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Seattle Scottish Rite
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USPS 485-660Periodicals postage paid
volUme 60, No. 02206-324-3330 mar / Apr 2013
CommunicatorThe Official Publication of the Seattle Valley
Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry
The
Special meeting in April, pg 5
RiteCare BeerFestival
pg 7
BodySpotlight
pg 6
Rose CroixRetreat 2012
pg 8
Scottish Rite Communicator
valley of Seattle
The Communicator (USPS 485-660) is published by the Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite, 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213, for the benefit of its members, bi-monthly and is mailed as a non-profit publication to all members of the Seattle Valley and to specified other interested parties. $2.00 per member is assessed for the publication of The Communica-tor. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington and at additional mailing offices. The material contained within this publication is intended for the education and enjoyment of the members of the Masonic Fraternity and all material published becomes the property of Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite. Permission to reproduce material from this publication for Masonic publications is hereby granted. Postmaster: Send address changes to — The Communicator at 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213.
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www.seattle-scottishrite.org
SCoTTISH RITe oFFICeRS
Ronald A. Seale, 33°Sovereign Grand Commander
Alvin W. Jorgensen, 33°Deputy, Orient of Washington
Sat Tashiro, 33°Personal Rep. of S:.G:.I:.G:.
Greg Goodrich, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:. General Secretary & Communicator Editor
Norman miller, 33°Treasurer
George lofthus, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:. Almoner
PReSIDING oFFICeRS
Harold Federow, 32°Venerable Master, Lodge of Perfection
Bryan Bechler, 32° Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix
Grover Partee, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:.Commander, of Kadosh
Steve Dazey, 32°Master, Seattle Consistory
Jeff Harden, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:.Chief, Knights of St. Andrew
Scottish Rite masonic Center1207 N 152nd St
Seattle, WA 98133-6213206 324-3330 voice206 324-3332 fax
Brian lortonBuilding Manager
lorna SchackAdministrative Assistant
Albert Pike Intersection
The City of Knoxville, Tennessee has designated the intersec-tion of 16th Street and White Avenue (site of Knoxville Scot-tish Rite Temple) as Albert Pike Intersection Honorary.
After a number of meetings with the City of Knoxville Plan-ning Commission and City Council, Brother luther J. Gaf-ford, 33°, General Secretary of Knoxville Scottish Rite, re-quest for the Street to be named in honor of Brother Albert Pike was granted. This is a picture of luther J. Gafford, Jr., 33° with one of the signs placed on each corner of 16th Street and White Avenue.
When visiting the Temple take a look at the sign.
News from thePersonal Representative
Page 3
The 14th degree was held on February 9th with nine (9) candidates, including one from the Valley of Wenatchee. The work was performed in an exemplary fashion by the cast headed
by Brother James Stewart, as Venerable Master. The afternoon was highlighted by the excellent work of three brothers who performed for the first time in a Scottish Rite degree; viz., Brother Tomas Aquino as Assistant Expert; Brother Paul Hoeffer as the Expert; and Brother Dantes La-Hens as Moses.
I want to express my personal appreciation to all of the cast, and to Brothers George Lofthus and Harold Federow, the current Venerable Master, for their dedication and assistance in the
organization and performance in the degree.
You are reminded that the Rite Care of Seattle will have a Beer and Brats fundraiser on April 13 from 2 PM to 5 PM, in the dining room. Twelve local microbreweries will provide their
brews. There will be a raffle of a number of prizes for those attending.
The price will be $25 for five tastings, a bratwurst and sauerkraut, and a raffle ticket. All Scottish Rite members are invited to support this fundraising activity. Contact the RiteCare office (206-324-6293) for further information on purchasing
tickets, etc.
The February stated meeting featured our annual Mardi Gras celebration and after dinner, and a short business meeting. Petitions were read for several candidates for the Scottish Rite.. We are looking forward to the performance of the 4th
degree on March 2nd and the 14th degree on April 6th, as we continue the second class of the year for the Lodge of Perfec-tion, both starting at 1 PM.
Our Scottish Rite facility was the host of a dinner honoring the many years of service to the Scottish Rite of our own recently retired SGIG, Illustrious William R. Miller, 33° on February 23. Scottish Rite Masons and his many friends
were in attendance. The Seattle Valley recognized Illustrious Bill Miller by naming the small lodge room in his honor.
