Happy New Year!
I hope those who attended the Annual Installation of Officers in December had a great time. For those who did not, you were missed.
Installation is often considered the mark of a new beginning for a lodge. I like to think of the Installation we just had as a mark of growth for our Lodge. The ideas and precedents set by the last few Masters will be expanded. This will allow for the growth our Lodge needs to keep up with modern times while still keeping reverence of the past.
As one of my favorite online fitness trainers said:
“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional”
.
There will be changes, my Brothers. Hopefully for the best. I ask that you give every opportunity to embrace it as the changes are meant to grow what we already have.
As I promised, 2022 will be a year of focusing on our Lodge and families and making them one. Other than Stated Meeting, the other events for January are the Brotherhood Walk, Officers' Meeting, and Bowling with Brothers. All January events are focused on the Lodge.
The Brotherhood Walk will be on Saturday, January 8, at 2 p.m.. We will start at the Masonic Temple and will circle Capitol Park twice. It is meant for us to just walk and talk while also keeping us healthy. No particular topic. Just Brothers walking.
The lead-up to Stated Meeting will be a bit different:
• Social Hour in the Club Room at 5:30 p.m. Hors D'oeuvres and drinks will be served. Families are very much welcome and I recommend they join us.
• Dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m. in the ballroom. Committee reports and announcements will be done during dinner. Dinner will also be seated differently. If you went to Installation, you know.
• Stated Meeting begins promptly at 7:30 p.m.
• Spouse Social Hour is also at 7:30 p.m. in the Club Room. Since there was some interest, my wife Fahm will be showing anyone interested how she made those yarn Christmas tree centerpieces. Those who want to participate need to bring a skein of medium to lightweight yarn and a pair of scissors. Drinks will be served.
On Thursday, January 13, the Officers will be discussing a book that Assistant Secretary Prezell Harris recommended to me that describes different ideas on how to run a Masonic Lodge. This book was assigned to not only allow for discussion of the topic, but also to prepare Officers in the line for their eventual ascension to the East. The book is called "It's Business Time: Adapting a Corporate Path for Freemasonry" by Worshipful Robert H. Johnson and Worshipful Jon T. Ruark, both Illinois Freemasons.
On Wednesday, January 19, the Officer School of Instruction (OSI) run by Worshipful Michael Woo, Inspector of the 414th District, will go over the first degree. This OSI is open to not just Officers, but to all Brothers. I invite any who can attend to join us (as Washington Lodge No. 20 has had some of the biggest attendance rates, lately… just letting everyone know).
Finally, on Thursday, January 27, we will be Bowling with Brothers. Just like before, it will be held at Country Club Lanes. The list to join is limited, so once the invite is released it will be in your best interest to sign-up. I want to see if anyone can beat Worshipful John Knox.
Here are the words I shared at Installation:
“Thank you everyone for being here. There are many places all of you could have been tonight, but you chose to be here and I am very grateful for that.
Many of you who know me, know that the titles I receive, whether at work or my personal life, do not hold water with me. Titles like “Director” or “Master” do not make me special. Years from now, all I'll be is just a name on a few sheets of paper. Really, I'm just a second-generation Filipino kid from the Bay Area.
Far greater men have stood where I am standing right now. Far greater men have written and connected words far better than I could ever do.
What does make me special are the relationships I share with each of you. My beautiful wife and children make me special. My close friends make me special. My friends at work make me special. You, my Brothers, make me special. I contend that each of you are special in your own way because of the individual relationships you share with others.
It's these relationships… these connections we have with each other that also make us one family.
I know I'm inheriting this chair at a time when the world seems like it's on fire. But if we as Freemasons and family maintain those connections, we can make this world a better place.
A great king once said…
'We will work to be an example of how we as brothers and sisters on this earth should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.'
One single tribe… one single family… The words are different, but the meaning is the same. In Freemasonry we are taught core tenets:
Brotherly Love, Relief, Truth.
2022 will be no different for Washington Lodge No. 20. As I've told many of you, FAMILY will be the theme for next year. Because TOGETHER we are family.
Love and kindness will be the mission. And this house… THIS HOUSE will be a house of love and kindness, and RENT IS DUE EVERY DAY.
Some of my last words up here tonight will be from the great artist Stan Lee who said…
'The world may change and evolve. But the one thing that will never change is the way we tell our stories...
