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June 2012 News

6/3/2012

 
Calendar
June
Jun 4   Trustee’s Meeting (6:15 PM)./ Organization & Executive Committee Meeting (7:00 PM)

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER

July
July 27-28   NY Council of Deliberation

August
Aug 20   Trustees Meeting (6:15 PM)/Executive Committee Meeting (7:00 PM)
Aug 26   Scottish Rite Day w/ Safety ID @ NY State Fair

Consistory
This month’s article contains most of what I said at our reunion banquet.  I believe those comments need more time to enter our awareness and remind us of our duty as Scottish Rite Masons.   

I wish I could imagine what the founding Brothers anticipated in 1862 when they received charters to form a Lodge of Perfection, a Council of Princes of Jerusalem, a Chapter of Rose Croix and a Consistory of Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret. This is fate. The Charters are dated on my birthday!  Only the Lord could make things like that happen.  

Back in 1862, the nation was engaged in a civil war, the telegraph was cutting edge communication, and the only way a man could get a bird’s eye view of any place was to fly in a balloon.  Nobody thought 100 years later men would walk on the moon and 50 years after that people would carry a device in their pocket that lets them talk with their family, send messages to remind the kids about soccer practice, check the Dow-Jones average and take pictures of the kids on the vacation to Disney World. The one hundred fifty years we celebrate this weekend saw changes our charter members never foresaw! We did not foresee some of those changes, let alone the changes our parents have watched! Our ancestors understood change would and must happen. The framers of our constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence understood freedom needs structure in order to survive, but not too much structure.  This is the genius of our Constitution. Our founding documents give us room to change, to adapt to new situations but with limits to keep any person or group of people from exercising too much power.  They recognized human nature’s good and bad qualities, and the human potential  to excel if given the right direction. Many of those founding fathers sharpened their leadership in a lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. They understood tradition and innovation balance each other to become a living structure, just as our ancient operative Master Masons realized a building must have both flexibility and strength to survive the vicissitudes of time.
    
We take this time to remember the path that brought us here. Our history is a good one. Good men made this Valley possible. Good men gave their time, effort and treasure to build a fraternity of Brothers who knew they could rely on one another. Gathering together for degrees and a reunion was their social media. They spent their time between degrees talking with each other in the hallways. Dinner in the lodge dining room helped build those fraternal bonds that grow when a good meal inspires better conversation. The founders and builders of this valley created a strong network of men who recognized one another’s faces and who knew how to live our Masonic values of brotherly love, relief and truth.
    
We received the gift of a living network of men, but my duty as Commander-in-Chief is to tell you it is changing.  It must change, because the world around us is changing. Scottish Rite Masons still gather in the meeting room. We still portray the degrees that build men into Scottish Rite Masons, but what happens between degrees? Brothers send a text a message to a friend who missed the meeting. They make a note on their Facebook wall that they enjoyed the 21st degree or saw a buddy knighted a Sublime Prince. They use the i-Phone in their pocket to text a message to the family at home or finish left over work. The way we socialize has changed, but we are still a fraternity. Our number one duty is still caring for one another. We continue to live the Masonic values of brotherly love, relief and truth. We just do things a different way in 2012 compared with what people did in 1862.
    
I do not know what changes the next 150 years will bring. The i-Phone is a very different machine from the telegraph Abraham Lincoln relied on for reports on how soldiers fared in battle. Things will change again. I can see the day when my grandchildren will look at my BlackBerry and ask me “what is that?” We can and will deal with the changes as they come.  We have already dealt with countless changes in the world without changing our commitment to care for our Brothers. I believe we will carry our commitment to our Brothers long into the future.  Facebook has come, and one day something newer, bigger, fresher will take its place.  Nothing will replace the space in our hearts we keep for our Brothers in Freemasonry, and especially in this Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.

Ill. Lynwood Bennerson, 33°
Commander-in- Chief


Chapter
Greetings,
 
What a great weekend we had for the 150th Anniversary Celebration in the Valley of Syracuse. The committee for the weekend’s activities did an outstanding job in all areas. On behalf of the Central City Chapter of Rose Croix, I thank you all for the hard work and planning that made this event a class act. I wonder what the next 150 years will bring to our Valley. Think of the dedicated Brothers and Ladies that got us to this point in the history of our Valley. Did they envision where we would be in this point in time? 

Only the character of our members and future members can determine where this Valley will be and how we shape the future of this Valley. As we prepare to take a break for the summer our Body heads will be planning the events that will unfold this coming year. In order for our programs to be successful, all the officers and sideliners must be involved in this process and support the programs that they are responsible for. I try to look for areas that can be improved and will welcome any and all suggestions from anyone that has a positive idea to help this Body and this Valley succeed. 

I look forward to this coming year as Most Wise Master and to working with the officers for the ensuing year.

Fraternally,
Lawrence W. Egnaczyk, 32°
Most Wise Master


Council
June has arrived and so has the end of another Scottish Rite year. I hope it has been as memorable for you as it has been for me. I’m not sure I’ll know what to do on Monday nights for the next couple of months, and I’ll have to train my car not to head to North Syracuse. But all that will be short lived because the planning begins for the upcoming year. 

