Happy Independence Day America! Take a few minutes today and read the Declaration of Independence https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
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The Syracuse Knights of St. Andrew held its first Bannockburn Banquet on Saturday, June 15th, 2019 at the historic Brae Loch Inn in Cazenovia, NY. The Bannockburn Banquet commemorated the Battle of Bannockburn of June 1314. It was a Scottish victory by King of Scots Robert the Bruce against the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. Legend has it that a band of Knights Templar assisted the Bruce in achieving this victory. Rev. Steve Maddox recited some items of note with regard to the Battle. Venerable Master, Ryan Hanlon did a fine job setting up the event at the Brae Loch, even arranging for a Scotch tasting! Rick Powell hosted the event despite sporting a back brace due to a recent injury. Special thanks to Mark Stinson who provided the bagpiping for the evening. A great time was had by all. See you next year! The Children's Dyslexia Center - CNY held its Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, June 11th in the Pavilion at the OES Campus...  Officers for the Central City Bodies were installed on Monday, June 3rd, 2019  Presiding Officers D.B. Lawrence W. Egnaczyk, 32° MSA Terry A. Byard, 32° DSA Henry R. Havener, 32° DSA James McNeal, 32° DSA
Commander-In-Chief Thrice Potent Master Most Wise Master Sovereign Prince Calendar
June 2019 June 03 Officers Public Installation Social 6:00 p.m. / Dinner 6:30 p.m. / Install 7:30 p.m. June 10 Valley Trustees 6:15 p.m. / Executive Committee 7:00 p.m. Jun 15 (Saturday) Knights of St. Andrew’s Bannockburn Banquet @Brae Loch Inn, Cazenovia Social 5:00 p.m. / Dinner 6:00 p.m. July 2019 Jul 20 (Saturday) Family Life Outing Picnic @Cicero American Legion 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Food served 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. August 2019 Aug 2 (Friday) “Teddy Bear Golf Classic” Fund Raiser for Children’s Dyslexia Center, CNY Registration 9:30 a.m. / Shot Gun Start 10: 00 a.m. Aug 16 (Friday) Syracuse Mets Baseball Game Event First pitch 6:05 p.m. Food & Beverages; Fireworks after the game Consistory Well as we move into June we find the end of our Masonic year and the end of my term as Commander in Chief. It has gone by quickly and I have had a lot of fun and accomplished quite a bit during my time the past 2 years. One of the biggest accomplishments is the restart of Masonic Family picnic which will be July 20th . Lynn and I have made many new friends and even caught up with some old ones in our travel. I look forward to seeing everyone there to have fun and enjoy fellowship. I would like to thank the membership for their support over the past 2 years. I especially would like to thank members of the office, Sharon Fox, Sharon Swain and Ill. James Swain 33° for all the hard work and support during this time. They have been great in being sure things get done, keeping me in line and keeping the Valley running smoothly. My main support and who keeps me in line is my wife Lynn. She has been by my side during this time in everything I have done over the past couple years and has been my rock. She has always been there to support me in all my Masonic adventures. I pledge my support to the incoming Commander in Chief, DB Lawrence Egnaczyk 32° MSA and all the incoming Valley Officers. I will be there to help out whenever needed. I am looking forward to the Valley continuing to grow in membership, fellowship, and activities. I hope to see you in Lodge D.B. Garry L. Visconti, 32° MSA Commander in Chief Chapter Dear Brethren, As June and the warmth of summer is upon us, I wish to warmly express what an honor it was to serve the Valley of Syracuse and thank all in our greater Masonic community for welcoming me. It was a wonderful time, reminded me of how small the world is and continues to provide comfort in knowing that the Scottish Rite stands as a lighthouse shining sanctuary and refuge to the weary and wayward traveler. By honoring our A.’.A.’.S.’.R.’. tradition, staying present, and being mindful of the future our craft continues to harmonize quality and quantity and the Rite as practiced is sure to evolve and prosper. It shall prosper for it is here where our distinguished intergenerational chain continue in pursuit of the Kadosh. For any Mason not a member of the Scottish Rite, know it is a rewarding place for Masonic work; it is where we can increasingly “Try” to refine and apply our blue lodge lessons. It is where we continue chipping away at the old block, practicing balance, tolerance, humility, prudence, and equanimity in search of further light. It is where we learn to adapt gracefully and of the arts of independence, interdependence, community and of our personal responsibility to work T.’