Those stories have room for everyone, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or color of their skin.
The only things we don't have room for are hatred, intolerance, and bigotry.
That man next to you, he's your brother. That woman over there, she's your sister.
And that kid walking by you, hey, who knows, he may have the proportionate strength of a spider.
We're all part of one big family, the human family.'
So we are all here tonight to come together in the body of Freemasonry. And you, you're part of that family. You're part of the Freemasonry Universe that moves ever upward and onward to greater glory.
Thank you.”
Happy New Year to all our Brethren and their Families!
This being our first newsletter of the 2022 Masonic year, it's with great joy that I reflect on last month's Installation of Officers. It was really quite nice to once again hold this time-honored tradition in person. Worshipful Russell Tomas and his wife Fahm did an amazing job with decorations, and their planning and thoughtfulness made for a truly wonderful event.
Congratulations to all our new Officers, and I look forward to a year of excellence ahead.
One aspect of our Lodge I am working on this year is Masonic Education.
Although I have lots of ideas, I would also appreciate any input. So whether you are new to the Fraternity or a long-time Brother, if there is some aspect to our institution about which you have always wondered, drop me a line and I will try to incorporate it somehow into our program for the year.
One of my favorite symbols adopted by Freemasonry is the Hourglass, used as an emblem of human life. As noted in the monitorial:
We cannot without astonishment behold the little particles which are contained in this machine; how they
pass away almost imperceptibly and yet, to our surprise, in a short space of an hour, they are all exhausted.
The first known records of the invention of the hourglass dates to the 8th Century AD, from a Frankish Monk named Liutprand who served at Chartres. However, it became much more popular in the 14th century, with the rise in marine navigation. The hourglass is unique in that it can track the passage of time even while a ship is heaving, swaying, and surging through the turbulence of the ocean.
Symbolically, I believe both the monitorial and the practical use of the instrument make for a very apt metaphor for the year ahead. Like all those particles of sand in the hourglass, it seems like an entire year is still ahead of us, but I know with all our collective zeal it will yet go by very fast. In addition, no matter what adversity or fortune life throws at us, we will continue on to do our very best for our Ancient and Honorable Fraternity.
Worshipful Russell Tomas has a lot of fun and novel ideas for this year. It will be really wonderful to see everyone at all the events in the ensuing Masonic year, and the wisest among us will take a small moment to reflect on the delightful friendships, merriment and joy shared within our ranks.
Hello, Brethren. As I write this, my initial column, I want to thank you very much for voting for me at a most enjoyable election at our November Stated Meeting. I also want to thank you for entrusting me with the very significant office of Junior Warden. I am humbled by your trust and confidence to continue in the enlightened path of this office held by many before me.
Serving as your Senior Deacon prior to this office was a most positive experience for me, especially since we were able to unite in person once again after many months of virtual meetings. Looking forward to the 2022 Masonic year, the continued building of our moral and Masonic edifice will most certainly take center stage.
I offer my sincerest congratulations to Worshipful Russell Tomas for accepting to rule and govern the lodge over which he has been called to preside. Congratulations to Brother Nicholas Johnston for his election into the office of Senior Warden. And congratulations to all the elected and appointed officers as well. This Masonic year promises to be fun-filled and educational.
There are some significant milestones in January that need to be recognized. We have 23 brethren who celebrate their birthday in January. That's a lot of happy babies in the month and even happier brother Masons among us. In particular, I would like to recognize Past Masters John Knox, Frederick Hardiman, Sonny Stormes, and David Entrican, and wish them a very happy birthday. We also have eleven brethren who celebrate their Masonic Anniversary. In particular, congratulations to Brother William Cameron, who is celebrating his ten-year anniversary as a Master Mason.
In addition to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance on January 17, there are a couple of national holidays worthy of mention, as they are significant. First, did you know that Worshipful Knox shares his birthday with a national holiday? Yes, that's right, January 6 is National Bean Day! This day celebrates the bean in all sizes, shapes, and colors. We've been cultivating beans (legumes) since the early seventh millennium BC.
And today, just as throughout the Old and New World history, beans provide a significant source of protein. Not only are beans an exceptionally healthy meal and snack choice, but they supply an excellent source of fiber. They are low in fat and are high in complex carbohydrates, folate, and iron, too. I am not surprised that Worshipful John Knox is so very proud.