Looking forward beyond April, we will be scheduling the 18th degree in May, and a major speaker from the Theosophical Society in April. We urge all the Scottish Rite Masons to circle these upcoming dates. Please contact the office as these
dates approach to verify the dates and times.
Masonic education continues to be theme this year, as the candidates progress from degree to degree. We are schedul-ing candidate meetings between the degrees to add more Masonic and Scottish Rite light. We will be evaluating new
ideas and available technology as we perform the various degrees, recognizing the time pressures of our current generation of members, and as we operate the Valley.
Fraternally,
Sat Tashiro, 33°Personal Representatiave of the Deputy
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Brethren, we have several events coming up that you will want to attend. In March we will be observing one of the few Scottish Rite Feast Days; The Ceremonry of Rememberance
and Renewal. This is a great deep and humbling ceremony that is put on by the officers of Rose Croix.
In April we have a special guest speaker from The Theosophical Society, a society that is dedicated to promoting the unity of humanity; to foster religious and racial understanding
by encouraging the study of religion, philosophy and science; and to further the discovery of the spiritual aspect of life and of human beings. This is a rare opportunity to learn about an organization that closely resembles the Scottish Rite in thought and practice. Their motto: “There is no Religion higher than Truth” says it all. Many of you have no doubt heard of one of their most famous members and founder, H.P. Blavatsky (1831-1891) along with other notable members, Annie Besant (1847-1933) and Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925). This pre-sentation will be open to the public so we encourage you to bring spouses and or potential members and brethren from your Craft Lodges.
As always, please RSVP two days before all stated meetings so we can give our caterer an exact dinner count. I look forward to seeing you then.
Fraternally,
Greg Goodrich, 32° K:.C:.C:.H:.General Secretary
Page 5
Join us for dinner and a presentation from the Theosophical Society, followed by our monthly stated
communication. (presentation is open to all, including wives & non-members).
Tuesday, April 16th at 6:30 pm
Seattle Scottish Rite of Freemasonry 1207 N 152nd St.
Shoreline, WA 98133
RSVP REQUIRED
Please RSVP to 324-3330 or email [email protected]
Special Presentation from The Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is dedicated to promoting the unity of humanity; to foster religious and racial understanding by encouraging the study of religion, philosophy
and science; and to further the discovery of the spiritual aspect of life and of human beings. This is a rare opportunity to learn about an organization that closely
resembles the Scottish Rite in thought and practice. Their motto: “There is no Religion higher than Truth” says it all.
In former times, few could read or write so that memories were better developed than ours. Pythagoras forbade all writing, considering it “the destroyer of all memory”; fortunately most people were more tolerant. It was not
necessary to record what was to be spoken, nor to give more than headings of the order of events; such clues as have survived require imaginative interpretation. Good stories, on the other hand,(such as those of Becket, father and son), were written down for use as homilies by priests.
The Third Crusade begin in 1189 A.D., and on the 8th. June 1191 King Richard I (Richard Coeur de Lion) ar-rived with his forces, before the seaport of Acre, and captured the city in 5 weeks. Amongst the English force
was one, William, the Chaplain to the Dean of St. Pauls, who when he saw the corpses of the Christians about the walls of Acre, had compassion on them. With the aid of a few helpers he buried a large number of the dead, and tended the wounded. Seeing that his actions were being appreciated, William formed an Order for the express purpose of burying Christian Knights who fell in battle in the Holy Land. To this first purpose he added a second, the raising of monies to redeem ransomed captives captured by the Saracens. The Order being formed at Acre its name was incorporated in the title (the Anglicised version of Acre being Acon). The Order was so successful that William was able to build a church and churchyard which he dedicated to St. Thomas `a Becket, thus the Order became entitled the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon. Through disease and death of the other knights fighting in the Holy Land, this Order of English monks was pressed into service as replacements, and became an Order of military monks, (it was also at this time circa 1279 that the Prior lost his pre-eminent posi-tion, this being accorded to the Master), fighting alongside the Knights of the Temple, the Knights of the Hospital of St. John the Almsgiver, the Knights of the Hospital of Lazarus and the Teutonic Knights of the Hospital of St. Mary. King Richard I rewarded their valour by according them the status of an Order of Chivalry. Of all the five noble Orders of knights in the Holy Land at this time, only this Order had a purely English foundation - a fact of which we should be justly proud.
In England the Order acquired the property of the Becket family in Cheapside where they built a Chapel and a headquarters. Following the battle of Acre, the Order of St. Thomas of Acon merged temporarily with the Order
of the Temple. When the knights were subsequently driven out of Cyprus, the Chapel of the Order of St. Thomas was the only church on the island permitted to ring its bells. Remains of this church can still be visited.