.T.’.G.’.O.’.T.’.G.’.A.’.O.’.T.’.U.’. “This hill though high I covent ascend; The difficulty will not me offend; For I perceive the way of life lies here. Come, pluck up, heart; let’s neither faint nor fear.” -John Bunyan Until we meet again may peace be with you and I wish you all a blessed, safe, and profitable summer. Good luck to all new body heads. See ya soon. Sincerely & Fraternally, Caleb Haines, 32° Most Wise Master Council Greetings Princes, When I saw the heartbreaking pictures of Notre Dame on fire, the terrible destruction of the roof and spire, I recalled when I had the opportunity to see it in person while my wife and I were on our honeymoon. During that trip we saw numerous churches and cathedrals. Each with their own unique personalities yet sharing many similar characteristics. Some of my thoughts were about those who built the cathedral, those who had laid the foundation in conformity to the vision of the master builder, yet, with the scope and size of such works, those who laid the first levels of this grand center of worship would never see it completed. Through many decades work has been done, additions, changes, yet the main vision remains. I have visited Saint John the Devine Cathedral in Manhattan and was fortunate to have a tour behind the main walls, up into the higher areas of this Cathedral. Seeing it from this new viewpoint brought in new and greater appreciation for those who worked on constructing it. Yet, even with the use of more modern means of building, the work takes decades, generations, to bring it to where it is today, and more work is still planned. Our craft is blessed to be associated with those who labored throughout the world to build inspiring places where people go to worship and to feel peace, renewing their faith surrounded by a place that was built on the faith of those who started the work who would never see the last stone put in place. Faith of their foundation being added to and expanded upon by future generations of the craft. Our work within the Bodies of Scottish Rite, and our craft Lodges and all the other Masonic organizations are no different in that aspect. The labors various leaders and brethren do help form what is to come from those who follow after us. We have hope and some faith that the works we have done in the craft will keep it strong, will bring support to future generations. Notre Dame suffered terrible damage, yet so far, the main structures remain, it can be repaired. It is testament to the earlier generations who built the cathedral having done their work well. Our craft continues to bring light and to help shape men to be better men. It is a blessing we have had so many past masters of the craft who laid a strong foundation so that our current and our future generations can keep refining and building upon these temples made not with hands, and can have confidence that those who follow after us, even if they know us not, will see the effects of what we have built upon. I thank you all for the support and help you have given me through the three years I’ve been blessed to be Sovereign Prince. I look forward to the future generations of those who take up this role, and build it ever higher, and ever better. I am grateful to you that gave me the opportunity to have done my small part. Fraternally, James A. Nelson, 32º Sovereign Prince Lodge It is with a bit of a heavy heart that I write this article, as this will be the last article I write as the Thrice Potent Master for the Lodge of Perfection. First and foremost I would like to thank my wife Rachel for always allowing me to attend the various meetings and social gatherings that I have over these past two years. Without her love and support, I wouldn’t be able to do as much as I have with in the Valley of Syracuse. So thank you Rachel for always supporting me and attending events with me. Secondly, I want to thank my Deputy Master, Brother Terry Byard, for all of the hard work and dedication that he has given me and the valley. He has helped keep me on track and has coordinated many degrees and rehearsals over my term and I couldn’t have been as successful if he wasn’t in my corner. So thank you Terry. I couldn’t think of better hands to pass the lodge off to than you. You’ve been a true friend and inspiration and I have enjoyed working