The celebration of the Valley’s 150th Anniversary will stand out for me. What a great job was done by all those who spent countless hours of planning and preparation to make it a success. The degree work was very well done, and the programs were very enjoyable. It was also impressive to see a large class of new Princes Knighted. For all those new Brothers of the Valley, get involved. There is much to do to keep this Valley growing. There is room for you to help out in many ways. The degree directors are always looking for fresh faces, and committees are always looking for help in many ways. Let a Body Head or Officer know you are interested. I promise it won’t hurt.

Looking forward, the upcoming year marks the 200th Anniversary of the Scottish Rite, NYS Council of Deliberation will be held July 27 – 28 here in Liverpool, and August 28th is Scottish Rite Day at the Safety ID booth at the NYS Fair. Hope to see you there.

Dave Barnello, 32°
Sovereign Prince


Lodge
A new term of Central City Bodies, AASR has begun.  I am honored to serve as Thrice Potent Master in the Lodge of Perfection for the ensuing year.

My sincere congratulations go out to all those who worked so hard on the 150th Anniversary Celebration for the Valley of Syracuse. A hardy “WELL DONE” goes out to Ill. James D. Swan, Jr., 33°, Sharon Swan and Sharon Fox for all the hard work and dedication they put into making this event such a huge success.

I also extend my congratulations to all the newly knighted Princes of the Royal Secret and urge each one of you to take an active part in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.

Summer brings a bit of a lull to Masonic activities, but there are still a couple of important Scottish Rite events taking place. The New York State Council of Deliberation will be meeting on July 27th, 28th and 29th at the Holiday Inn in Liverpool. Please mark your calendars, and come out to congratulate Bro. Mell Sitts, who will receive his MSA designation. 

The other important summer event will be on Sunday, Aug. 26th. It is Scottish Rite day at the Child Safety Booth at the NYS Fair. The Lodge of Perfection will be staffing the morning session. Please call me (457-4356) if you and your spouse would like to volunteer to work that session. If you don’t call me, I will be calling you.

Have a safe and fun filled summer and I will “see you at the Fair”.

Fraternally,
D.B. Gary Kall, 32° MSA
Thrice Potent Master


Notes from the Children's Dyslexia Center
As I noted last month, we are busily working on our end of year activities in preparation for our Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, June 5th.

As well as the end of year assessments and meetings, we are scheduling children for the summer program and interviewing prospective scholars for next year’s class of tutors. As you can imagine, it is a very busy time at the Center.

After our brief hiatus last month I want to let you know how Ryan is doing. We are thrilled with his work and progress at the Center. He has progressed well into Level II, a great accomplishment for any first year child at the Center. Right now he is busy getting into vowel-teams, one of the more challenging areas of phonemes as it creates the awareness of the fact that there are many ways to spell the long vowel sounds. When we get to this area we also make sure the children become proficient and comfortable with using their dictionaries.

Ryan has finished his wrestling season with many trophies and promises of another great Varsity season next year. Never fear, he is still involved in sports- now he is in track. He will return to us in the fall and we will look forward to more exciting things in his reading and sports.

I know that you may not hear much from us until the fall but please know that we will be here mid- July to mid-August and we will look forward to bringing you more news in the fall.

As always, thank you so much for all of your interest and support.

Linda Martin, Director
Email- lmartin@cnyclc.org
Phone- (315) 736-0574
Mail- Children’s Dyslexia Center- CNY
PO Box 638
Oriskany, NY 13424


From the Secretary

2011 -212 was a very busy year on the Scottish Rite calendar in the Valley of Syracuse.  On behalf of the two Sharons and I in the office we offer congratulations to Ill Craig E. Cobb, 33°, TPM, David Baranello, S.P., and Lawrence Egnaczyk, MWM; our 2011-2012 Body Heads and to all of the Valley Officers and members for your faithful service to our Valley and for the assistance you provided to the office staff during your term of office this past year.

Everyone made our Central City Bodies proud for your efforts to make our 150th Anniversary Celebration the success that it was.  Compliments to the Valley Office and to the Valley Officers are coming from all directions as I author this article for the WORD.

2012-2013 will prove to be another busy year as Scottish Rite Freemasonry in the  Northern Masonic Jurisdiction celebrates two hundred years this next year.  The 200th Anniversary celebration activities have commenced.  Be prepared to receive special communications from your Valley Office and from Supreme Council about many once in a life time events that are planned for the next several months.

As we catch our breath and prepare for next year we wish for all to have a safe and happy summer.  Rest, relax, and enjoy our beautiful state and country this summer.

A special reminder note to our new 2012-2013 Elected Officers, 33rd Degree Honorary Members, MSA’s, DSA’s, and Past Body Heads the 2012 Council of Deliberation is July 27 and July 28, 2012.  All meetings are scheduled for the Holiday Inn Syracuse/Liverpool on Electronics Parkway in Liverpool. Please mark these dates on your calendar.

In closing I would be remiss if I did not remind everyone to assist and support the Walk-A-Thon for the Children’s Dyslexia Center in September.   All will hear much more about this project to support our Learning Center during the summer.


Ill. James D. Swan, Jr., 33°
Valley Secretary


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