Old records are sparse, the last admission into the Order being recorded on the 2nd. February 1367, but that the order continued is not in doubt as the records of the Installation of a Master in 1510 mentioned above
demonstrate and it was listed as one of the Orders dissolved by Henry VIII.
At the dissolution of the monastries in 1538, he offered the Chapel of the Order for sale, and, in memory of St. Thomas (Thomas `a Becket being canonised barely two years after his death during the Lentern period in
1173) , and in view of the association of his father, Gilbert, with their trade, the Worshipful Company of Mercers purchased it. The Chapel in Cheapside was destroyed in the Great Fire of London and the present Mercers Hall and Chapel were built on the site. This is a matter of historical record, lengthy articles have been published in the “Historical Review” ,which is available in most public libraries and in several books. All that remains today to remind us of that building is the recumbent statue of Christ which lies at the entrance of the new Mercers’ Chapel.
Additionally, the Church of St. Thomas, in the City of London, was built in honour of St. Thomas `a Becket, and the Mayor, on the day of his Installation, always attended Mass in that church, before proceeding to St.
Pauls.
Masonic Body SpotlightPage 6
St. Thomas of Acon
Page 7
A Fundraiser in support of
*Entry fee includes 5 tastes, full bratwurst lunch, commemorative event glass, and 1 raffle ticket. Extra tastes and raffle tickets can be purchased at the event. Call 206-324-6293 or visit www.ritecarewa.org for more info.
RiteCare of WA provides FREE speech and language therapy for young children.
$25* Saturday April 13th, 12pm - 5pm Seattle Scottish Rite Masonic Ctr 1207 N. 152nd, Shoreline 98133
Tickets available online at brownpapertickets.com
Page 8
The Rose Croix Retreat 2012
Ill.Brother Mark Conlee and Brothers Jeff Craig, John Hannaman, Glen Huff, George Lof-thus, Grover Partee, Brian Thomas and Jeff Harden, attended the 6th annual Rose Croix Retreat this past October.
We may have been short in numbers, but high in enthusiasm, camaraderie and participa-tion. On Friday, October 26th, our taste buds were activated when we walked into the beautiful St. Andrews Lodge, nestled on Hood Canal overlooking the Olympics, knowing that Ed was going to be our chef for the third time! After our spiritual leader, Br. Jeff Craig, gave the blessing we sat down for the first of Ed’s delicious meals. We all quickly came together in trust and friend-ship. IB Mark Conlee fulfilled his promise to the participants by giving a masterful power point presentation on the 27th Degree. It was so well received by all in attendance that we decided that the next time it is presented at the Scottish Rite Center, it should be on a Friday night, so we could return on Saturday morning for another viewing of Mark’s power point presentation, followed by a discussion on the symbolism of the 27th Degree.
Following breakfast on Saturday, Brother Brian Thomas suggested that we each give a “bio” of our lives. How else would I have known that Brian’s paternal grandparents had left their homestead north of Bowbells, North Dakota in 1900, long before Dr. Lofthus and his family moved there in 1941. It was particularly interesting to note how Masonry was intertwined with all of us. Following lunch, four of us attended our Brother Matt Parham’s Installation as Wor-shipful Master of Bremerton Lodge. Br. Parham is our chef at Scottish Rite. That evening after a scrumptious steak dinner and a few libations, we settled down for Brother John Hannaman’s pre-sentation on Spiritual Consciousness. Our discussion again, lasted late into the night, as it had on Friday night. During our discussion on Sunday morning, we all concurred that the Retreat should be continued! Our last “bio” speaker, Br. Brian Thomas was speaking when the bell sounded for our last luncheon.
Nowhere else during my 45 years as a Mason have I had the opportunity to completely express my views in strict confidence to my brethren, as I have experienced during these retreats. Ill. Brother Mark Conlee wrapped up the retreat experience best when he wrote:“The Rose Croix Retreat is not about Seattle Valley, it is about brothers getting together to learn, to share fellowship and to discuss topics of common interest, be they esoteric or every day.”
George Lofthus, Past Venerable Master (2012)Lodge of Perfection
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Rose Croix Retreat Photo Retreat Dinner
Installation of Seattle Scottish Rite brother, Matt Parham.
View form St. Andrew’s House
Are you ready for the 2nd Annual Celebrating the Craft?!