side by side with you. Third, I would like to thank the members of the Valley office, Jim and Sharon Swan and Sharon Fox. I have received countless emails and phone calls asking for information and reminding me of the work that needs to be done. They are the glue that holds the valley together and help the valley thrive as it has over the years. And lastly, I want to thank every brother in the valley. Thank you call for coming out to the meetings and social events to show your support for the valley. Thank you all for the help, guidance, and mentorship that you have provided to help me with my journey as the Thrice Potent Master. It has definitely been a memorable experience and I look forward to continuing my journey throughout the future. In June, we only have a few days of gathering. We have the Installation of Officers on the 3 rd of June. We also have a Trustees and Executive Committee meeting on the 10 th of June. And finally we have the Knights of St. Andrew: Bannockburn Banquet. Please come out and enjoy that time with the valley. I’ve heard we will have a great meal and even better company. Thank you for all of the support and mentorship that I have received during my tenure. I am truly grateful for all of the assistance that I have received from the valley. I hope to see you all again soon! Fraternally, Ken Sterling, 32° Thrice Potent Master Welcome to My World Notes from the Children’s Dyslexia Center CNY It always seems nearly impossible that another year has ‘flown’ by when we reach this time of year. The Center is bustling with end-of-year activities such as recruiting tutor-scholar’s for next year, Post Assessments, Game Days (as children turn in the Game Day Certificates they received in their plastic Easter Eggs), organizing our Summer Schedule and Recognition Ceremony and paper work. Lots and lots of paperwork. At the end of each year I conduct a post-assessment with each child in areas relating to reading. The same assessment was administered when the children entered the program. The results are computed and entered into the database system located in Lexington. (The results from all Centers are compiled and used when we are involved in national and international studies and to track our successes and validity within our program.) After the post-assessments I meet with each family, child and tutor to discuss the overall and annual achievements made by the child. At this time plans for the coming year and/or suggestions for the children as the complete our program are discussed. This is also the time that trainers (Karen and Alyssa have Initial Level Scholars and I have Advanced Scholars) are finishing up training, grading papers and administering final exams. All the tutors are responsible for end of year reports on each of the children they tutor and Gineal processes and files these reports and the Center and with Lexington. Gineal and I will continue to work on end-of-year paperwork which will be sent to Lexington before the end of August. As you can see- there is no grass growing under our feet at this time of year. I am still processing new child applications (we are rapidly reaching our limit as we have more than two years’ worth of children on the waitlist and have fewer people coming in for the tutor-training. The challenges never end. We ask for your continued thoughts and ideas- do tell your friends and neighbors who might be interested in becoming a Certified Tutor. Again, we hope to see some of you at our Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, June 11th in the Pavilion at the OES Campus at 6:30. We plan to have the pleasure of having one of our former children speak at this event. We would love to have you come- just let us know. Please remember our upcoming Teddy Bear Classic golf tourney on August 2nd. Linda L. Martin, Director Email- lmartin@cnyclc.org Phone- (315) 736-0574 Mail- Children’s Dyslexia Center- CNY PO Box 638 Oriskany, NY 13424 Scottish Rite Night with the Mets The Valley of Syracuse has reserved Friday, August 16, 2019 for a night at the Ballgame event. We will be at the 1st Base Terrace venue. This location will accommodate up to 35 guests. The menu and pricing will be forthcoming. The Syracuse Mets will be playing the Norfolk Tides at 7:05 pm. The Buffet is served for 90 minutes. There will also be fireworks that evening. If the event is a success, we can expand the event on a future date. See you at the Game, Larry Egnaczyk Calendar
