june_2008

The Newsletter of the Orient of Virginia Scottish Rite

Volume 2, Issue 2 June 2008

Table of Contents

Page 2- SGIG Com-ments & Thoughts Page 3 - Conference President Comments

Valley Pages

Page 5 - Alexandria Page 6 - Danville Page 7 - Lynchburg Page 8 - N. News Page 9 - Norfolk 0 - Portsmouth Page 11 - Richmond Page 12 - Roanoke

Other Items

Page 13 - Education Page 14 - Short His-tory of RiteCare Page 15 & 16 - Book Review “Committed to the Flames”

Copyright © 2008, The Orient of Virginia under

the auspices of The Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient and Accepted

Scottish Rite, SJ, USA. No part of this publication may

be reproduced without permission of its Editor at

[email protected]

Are you a Scottish Rite Master Craftsman? By Brother Jonathan Mark Mills, 32°

A few weeks ago, I was perusing the website of the Supreme Council, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. http://www.scottishrite.org/ just checking to see what might be new and interesting. I always like to peruse the Scottish Rite Online Gift Center to see what new publications may be available to add to my small, personal Masonic Library. I found a very interesting book by Ill. Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist and Grand Historian called Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide. The price of this great book was $65.00 (It’s a very large book and chock full of information on Masonry in general and Scottish Rite in particular). I thought to myself, “That’s a lot of money for a book, but I’m going to pay it anyway because I know it will be a wealth of information and will expand my knowledge of the Scottish Rite.” I then noticed something new…The Scottish Rite Master Craftsman Program. The Master Craftsman Program is an exciting new by-mail correspondence course designed and administered by staff at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C. under the guidance and leadership of the Supreme Council, 33° of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite – Southern Jurisdiction. Consisting of 6 lessons, it utilizes The Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide by Arturo de Hoyos. The course fee of $35, which includes all six lessons and materials, the Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide, and a personalized certificate and lapel pin upon completion of the program. Wow! You mean there is a correspondence course that will aid me in my scholarly quest to be well informed and it only costs $35.00 AND includes the book that I wanted?! I had to sign up. A few clicks later, I had ordered the course and the book and waited a time of patience until its arrival. The book arrived first and I was impressed. The first of the six lessons arrived a couple of days later and I realized that a second text was required for the course…A Bridge to Light (2006 Edition) by Ill. Rex R. Hutchens, 33°, GC. I received a copy of this book when I attended the Valley of Roanoke’s Scottish Rite Reunion in 2004. My version of the book was dated 1995, so I again went to the Online Store and bought a copy of the newest edition to be well prepared for my quest for more light. The first test covered “Some Masonic and Scottish Rite Basics” and is completed, as are all of the tests, as an “open book” test. The test is purposely not in chronological order. This allows the student to really get into the books and learn instead of just looking up the answers. I completed the first test and sent it off to the Supreme Council in the provided envelope. A short while later, the test was returned to me and I scored 100%! I was very happy!

(Continued on Page 4)

The Virginian Light©

Published monthly for the Brethren of Virginia

Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33° Sovereign Grand

Commander of the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient and

Accepted Scottish Rite, SJ, USA

Ill. James D. Cole, 33° Grand Treasurer General

and Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Virginia of the Supreme Council, 33°,

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, SJ, USA

Ill. James B. Wilkinson, GC Personal Representative to

the SGIG in Virginia

Bro. David A. Burkus, KCCH Newsletter Editor

Editorial Staff

Ill. Walter S. Downs, GC Ill. William A. Wells, IGH Ill. Orville L. Lindsey, IGH

Bro. Danny O. Belott, KCCH Ill. Paul W. Pennybacker, IGH Ill. W. H. ‘Andy’ Anderson, IGH Bro. Bradford F. Burnett, KCCH

