From the East
Brethren,
We, as Masons, speak proudly, and justifiably so, of the Great Teachings of our Fraternity. We speak about the Sublime and Eternal Truths contained within our Symbols. We sometimes speak of Freemasonry as a liberal education, which it is. Sometimes Freemasonry is referred to as a religion, which it isn’t. But despite all the splendid things we say about Freemasonry, and justifiably so, isn’t it true that very few of us gives any considerable time to a study of the Lessons and Teachings which we vocally hold in such high esteem? Isn’t it true, that at every exemplification of a degree, we see and hear many things we do not comprehend.
Consider the story of the faithful railroad employee, who spent fifty years of his life tapping the wheels of trains that stopped at a certain division point. The superintendent of the railroad had heard of the faithful employee. One day he got off his special train for the purpose of complimenting the old man. When the superintendent approached the employee he was already tapping the wheels. He went down one side and up the other. When the task was completed, the superintendent stepped up and introduced himself. “I understand you have been on this job for half a century and never missed a day.” “That’s correct.” “It must be a great deal of satisfaction to you to look back upon 50 years of faithful service.” “Yes, sir, it certainly is.” “You must take a great deal of pride in the fact that for half a century, pleasant days and stormy days, in rain or shine, snow and sleet, you played your part in looking after the safety of the passengers on this great railway.” “Yes, sir, I’m mighty proud of my record.” “Now, my good man, explain to me why you tap those wheels.” “I’ll be doggoned if I know.”
Isn’t our Masonry a great deal like the service of the faithful old railway employee. Don’t the greater number of us merely tap the outside, the surface, without having much idea of what it is all about. Aren’t the greater number of us so lacking in curiosity that we don’t try to find out why we do this, or why we do that, or what this means, or what that means?
Let’s develop a little curiosity.
Dave Murray - Worshipful Master
Senior Warden Chase Murray
From The West
Welcome to the month of June my Brothers and friends.
This month we will be crossing the halfway mark for the year of 2022, which is hard to believe as it seems like just yesterday we were gathering for installation.
This June will also mark the second observance of the newest federal holiday here in the United States, Juneteenth National Independence Day, otherwise known simply as Juneteenth. The addition of this federal holiday last year marked the first time a new federal holiday had been signed in since the Martin Luther King Jr day was signed as an official holiday on November 2, 1983.
For those that are not aware what this holiday celebrates, the Juneteenth celebration which has been observed unofficially since 1865, commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the United States on the anniversary of the date on which emancipation was announced in Galveston, Texas.
On a more somber note, it is with a heavy heart that I must announce that Brother Michael R. Bonner, age 85, of the Santa Maria Lodge #580, has laid down his tools to join the Great Architect of the Universe and our brethren in the celestial lodge above.
Brother Bonner was initiated as an Entered Apprentice Mason on April 04, 1994, passed to the degree of Fellowcraft in July of the same year, and Raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in September of 1994. In addition to being a Brother to us all for 27 years, we thank him for his service as Marshal for the Masonic year of 1999, as well as Chaplain for Masonic years of 2000 through 2008.
A Masonic Service is being planned for Brother Bonner and is currently scheduled to take place on July 9th, starting at 11:00am, at the lodge. It is requested that Brothers of all degrees make every effort to be in attendance to show support for Brother Bonner’s family.
Chase Murray - Senior Warden
Junior Warden (Elect) - Pete Johnson
From The South
Greetings from the South,
June is upon us and signifies we are half way through the year. It is amazing how quick this year has gone. Summer officially starts this month. I am excited on the direction our Lodge is going and we are working really hard to keep our lodge healthy and thriving now and for the future. Worshipful Master Dave Murray, Chase Murray, and myself just got back from the Masters/Wardens retreat, and we came away with a lot of great ideas. One of the biggest things I took away from this retreat is that our lodge is actually doing really well. The biggest item that we need to work on is getting brothers back to the lodge. I welcome any suggestions you may have on how we can achieve this. Remember the love you had or have for this fraternity and if you have lost that love, then let us help you find that again. It would be amazing to see every able brother make it to lodge.