May 2019 May 11 (Saturday) Conferals of 4° (V), 12° (V), 20° (V), 22° and 32° 9:00 a.m. Register 9:30 a.m. Open 10: 00 a.m. LOP Confer 4° (V) “Master Traveler”, 12° (V) “Master of Mercy”; Consistory Confer 20° (V) “Master ad Vitam”, 22° Prince of Libanus” 12:00 Noon Luncheon 1:30 p.m. Consistory Confer 32° “Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret”(L) May 13 157th Annual Reunion Social 6:00 p.m. / Dinner 6:30 p.m. / Program 7:30 p.m. May 20 Guard’s Club Dinner & Annual Meeting 6:15 p.m. Four Bodies Annual Meeting & Election of Officers 7:30 p.m. June 2019 June 03 Officers Public Installation Social 6:00 p.m. / Dinner 6:30 p.m. / Install 7:30 p.m. June 10 Valley Trustees 6:15 p.m. / Executive Committee 7:00 p.m. Consistory Well here we come into May and we have had many changes to our schedule out of respect for our brothers in Syracuse and Utica so they could attend the memorial service for our departed Brother, Frank Rice, C.I.C. Valley of Utica. We had to change the one day class scheduled on April 6th to May 11th with the same times. The rest of the schedule has been moved as follows: Reunion Dinner will be May 13 th with Social at 6:00 pm, dinner at 6:30 pm and program at 7:30 pm. Come on out to welcome our new 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Masons. May 29th will be the Guards Club dinner and meeting at 6:15 pm and the Annual Meeting at 7:30 pm. June 3rd will be the Installation of Officers with Social at 6:00 pm, dinner at 6:30 pm and installation at 7:30 pm. Remember to mark your calendars for July 20th our Annual Masonic Picnic. There will be a lot of fun at this event. Watch the word and your mail for more information. My time as your Commander in Chief is coming quickly to an end. I have had a lot of fun over the past 2 years. We have increased attendance in meetings and have a great Class of new members this year. Let’s finish this term strong. I look forward to seeing you in Lodge. D.B. Garry L. Visconti, 32° MSA Commander in Chief Chapter Dear Brethren, As we conclude the Feast of the Paschal Lamb and our Spring Reunion 2019, I hope you have all had a pleasant holiday and find yourself with strength anew. At my home, we cooked a leg of lamb in celebration of the holidays which is a tradition for the L’offrande Paschale or Pâques in the Mediterranean, a tradition we continue to keep that is also customary amongst Scottish Rite brethren who eat lamb with other brethren at this time. In May, working in the garden and outdoors is one of my favorite things to do. I await planting the herb garden and flowers with family. In conclusion, I hope to see all whom can attend the various Scottish Rite events remaining and give a special thanks to my mentor Bob Tyrrell, my line officers Hank Havener and Gary Hamburg, Secretary Swan and our office administration, Commander and Chief Visconti and the Consistory for keeping me on top of the schedule and various duties of Most Wise Master. I wish all the new officers to be inducted my fraternal regards and best wishes for their tenure. Also shout out to all my Konosioni 950 brothers whose foundational blue lodge work helped me prepare for the lessons of Scottish Rite NMJ. Keep up the great work. Good luck to you all and G-d bless you. As recently my familial duties increase you may see less of me but you all are always in my thoughts and prayers. Sincerely & Fraternally, Caleb Haines, 32° Most Wise Master Council Greetings Princes, I hope this communication finds you well and rejuvenated with warmer weather and budding trees. I had the sad duty to attend a funeral service for a friend of mine. While there I met his nephew, a 25 year old man who is currently serving as the Junior Warden in his Lodge. What was uplifting about meeting him was the enthusiasm he felt toward the craft, and his desire to expand his membership to Scottish Rite. He had been influenced by older gentlemen who were actively involved in New Jersey’s Scottish Rite, and because of his respect and friendship with them, his desire to work beside them and meet others in Masonry outside his Craft Lodge, he will be joining the next class available to him. I understand that in our busy lives it can be difficult to find the time to join in with concordant bodies. Time is a commodity, and should be spent wisely, as we won’t get back our time once it is spent. Time invested in Scottish Rite can pay dividends though. I have met so many good men and Masons through this organization and have found them and others as I have joined other bodies. It builds our network of brotherhood, and it broadens us in our knowledge of the Craft. I hope that those who are not yet members of our Valley give thought to joining us. It is rewarding