Bro. Paul D. Sleeper, 32°

Brethren, I hope this newsletter finds you in the shade, away from this repressive heat. I have a favor to ask of each of you. Please help us make this newsletter GREAT! Although several Brethren present at the Spring Workshop promised to forward articles to our editor, Brother Dave Burkus, K.C.C.H., we had great difficulty finalizing this issue, since several of our Valleys were unable to report information to us in time to meet our deadline. Scottish Rite is intended to be a path to more knowledge. Therefore, I welcome articles of all types that can be part of a Scottish Rite member’s education. Unfortunately, in today’s society, fewer people spend time composing written material. In Virginia, I want to change that, if only by some small degree. I receive magazines and newsletters from Masonic groups around the country. While I personally do not have the writing ability of many great authors, such as my dear friend, the S.G.I.G. of Louisiana, Illustrious Bill Mollere, 33°, I am trying to learn from his and other examples. However, this newsletter should not center on my inadequate writing ability. Rather, it should showcase the thoughts and reflections of any member of our greater Masonic family. Since this is an Orient newsletter for Scottish Rite, I would welcome more than one article from any Valley, as well as articles from members of other Masonic organizations. Authors are encouraged to write about anything Masonic, not just current events. This is not intended to be a trestle board. Please read the articles in this issue. I am greatly pleased by the number of quality articles, even though it took a lot of “arm-twisting” on my part and on the part of others, to meet our deadline. I want to “get ahead of the game” before our next issue. I encourage any reader of this newsletter to consider submitting one or more articles. Especially, I would love to hear from officers in Grand Lodge, other Bodies of our Masonic Family, or from our Masonic Youth. I would strongly encourage Brethren to email articles to our editor at [email protected]. Thank you for your support! Fraternally, James D. Cole, 33° Grand Treasurer General and S.G.I.G. in Virginia

The V irg in ia L ight—June 2008

The Virg in ia L ight—June 2008

2008 SCOTTISH RITE CONFERENCE “SEASONS OF CHANGE FOR CHILDREN”

The 84th annual meeting of the Scottish Rite Con-ference of Virginia will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 19 and 20, 2008 at the Holiday Inn Select, Ko-ger South Conference Center, 1021 Koger Center Boule-vard, Richmond, VA 23235-4756, telephone 804.379.3800. All of the Conference activities, with the exception of the golf tournament, will be held in the hotel. You may visit their website at: www.hiselectrva.com for additional infor-mation.

Each Valley is responsible for making reservations directly with the hotel for individual rooms and a hospital-ity suite. The room rate is $94 plus tax (single/double oc-cupancy) and $188 for the hospitality suites. The hospital-ity room price includes the removal and replacement of the required furniture. The hotel point-of-contact is Ms. Vicky Knudsen, Reservation Manager, and the group name is “Scottish Rite Conference of Virginia”. Her email address is: [email protected]. All reservations must be com-pleted with the hotel by August 23, 2008. Check-in time is 3:00 PM and check-out time is 11:00 AM. Ms. Knudsen is at the hotel until 3 PM. If you call after that time, up until 9 PM, please contact Ms. Stacy Hazelwood for assistance.

The hotel will accept (and actually prefers) a room list in letter form to make your reserva-tions. The room list should contain the following information: a listing, by date, of the names of the attendees; their room requirement (king, double, etc.); smoking or non-smoking; a credit card num-ber to guarantee the reservations; and whether or not the rooms will all be billed to that account or attendees will pay separately. The hotel will provide a confirmation list with a number for each guest on your list. You also need to include your hospitality room on the list. There are five (5) hos-pitality suites available for the seven (7) Valleys outside of the Richmond area. If you need assis-tance or another room, please let me know.

A golf event is planned at the Belmont Golf course, 1600 Hilliard Road, Richmond, VA 23228, for those who wish to test their abilities. Lunch will begin at 11:30 AM with tee times start-ing at Noon. The fee of $50 includes the round of golf, cart, a sleeve of balls, closest to the hole prizes on par threes and the best fellowship around. Please contact Bro. Larry Dixon, KCCH, at 804.360.1163 for additional information.

Everyone is invited to the Richmond Valley hospitality room for lunch on Friday, Septem-ber 19th, prior to the afternoon sessions. Members of the Richmond Scottish Rite Guard will be available on arrival to assist you with your luggage and getting settled into your room.

