00 PM.
Consuelo has a tendency to bring a large group and show support for our Grand Master, and that’s what we should be doing, showing support.
We need to place an order as a group so we can sit together as a group.
If you are interested in placing an order for tickets, please come to the Stated Meeting dinner, and/or the meeting and place your orders with me. I will take care of everything.
The ticket prices are $25 each. The seats are along the 1st base line and they give a good view of the field and it’s always fun to enjoy the night celebrating the accomplishments of Masonry and with your brothers across San Diego.
I hope you will help and buy a mitt and then show up to celebrate what we have done.
Thank you!
Doug Ford, PM
From the South
Everything is a Test
Whether it is balancing a checkbook, inventing a way to view other planets and stars or learning ritual, eventually, we all test our work. When we test our work, we test the thinking and efforts that produced the results of our work. We check for flaws and make improvements where needed.
As a noun: test is defined as a procedure intended to establish the quality, performance, or reliability of something, especially before it is taken into widespread use.
As a verb: test is defined as to take measures to check the quality, performance, or reliability of (something), especially before putting it into widespread use or practice.
Each of these definitions addresses quality, performance or reliability of something. Each definition also uses the phrase “before putting into widespread use”. Philosophically, based on those definitions, it is easy for me to see that everything I do, can be seen as a test of some kind. Not that there is always a pass/fail outcome, like a driver’s test. Every test can be and should be a learning opportunity for us, like an eye test is.
I think every Entered Apprentice Mason that has delivered his Proficiency can see that what they learn, as they strive for excellence in the return of their work, is a testing of the limits of what they can do. As Mason’s we are faced with stretching our abilities beyond what we think we can do and to smooth the rough surface of Our Ashlars be learning.
Once we break through the self-imposed barriers, or secret evasion of mind, we emerge stronger and with new hope for possibilities and what we can do for our fellow Human Beings. As a Mason, I do not think I will ever quit testing the smoothness of my ashlars and making changes as needed to better suit my effect on the world I will leave behind.
Tests do require judgment. Judges can be and, to a degree must be, biased as there are standards of, quality, performance and reliability that will apply to just about everything we do.
As a noun: a Standard is defined as a level of quality or attainment or an idea or thing used as a measure, norm, or model in comparative evaluations.
As an adjective: a Standard is defined as used or accepted as normal or average.
To experience everything as a test requires self-reflection through the filter of truth in order to “see” those parts of ourselves that we would like to think do not exist. The term “reflective practitioner” aptly fits as a strategy for self-improvement as a “constant tester”.
I have the tremendous opportunity, each month, to write an article for those who will read it. Whether it puts forth ideas that they don’t agree with or ideas I’ve learned from them, I share them without fear. I am prodded to think as I write, and through the process of thinking, I learn. I hope that these writings cause all readers to think and through that process
Gone But Not Forgotten
Our own Worshipful Jeff Hertig has made a decision to move to Texas for the betterment of his family; as his brothers, we will miss him, and each one of us knows the impact he has made over to Consuelo Lodge.
Even if he couldn’t keep his eyes open during a lecture, or always hid in the back when pictures were taken, unless he did the obligations, and then he had to be up front with the candidate, he will be missed.
Good luck to you Jeff and much success!
| The pictures above are the brothers which he obligated throughout his year. |