to learn more lessons we can apply to a life well lived, and gives us a means to expand our sphere of companionship. It gives us another means of spreading the cement of brotherly love, be it through our labors or leisure. It also gives our special people in our lives an opportunity to meet and grow in friendship through dinners and programs our Ancient Craft offers that are open to family and friends. This friendship may not change the world around us, at least not directly, but it will change OUR world, our communities, and through the bonds we have with upright men and Masons, we can influence others who are of like mind. I hope to see you at our events, I hope if you are not a member of the Valley that you consider becoming one. Fraternally, James A. Nelson, 32º Sovereign Prince Lodge Welcome back brethren! First and foremost I would like to point out several important schedule changes. First, the Lodge of Perfection is presenting the 4th degree and 12th degree via video on 11 May 2019. The Valley of Syracuse is also presenting the 20th and 22nd degrees via video and a live presentation of the 32nd degree all on the same day. Mark your calendars as May 11th will be a busy day full of glorious Scottish Rite Degrees!! Second, The Annual Reunion dinner is now scheduled for 13 May 2019. Please, if you are newly made Scottish Rite Mason, join us for a nice evening of fellowship and dinner. And lastly, the Guards Club dinner and meeting is slated for 20 May 2019, followed immediately by the Valley Annual 4 body meeting. Thank you for the continued support and all the challenges and fellowship that comes along with it! Hope to see you all soon! Fraternally, Ken Sterling, 32° Thrice Potent Master Welcome to My World Notes from the Children’s Dyslexia Center CNY Spring is Really, Really Here!!!! We at the Center share in the sadness of all for the loss of Commander Frank Rice of the Utica Valley. He will be greatly missed. On a brighter note, what a wonderful time was had at our 5 th Annual GALA- We raised a great deal of money for which we are very grateful- We owe Gary’s Restaurant on Oneida Lake a ‘mia culpe’ as we did not get their name in the program for Table Sponsor. Next year we will be adding some guidelines as the large ‘last minute rush’ became a bit difficult this year (especially since Gineal and I still have all the Center duties to attend to). We will try to streamline things for everyone as we were so thrilled to have so many attend (our highest number), so many baskets (our highest number) and so many door prizes to give out (our highest number). Our delight at the success of the GALA was a bit overshadowed by news of an assessment made to the Centers starting this year. A new policy was put in place by Lexington this March that involves an assessment of 10% of our annual payroll to be taken by Lexington at the beginning of the fiscal year. I am not privy to all details but assume that this is done across the board and not just for the Centers who qualify for matching funds as all Centers receive the same support benefits form Lexington. In my naïve status, I assumed this would begin to impact our Center starting next year-, taking 10% of this year’s salary, allowing time to work out a way to raise the necessary funds. Sadly, the assessment will be taken this September 1st , based on last year’s salary. We are in a bit of a conundrum as we cannot serve the children if we do not have the tutors available. We do all we can each year to recruit a class of scholars who work with first year children while training in an unpaid status. (If you know someone interested in our training program, please have them contact us.) Our second-year children require Certified tutors and while we have a limited number of volunteers, most are paid (if minimally). As we work on our 2019-2020 budget, we are trying to figure how we can streamline what we do at the Center to allow us to still serve as many children as possible with the generous support you give and still meet all the “requests” for monies sent to Lexington. I know we will make it happen, but the getting there may be a bit stressful. If you have a good idea for a fundraiser or major sponsor, please let our Board know. I apologize for the ‘not so cheery’ content of this epistle – I am always eternally grateful for all the support you give, whether in word or monetarily- It means the world to me and all at the Center! I also want to remind you of our Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, June 11th in the Pavilion at the OES Campus at 6:30. We plan to have the pleasure