The Valley attendance and registration form must be completed and returned to Illustrious Robert W. Carpenter, Jr., 33°, General Secretary, PO Box 9136, Richmond, VA 23227, no later than August 18, 2008. Please enclose a check (made payable to the Richmond Scottish Rite) with the


Are you a Scottish Rite Master Craftsman? (Continued from the Front Page)

The second test covered “The Lodge of Perfection”. I worked on it for several days answering questions covering the 4th through 14th Degrees. One of the questions had me a little stumped. Question No. 3 asked me to “Name four of the Nine Great Masonic Virtues mentioned in the 14th Degree.” Naturally, I went to both texts and read everything I could find about this degree and relied on my memory for some of the information as given at the Reunion in 2004. I couldn’t find the answer anywhere! It finally dawned on me that these virtues were discussed in the 4th Degree! I answered the question based on the 4th Degree text and made a note on the test that I thought there might be a typo. I sent in the test and it was reviewed and graded by none other than Ill. Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist and Grand Historian!! He applauded my finding the small error on the test and liked my answer to the essay question which I will provide here:

Essay Question: What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned, and why? “This is only my second exam in the series. That being said, I have learned more about Scottish Rite and Masonry in general, than I did during the Reunion when I became a Prince of the Royal Secret. In today’s society, the hectic pace and numerous duties we incur make it difficult to attend each of the twenty-nine degrees in the Scottish Rite. I suppose that the requirement to only participate in the 4th, 14th, 18th, 30th, and 32nd Degrees was designed to alleviate the time it would take to obtain the goal of being a 32nd Degree Mason. This course has made me a much better informed Scottish Rite Mason and I am excited to have the opportunity to pursue more light in the future! This course should be a requirement for anyone wanting to truly understand the concepts and teachings of Scottish Rite Masonry!

So…you want to increase your knowledge of Masonry in general and Scottish Rite Masonry in particular? Are you wondering what you missed by not being presented with the other twenty-four Scottish Rite degrees? Do you want to become truly enlightened and a Scottish Rite Master Craftsman? If so I suggest that you sign up today for the Scottish Rite Master Craftsman Program. You won’t regret a moment of it!!

2008 SCOTTISH RITE CONFERENCE “SEASONS OF CHANGE FOR CHILDREN”

(Continued from Page 3)

completed form to cover the cost of the meals. Cancellations and/or additions for banquets and the ladies brunch will be accepted until September 10, 2008. No refunds can be made for meals after that date. The cost of the dinner meal (per person) for Friday’s banquet is $30 and for Saturday’s banquet is $40. The ladies brunch on Saturday is $25 each. Please include on the back of your registration form a listing of any dietary restrictions for your members/wives. I will be sending the form electronically to the General Secretaries. This is our preferred method of returning the registration form. The form also contains formulas to automatically figure the meal cost.

Fraternally,

Bob Carpenter Ill. Robert W. Carpenter, Jr. Conference President


Valley of Alexandria

Stated Meetings on the 2nd Fri-day @ 7:30PM

Chartered October 1911

Ill. Walter S. Downs, GC

Personal Representative of SGIG

Ill. Walter S. Downs, GC Secretary

Ill. Roy M. Heaster, IGH

Treasurer

Bro. Brian W. Galusha, 32° Almoner

Masters of the Four Bodies

Bro. Thomas A. Reese, KCCH

Venerable Master

Bro. Earl R. Jones, KCCH Wise Master

Bro. Noe R. Poblete, KCCH

Commander

Bro. George D. Seghers, KCCH Master of Kadosh

Building Address:

1430 West Braddock Road Alexandria, VA 22302

Mailing: P.0. Box 175 Alexandria 22313 Office: 703.998.9904

Fax: 703.778.2804

E-mail: [email protected]

Office Hours Monday through Friday

10AM till 4PM

Greetings from Alexandria The Spring Reunion in Alexandria produced not only 32 new members, but a majority expressed a willingness and desire to actively participate in degree work, serve on committees, or do other things as needed in the Valley. We are helping them achieve their objective! After 38 years of shielding our building from rain, snow, scorching heat, and other elements, our major roof areas have been replaced, at a cost of just under $200,000. Perhaps one or more of our newest members will be able to see whether the manufacturer lives up to its 50-year warranty. The annual Teacher of the Year program in June attracted a record attendance as we honored three well-deserving teachers in the Alexandria, Manassas Park, and Stafford County public school systems. This is an inspiring program which not only rewards educational excellence, but publicly displays, a beneficent role of the Scottish Rite. Our two Scottish Rite Clubs continue to make great strides in expanding participation and promoting the Scottish Rite. The Blue Ridge Club’s annual picnic and “blind auction” in June will turn all proceeds over to the Scottish Rite Foundation of Virginia (in 2007, this amounted to $1,000). The Shenandoah Valley Club has arranged a July bus trip with stops at three different locations for a group visit to the House of the Temple in Washington and, time permitting, the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria. Looking ahead, we anticipate renewing friendships and advancing Masonic knowledge when all Valleys come together in Richmond in September for the Scottish Rite Conference of Virginia.