On January 19, we celebrate National Popcorn Day. This time-honored snack can be sweet or savory, caramelized, buttered or plain, molded into a candied ball, or tossed with nuts and chocolate. However it is enjoyed, enjoy it on National Popcorn Day. The word “corn” in Old English meant “grain” or, more specifically, the most prominent grain grown in a region. When Native Americans introduced their most common grain, maize, to early Europeans, they aptly applied the word “corn.”
As early as the 16th century, the Aztecs used popcorn in headdresses worn during ceremonies honoring Tlaloc, their god of maize and fertility. Early Spanish explorers were fascinated by the corn that burst into what looked like a white flower. Popcorn started becoming popular in the United States in the middle 1800s. It wasn't until Charles Cretors, a candy-store owner, developed a machine for popping corn with steam that the tasty treat became more abundantly poppable. By 1900, he had horse-drawn popcorn wagons going through the streets of Chicago.
At about the same time, Louise Ruckheim added peanuts and molasses to popcorn to bring Crackerjacks to the world. Then, in 1908, the national anthem of baseball was born. Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer wrote Take Me out to the Ballgame. From that point on, popcorn, specifically, Crackerjacks, became forever married to the game.
As we start our Masonic year, feel free to enjoy whatever kind of bean you prefer, and by all means, indulge in as much popcorn as you like, especially when watching a movie or enjoying a baseball game.
Happy New Year!
The Craft As We Know It Today
“A Man Has Two Significant Mirrors in His Life: One is His Work, The Other is His Wife.”
Robert Lewis
Well, I could attempt to write about the latter, probably with great difficulty, understandably, so I intend to focus on the WORK.
Craft Masonry is the starting point of every Mason's journey through the Order. Without it, none of the other orders which follow could exist. It is, therefore, the most important element of Freemasonry. Although the Craft as we know it today is often thought of as ritual, blue lodge meetings, and the general practice of Freemasonry, there was once a time when the Craft was the actual work and abilities of a mason worker. A mason physically erected edifices and, with that, built his skills, which earned him wages to support his family and community. This was his business, his work, his CRAFT.
Through the years, the practice of not discussing business in lodge, among other items, has seeped its way into most if not all gatherings we engage in. This action of avoidance often leaves us not being able to lean on a Brother, get guidance from a brother, or give counsel to another Brother. For most men, the work they do, whether that’s education or trade, ends up defining them.
We spend years perfecting a craft that defines how we spend our time, how we see the world, and how we support our lives. We dedicate all this time to our professional mastery, but when it comes to our Brothers, we often don’t share. I truly believe to better understand our community, and more so benefit that collective, we need to make an effort to understand the work they do.
I know that, personally, in my seven years as a Master Mason, I could have used some guidance, a reference, and often a Brother to do business with. In fact, I estimate I have given about $200,000 of business to those not in Freemasonry, just because I couldn’t find a Brother to give the business.
Now, to be very clear, this is not a community that should be used for the sole aim of glad-handing, but, ultimately, if we can help a Brother in any capacity, especially in a capacity that will enable them to support his family and community, we should.
With that in mind, I will be dedicating the 2022 year to learning. I want to learn about my Brother and, in turn, help my Brother know his Brother better. So please keep me in mind as I will be reaching out to learn who my Brother is.
Thank you for your work, both in and out of the Lodge.
Washington Lodge No. 20
Mission Statement
To practice and promote a way of life that binds like-minded men in a worldwide
brotherhood that transcends all religious, ethnic, cultural, social and educational differences.
Through Masonic principles and tradition, and by the outward expression of these
through its fellowship and compassion, Washington Lodge No.20 Free & Accepted Masons provides ways in which to serve God, family, country, neighbors, and self in an environment that contributes to the enrichment and betterment of its members, mankind, and its communities.
The Meaning of Masonry
by Walter L. Wilmshurst
The papers here collected are written solely for members of the Masonic Order, constituted under the United Grand Lodge of England.
To all such, they are offered in the best spirit of fraternity and goodwill and with the wish to render to the Order some small return for the profit the author has received from his association with it extending over thirty-two years.
They have been written with a view to promoting the deeper understanding of the meaning of Masonry; to providing the explanation of it that one constantly hears called for and that becomes all the more necessary in view of the unprecedented increase of interest in, and membership of, the Order at the present day.