of having one of our former children (and possibly two) speak at this event. We would love to have you come- just let us know. Wishing you all the beautiful things that Spring can bring. Linda L. Martin, Director Email- lmartin@cnyclc.org Phone- (315) 736-0574 Mail- Children’s Dyslexia Center- CNY PO Box 638 Oriskany, NY 13424 IMPORTANT NOTICE EVENT DATE CHANGES!! To all- I trust everyone supports the recent actions taken by your Valley Leadership to support our Scottish Rite brothers in the Valley of Utica as they work their way through the after shock caused by the sudden passing of D. B. Frank S. Rice, 32° MSA, their Commander-In-Chief. The sincere sympathy and condolences are extended to Allicia and Amanda Rice at this time. Memorial services for Frank were conducted April 6 in Dolgeville and April 13, in New Jersey. These events caused the need for the Valley of Syracuse to reschedule several events in April, May, and June. Notices detailing the schedule changes are located below. Anyone having any questions regarding these necessary changes is requested to contact the Valley of Syracuse Office 315-452-7976. Every one of our members has or will be personally contacted with notification of scheduling changes for each event. The new date for each impacted event is published in the Scottish Rite page. The following events are re-scheduled as result of this event cancellation change. NEW DATES: Saturday May 11, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center Degree Meeting to confer 4th , 12th , 20th , 22nd , and 32nd Degrees Register 9:00 a.m. / Open 9:30 a.m. / Degrees 10:00 a.m. / Lunch 12:00 Noon / Degree 1:30 p.m. Monday May 13, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center 157th Annual Reunion Banquet Social 6:00 p.m. / Dinner 6:30 p.m. / Program 7:30 p.m. Monday May 20, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center Guard’s Club Dinner and Four Body Annual Meeting and Election of 2019-2020 Valley Officers Guard’s Club Dinner & Meeting 6:15 p.m. / Four Bodies Annual Meeting and Election 7:30 p.m. Monday June 3, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center Public Installation of Valley Officers Social 6:00 p.m./ Dinner 6:30 p.m. / Installation 7:30 p.m. Monday June 10, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center Trustees Organization Meeting 6:15 p.m. / Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 p.m. IMPORTANT NOTICE!!
Degrees scheduled for April 6, 2019 are cancelled due to the Memorial Service for D. B. Frank S. Rice, 32° MSA, Valley of Utica Commander-In-Chief who passed away Thursday March 28, 2019. April 6, 2019 Meeting and degrees conferral Cancelled. The following events are re-scheduled as result of this event cancellation change. NEW DATES: Saturday May 11, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center Degree Meeting to confer 4th, 12th, 20th, 22nd, and 32nd Degrees Register 9:00 a.m. Open 9:30 a.m. Degrees 10:00 a.m. Lunch 12:00 Noon Degree 1:30 p.m. Monday May 13, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center 157th Annual Reunion Banquet Social 6:00 p.m. Dinner 6:30 p.m. Program 7:30 p.m. Monday May 20, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center Guard’s Club Dinner and Four Body Annual Meeting and Election of 2019-2020 Valley Officers Guard’s Club Dinner & meeting 6:15 p.m. Four Bodies Annual meeting and Election 7:30 p.m. Monday June 3, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center Public Installation of Valley Officers Social 6:00 p.m. Dinner 6:30 p.m. Installation 7:30 p.m. Monday June 10, 2019 Masonic Memorial Center Trustees Organization Meeting 6:15 p.m. Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 p.m. PLEASE CONTACT THE VALLEY OFFICE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS 315-452-7976 On Monday, February 18, 2019, The Valley of Syracuse presented its Ill. John S. Curtis, 33° Annual Caregiver Award to Stephanie Piston. Stephanie has been surrounded by the Masonic Fraternity for most of her life. From her time in the Order of Triangles & DeMolay as a youth to her time as an adult leader in those same organizations, she has given much of herself to these organizations and has gone above and beyond many times. She has taken in more than one DeMolay or Triangle into her home and treated them as her own. In addition to her exemplary example of leadership to the Masonic youth, let's not forget her care of her own family during their times of health issues and growing pains. Through it all, she maintains a sense of composure and humor. Congratulations Stephanie! |