Greetings from Danville

The Valley of Danville will be hosting its annual Blue Lodge Fellowship Night on Saturday, July 26, 2008. The Master Mason Lodge will tile promptly at 5:00 PM for the first section of the Master Mason's Degree. We will go to refreshment at 6:00 PM for dinner on the premises. Lodge will be called back on at 7:00 PM for the second section after which there will be remarks from Most Worshipful and Illustrious Edmund Cohen, Grand Master of Masons in Virginia. This is the 18th year the Valley of Danville has hosted all the Lodges in the Valley for a night of excellent degree work, food, and fellowship. Each year a different Lodge in the Valley has provided the degree team. Roman Eagle Lodge No. 122 of Danville has been selected for this year’s host Lodge. All are welcome to attend and we invite members of other Valleys to join us. If you do decide to come, please let our secretary, Illustrious Jesse M. Hutcherson , Jr., IGH, know by July 18, 2008 so that we can make sure to have a meal prepared for you.

Danville Masonic Temple


Valley of Danville

Stated Meetings on the 2nd Tuesday @ 7:30PM

Chartered May 1923

Ill. Ronny L. Lewis, IGH


Ill. Jesse M. Hutcherson, Jr, IGH Secretary

Ill. J. Robert Denny, Jr, IGH

Treasurer

Ill. J. Robert Denny, Jr, IGH Almoner


Bro. Ted Keith Rice, 32°

Venerable Master

Bro. James L. Hodnett, 32° Wise Master

Bro. Robert L. Warren, KCCH

Commander

Bro. Rufus H. Adkins, Jr., KCCH Master of Kadosh

Building Address: 134 Tunstall Road

Danville, VA 23601 Office: 434.793.9805

Fax: 434.793.9805


Office Hours None posted

Valley of Lynchburg

Stated Meetings on the 2nd Friday @ 7:30PM

Chartered

October 1920

Ill. Lonnie L. Godfrey, IGH Personal Representative of SGIG

Ill. Orville L. Lindsey, IGH Secretary

Bro. Jimmy P. Carter, 32° Treasurer

Ill. Robert E. Wilmouth, IGH

Almoner


Bro. William A. Robertson, Jr., KCCH

Venerable Master

Bro. A. Alvin Hatter, KCCH Wise Master

Bro. Donlie R. Henderson, KCCH Commander

Bro. Robert R. Eckenrode, KCCH Master of Kadosh

Knights of St. Andrew

Matthew V. Gibson, 32° Commander

Building Address: 214 Lemon Drive Lynchburg, VA

Office: 434.385.4103

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 521

Lynchburg, VA 24505


Lynchburg Masonic Temple


Change of Meeting Notice The Valley of Lynchburg is changing the Stated Meeting night to the 4th Monday in July, August, and September on a trial basis; if attendance improves the change will become permanent. Knights of St. Andrew Commander: Brother Matt Gibson, 32º The Knights of St. Andrew held their Annual Golf Tourna-ment at Ivy Hill Golf Course this year. There was a dinner held at Marshall Lodge No. 39 in Lynchburg where the pro-ceeds of the event were presented to the Miller Home for Girls. The real highlight was when each girl present received a gift card for local shopping. Other fundraisers for the Knights of Saint Andrew will be a Bike Ride in September and a Turkey Shoot in October. We’ll keep you posted. Project Talkk Chairman: Brother Robert R. Eckenrode, KCCH Project Talkk is doing well in Lynchburg and its surrounding areas. We have over 100 kits in use which are helping the children communicate better. More kits are being prepared to expand the program. We are starting a reading program, where Scottish Rite Masons and their Ladies will be reading books to the children at the Hutcherson Early Learning Cen-ter. Scottish Rite Woman’s Club President: Elaine Hatter The Lynchburg Scottish Rite Valley has a Scottish Rite Woman’s Club that also meets at 7:30. A Dinner @ 6:30 PM precedes the meetings.