Ready or not, come May 18, 2013 Celebrating the Craft will be BACK and BIGGER than last year. This year we want to feature YOU! We’re looking for even more involvement from our brethren as we are hoping to showcase the abilities, talents, person-alities, and accomplishments of our members. Stay tuned for more information coming in the May/June issue.
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A ClUTCH oF ColleCTIve NoUNS
One of the oddities of the English language is the multitude of different names given to collections or groups-from animals to people and everything in-be-tween. Many of these collective nouns are beautiful,
evocative and often poetic.
It’s a brood of hens but a parliament of owls; a swarm of bees and an army of ants. It’s a flight of stairs as well as sparrows. It’s a den of thieves but a gang of thugs and a band of robbers. Why is it a clump of reeds but a bou-quet of flowers? Why is it a bunch- but not a cluster- of bananas?See if you can match the collective noun with the animal below:
Mischief Kangaroos Sneak Squirrels Pomp Worms Surfeit Raccoons Gam Pekinese Nursery Whales Dray Mice Clew Skunks Mob Bears Sleuth Weasels
We take many of these phrases for granted and use language poetically and effortlessly. Children who come to RiteCare of Washington struggle to use even the most basic words and language. With our help they can catch up to their peers and use language that’s as varied and rich as it’s intended.
Thanks for supporting RiteCare.
Brethren, please remember these, our own, and all the Brethren who have traveled beyond our physical borders to that undiscovered country.
Happy Birthday!Congratulations from all your Scottish Rite brethren
Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit
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In memorium
Gordon Renfro 12-31-2012 George Bertram 01-6-2013 lynn Campbell 01-2-2013 Tom economou 01-2-2013Ronald P. ostic 01-1-2013Jerry Schor 02-03-2013emmett mishler 02-06-2013
Don’t ForgetFor all our Stated meetings, you have to RSVP with the office at least two days before the stated meeting if you plan to eat dinner. You can also purchase your dinner ticket on-line at: www.seattlescottishrite.org/dinner.html Save $5.00 by sending in your RSvP early...
Messages
Dinner tickets are $15.00 in advance or $20.00 at the door.
3/11/19173/23/19183/25/19183/9/19203/14/19203/19/19203/25/19213/28/19213/21/19223/13/1923
Richard ClowHarold LauridsenHenry SmithDavid SmithManuel LottNorman FigginsEdward HydeEdgar KingHardy Day
William PorterFrederick MaxamJack StreckenbachWilliam MattsonJames PrinceEdward BakerJames StephensArnold OlsonRalph Hansell George Artim
4/26/19174/23/19184/2/19204/7/19204/13/19204/19/19204/18/19214/8/19224/27/1923
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry1207 N 152nd StreetSeattle, WA 98133
Periodicals Postage Paid
USPS 485-660
Schedule of events
Page 12
www.seattlescottishrite.orgmar / Apr 2013
Saturday Mar 2nd, 9:00 am - Executive CouncilSaturday Mar 2nd, 1:00 pm - 4th DegreeTuesday Mar 19th, 6:30 pm - Stated meeting - Rememberance & Renewal
Saturday April 6th - 9:00 am - Executive CouncilSaturday April 6th - 1:00 pm - 14th degreeSaturday April 13th - 12:00 pm - Beers & Brats - RiteCareTuesday April 16th, 6:30 pm - Stated meeting and Theosophical Society Presentation
Rose Croix Retreat November 1st - 3rd 2013 From Friday, November 1st to Sunday, November 3rd the Seattle Valley Rose Croix will be hosting the 8th annual Scottish Rite Men’s Retreat at beautiful St. Andrew’s Lodge on Hood Canal overlooking the majestic Olympics. For only $200 you will be served 6 deli-cious meals, including a salmon dinner on Friday night and prime rib on Saturday night in addition to the two nights lodging!
This yearly event will afford you a rare opportunity to listen, and to communicate your thoughts and ideas with your brothers, and to explore and deepen your understanding of eso-teric Masonry. The keynote speaker will be IB Mark Conlee who will be giving a presentation on the historical context in which speculative Masonry developed in England and Scotland during the 17th Century. If any other brother who is planning on attending wishes to present a Masonic topic, please contact Wise Master Bryan Bechler, Chapter of Rose Croix.
Please call Lorna at the Scottish Rite Office (206) 324-3330 for reservations. For more information about St. Andrews, please visit the website: www.saintandrewshouse.org.