About the Author
Walter L. Wilmshurst (22 June 1867 – 10 July 1939) was an English author and Freemason. He published four books on English Freemasonry and submitted articles to The Occult Review magazine.
Born in Chichester, Wilmshurst was initiated as a Mason in the Huddersfield lodge in 1889, having moved to the town to become a solicitor, for a time becoming president of the Huddersfield Law Society. He died in Huddersfield.
In 1927, he founded the Lodge of Living Stones No.4957, in Leeds, which was set up purely in order to study the more esoteric meaning behind Masonic ritual and symbolism.
ISBN-10 : 1595479120 • ISBN-13 : 978-1595479129
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
JANUARY
• 03 Executive Committee Meeting Monday • 06:00 PM (Zoom)
• 06 Social Hour Thursday • 05:30 PM (Club Room)
• 06 Stated Meeting Dinner Thursday • 06:15 PM (Banquet Room)
• 06 Stated Meeting Thursday • 07:30 PM (Lodge Room One)
• 08 Brotherhood Walk Saturday • 02:00 PM (Masonic Temple - Capitol Park)
• 13 Officers' Meeting Thursday • 06:00 PM (Club Room)
• 19 Officers School of Instruction Wednesday • 07:00 PM (Lodge Room Three)
Topic: Stated Meeting Opening (First Degree)
• 27 Bowling with Brothers Thursday • 06:00 PM (Country Club Lanes)
• 31 Executive Committee Meeting Monday • 06:00 PM (Zoom)
FEBRUARY
• 03 Social Hour Thursday • 05:30 PM (Club Room)
• 03 Sweetheart Dinner Thursday • 06:15 PM (Banquet Room)
• 03 Stated Meeting Thursday • 07:30 PM (Lodge Room One)
• 10 Officers' Practice Thursday • 07:00 PM (Lodge Room One)
• 16 Officers School of Instruction Wednesday • 07:00 PM (Lodge Room Three)
Topic: 2nd Degree / 1st Section
• 17 DARK Thursday
• 24 Degree Dinner Thursday • 06:00 PM (Banquet Room)
• 24 Degree Ceremony Thursday • 07:00 PM (Lodge Room One)
• 28 Executive Committee Meeting Monday • 06:00 PM (Zoom)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL CALENDAR
Since July 2020, thousands of California Freemasons have already begun to access their portals in iMember 2.0, the new membership platform—one of the highest adoption rates of any grand lodge jurisdiction on the system. Yet with so many new features just a finger-swipe away—and many more being prepped for launch this fall—there are still lots of questions left to be answered, starting with some of the most basic.
How to Get to iMember 2.0
iMember 2.0 is designed to work on any mobile phone, tablet, or desktop or laptop computer with an internet connection. Simply visit member.freemason.org/lodges/20 or freemason.org and click the FOR MEMBERS button in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen. If you haven’t logged on yet, you’ll need to create an account, so have your email address, membership number, and a unique password ready to go.
You Can Download iMember 2.0 on Your Phone
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The exact placement of the button will depend on your web browser (Safari, Chrome, or Firefox).
More Features in the Works
• Digital Dues, Reminders and Payment Plans
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iMember 2.0 is available to all Masons in California!
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Washington Lodge No. 20
2022 Officers
Russell Tomas
Master@WLN20.org
(707) 315-6593
Nicholas Johnston
Senior Warden
Mauro Lara
Junior Warden
Eric Hixson (PM)
Treasurer
Francisco Marques (PM)
Secretary
Heath Hamm
Chaplain
Prezell Harris
Assistant Secretary
Matthew Mason
Senior Deacon
Joseph Wallach
Junior Deacon
Creston Whiting-Casey
Marshal
William Workman
Senior Steward
Michael Contreras
Junior Steward
Martin Buff
Organist
Floyd Tritt
Tiler
Francisco Marques (PM)
Junior Past Master
D. Edward Entrican (PM)
Treasurer Emeritus
Jared Yoshiki (PM)
Officers' Coach
Francisco Marques (PM)
Officers' Coach
Nicholas Johnston
Head Candidates' Coach
Michael Woo (PM)
Inspector 414th District
Secretary’s Office
Secretary@WLN20.ORG
(916) 832-8357