Valley of Newport News

Stated Meetings on the 4th Wednesday @ 7:30PM

Chartered

October 1912

Ill. Clifford A. Parker, IGH Personal Representative of SGIG

Ill. Adrian “Pete” Eure, IGH

Secretary

Ill. Gerald E. Burks, IGH Treasurer

Bro. Harold C. Joyner, KCCH

Almoner


Bro. John E. Mattison, Jr., KCCH Venerable Master

Bro. George A. Hollingsworth, III., KCCH

Wise Master

Ill. James E. Lassiter, IGH Commander

Bro. John E. Mattison, Jr., KCCH

Master of Kadosh

Building Address: 65 Saunders Road

Newport News, VA 23601 Office: 757.599.6617

Fax: 757.599.0021


Office Hours Monday thru Wednesday and

Friday between 9AM and Noon


Greetings from Newport News!

We would like to congratulate our eight new Masters of the Royal Secret and wish them success as they receive more light in Masonry, while helping our Valley to continue to prosper and grow. At the beginning of June, we held our annual picnic and would like to thank our Senior Warden, Brother Ricky R. John-son, KCCH, and his assistants for a great job! At our June stated we will be honoring our Ladies and having a grilled steak dinner to thank them for all they do for our Valley. After this excellent meal, our kitchen will go “dark” for July and Au-gust as they deserve a well-earned rest during the hot months of the year. The IGHs and KCCHs have been meeting monthly to try to find ways to improve our Valley and get it better situated for the future. Taking many of the ideas that were brought forth at the Supreme Council’s Biennial Leadership Conferences, we are establishing various committees to enhance and streamline some of the ways we have been running the Valley. Although we have just finished a very successful Spring reunion, the degree teams are already hard at work for the Fall reunion which is scheduled for October 17-18, 2008. It will be capped off by our Ring Ceremony on October 19, 2008 which will be sponsored by our Knights of Saint Andrew, who will be adding the 29th Degree to this reunion. We just finished out 5th Annual Golf Tournament for the Tidewater Scottish Rite Foundation, which was renamed in honor of Illustrious and Most Worshipful William M. Johnson. Again we had a great turnout and raised over $10,000 with more money still coming in. It is with sadness that we report that two of our leaders, Il-lustrious John E. Blair, IGH, and Illustrious Melvin Colson, IGH, are fighting very bad cancer diagnoses and we hope you will add them to your prayer lists as we have done here. We also lost Janice Lassiter, Illustrious James E. Lassiter’s wife, to cancer unexpectedly. Janice was very instrumental in our wives’ club and could always be counted on to assist in any way or manner she could.

Valley of Norfolk

Stated Meetings on the 3rd

Thursday @ 7:30PM

Chartered December 1874

Ill. William L. Holliday, IGH


Ill. T. Dudley Myers, IGH Secretary

Ill. Donnie E. Baines, IGH

Treasurer

Ill. Robert L. Campbell, IGH Almoner


Ill Morris D. White, 33º

Venerable Master

Bro. Peter J. Gordon, KCCH Wise Master

Bro. Raymond T. Brogan, Jr., KCCH

Commander

Bro. Lawrence W. Crocker, KCCH Master of Kadosh

Building Address:

7001 Granby Street Norfolk, VA

Office: 757.489.1076 Fax: 757.489.1742


Office Hours

Monday thru Friday 9AM till Noon

Greetings from Norfolk

We are very sad to lose three of our 33º Scottish Rite Brethren: Illustrious Goodwin B. Spencer, 33º; Illus-trious Donald J. Nachman, 33º; and Illustrious George J. Wallace, 33º. They were very good Masons and attended all meetings and will be missed. Old Dominion University will host a luncheon in the Child Study Center on July 15, 2008 at 10:00 AM. If you are planning on attending, they need your RSVP as soon as possible, so they may prepare for all who attend this very important meeting of the Clinic. The Valley of Norfolk will recognize the Teach-ers of the Year for the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach on October 4, 2008, please attend and show support for our teachers of the year.