This months dinner will be provided by Ranch Catering. The menu is as follows:
BBQ Chicken, BBQ Beef Brisket, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Fresh Fruit Salad, Biscuits w/butter and Honey, and Peach Pie.
For I know the plans I have for you; declares the LORD; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11
Fraternally,
Pete Johnson - Junior Warden (Elect)
Worshipful Bill Graham (PM)
Secretary’s Corner
June is here and so is summer! Time to spend time with your family and your Brothers. If you have not been to the Lodge in a while, please come join us for a Stated Meeting or an upcoming Degree. We will be having 2nd Degrees in the upcoming months and we miss you and would love to see you!! Now is the time to reconnect with the Lodge and your Masonic family! We are meeting at 0800 on the 2nd and 4th Saturday’s of the month at the Lodge for coffee and then breakfast. Our candidates and new Brothers are often there. Come join us and get to know these fine men that are joining our Fraternity.
If you are in arrears for your dues, you need to pay all that is owed to be brought back in to good standing. As an example, if you pay for 2022 only, and owe for 2021, I cannot send you your 2022 dues card. You are still in arrears and will need to bring your dues up to date first. Please contact the Master or myself to discuss this if you have any questions.
If you are in arrears for your dues, you need to pay all that is owed to be brought back in to good standing. As an example, if you pay for 2022 only, and owe for 2021, I cannot send you your 2022 dues card. You are still in arrears and will need to bring your dues up to date first. Please contact the Master or myself to discuss this if you have any questions.
The dues for 2022 are $118.00. Per our By-Laws, the calculation is $60.00 + per capita rounded up to the nearest dollar. Per capita is $57.25 this year, which gives us our total of $118.00. We will be paying the Per Capita to the Grand Lodge in July and your lack of payment affects the Lodge’s abilities to make its financial commitments.
iMember 2.0 is in full swing. Please go check it out at member.freemason.org. There are many things you can do there such as changing your address, your personal information, locate lodges, find resources and documents. Maintaining your contact information ensures that you will receive all notices that the Lodge sends out in a timely manner. Please go check it out!
If you are financially unable to pay your dues, please contact the Master to discuss.
If you have lost your envelope, you can mail your dues to:
Santa Maria Lodge No. 580,
PO Box 68, Ramona, CA 92065
You can also go to our website, http://www.santamaria580.org, and pay online. If you have paid and have not received your card in a reasonable amount of time, please contact me at 951-970-4294 or secretary@santamaria580.org and I will take care of it.
S/F
Bill Graham, PM - Secretary
Reminder!!
Have you moved? Changed your phone number? Changed your e-mail address? Have you notified the Lodge if you have done any of these things?? In an ongoing effort to ensure that all member get due and timely notice of all Lodge information, it is important that you keep your information updated with us.
I would greatly appreciate it if all of you would log in to member.freemason.org, go to the My Profile section and ensure that all of your address/phone number/e-mail is up to date. This will automatically update the i-member section that I use as the Secretary to for your mailings and other contacts.
Calendar of Events
Lodge Officer Directory
Master - Dave Murray (Catheren)
Senior Warden - Chase Murray
Junior Warden (Elect) - Peter Johnson
Treasurer - Ken Bychak II, PM (Laura)
Secretary - Bill Graham, PM (Teri)
Chaplain - Don Ruch, PM (Vicki)
Marshal - Bruce Smith, PM (Beverly)
Senior Deacon - Vacant
Junior Deacon - Rex McCray
Senior Steward - Bob Weldon, PM (Brenda)
Junior Steward - Cole Dick
Tiler - Mark Lantz
619-302-1223
619-607-2935
858-943-1079
707-328-9617
951-970-4294
619-787-3858
760-788-9475
760-788-4957
760-789-5254
760-533-3733
858-231-4646
Santa Maria Masonic Building
Association (SMMBA) Directory
President - Peter Krickhuhn, PM
Vice President - Chase Murray
Treasurer - Pete Johnson
Secretary - Dave Murray
Member - Ken Bychak II, PM
Member - Bob Weldon, PM
Member - Don Ruch, PM
Member - Bruce Smith, PM
760-612-1978
619-607-2935
858-843-1079
619-302-1223
707-328-9617
760-789-5254
619-787-3858
760-788-9475