Valley of Portsmouth

Stated Meetings on the 1st Monday @ 7:30PM

Chartered

1955

Ill. J. R. “Jack” Goodwin, IGH Personal Representative of SGIG

Ill. W.H. ‘Andy’ Anderson, IGH

Secretary

Bro. Franklin D. Edmondson, KCCH Treasurer

Bro. Franklin D. Peters, KCCH

Almoner


Bro. Carl M. Sharp, KCCH Venerable Master

Bro. Foy A. Greenwood, KCCH

Wise Master

Bro. Franklin D. Edmondson, KCCH Commander

Bro. Jeffery C. Flowers, 32°

Master of Kadosh

Building Address: 3401 Cedar Lane P.O. Box 7276

Portsmouth, VA 23707 Office: 757.484.2930


Office Hours

Monday thru Friday 9AM till 1PM

Greetings from Portsmouth

Our first quarter has had many accomplishments. Ed Creecy and Ben Hill have been working hard on the Ambas-sador program. We had several successful breakfasts and while there is still much to do, the program is now activated and moving forward. I would like to thank all of the cooks who made the breakfasts possible and all of the interested brethren who attended. A good time of fellowship was had by all who attended. There will be an open house at the Child Studies Center at Old Dominion University on July 15, 2008 from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM. There will be light refreshments, followed with presentations about the various programs at the center and a tour of the facility. A light lunch will be served afterwards. The open house is open to everyone. This event is a good op-portunity to show what we, as Scottish Rite Masons, support. A lot of work is going into this event. There is no cost. . We have a new event coming on August 23. It is the Scot-tish Rite Friends Dinner. It is a fundraiser proposed by the Supreme Council consisting of a dinner and auction. The Val-leys of Newport News, Norfolk, and Portsmouth are working together on this project. Please mark you calendars and sup-port the event to the degree you can. If you would like to work on the event please see Hugh Byrd or Pete Carter. Dr. Sever and the Fellowship recipients are coming to have dinner with us and give a presentation about the program at Old Dominion University on October 6. This will be a good opportunity to chat with the students we support on a one on one basis. Let us show our appreciation for their efforts with a large attendance. Please, mark your calendars for the next Reunion which will be October 24 & 25 and support the Valley and those Brethren and Ladies who work hard to make our Reunions a memorable experience for the new members.


Valley of Richmond

Stated Meetings on the 4th Monday @ 7:30PM

Chartered

October 1878

Ill. L. Aubrey Stratton, IGH Personal Representative of SGIG

Ill. Robert W. Carpenter, Jr., IGH

Secretary

Ill. Mack T. Ruffin, III, IGH Treasurer

Ill. Clarence E. Whitley, IGH

Almoner


Wayne A. Robison, Sr., KCCH Venerable Master

John W. Andrews, 32°

Wise Master

Shirley E. Tuck, 32° Commander

J. Hugh Russell, Sr., KCCH

Master of Kadosh

Building Address: 4204 Hermitage Road

Richmond, VA Office: 804.

Fax: 804.


Office Hours 9:00 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. on M-Th

9:00 A.M. – Noon on Fri

Greetings from Richmond Summer has arrived. It seems just like yesterday that Spring had just made its debut. Fun, frolic, swimming, golf, and all those necessary activities required for our mental health to last throughout the rest of the year. June 21, 2008 starts those hot and sultry summer months filled with that relaxation that everyone so desperately needs. We have a dance planned on August 2nd with a beach theme and a great band, Ron Moody and the Centaurs. Call 804.266.6699 for tickets. It is being held at the ACCA Shrine Center. Lastly, our Annual Golf Tournament will be held on October 3, 2008 at the River’s Bend Golf Course in Chesterfield County. With Father’s Day just occurring, the Richmond Valley would like to wish all the fathers a very happy belated Father’s Day. Let’s remember all fathers in our prayers and hope the day brought them a lot of joy, happiness, and memories of their many years growing up. Summer also brings a different schedule for the Richmond Scottish Rite. In accordance with our By-Laws, there will be no meeting in July. The office will, again this year, be on reduced hours during the summer. Starting on Friday, June 13, 2008, the office will be closed on Fridays through Labor Day. We will continue to be open Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 3:30 PM, and the secretary is available by phone during the other hours. You may call his cell phone at 804.837.0360. Our Spring Reunion resulted in 17 new Masters of the Royal Secret. Plans are already well under way for our Fall Reunion on November 1, 2008. We will be honoring a great Virginia Mason, Ill. Stuart Milton Butler, 33°. Petitions are already available and many have already been requested, so we are planning on a large class. The Grand Master’s One-Day Conferral Class will be held across the state on August 16, 2008. We will be planning for several new Master Masons on that day as the degrees will be presented in Lodge Room No. 2 downstairs. It should be a great day across the state for Freemasonry. Later in August, we will be having our annual Family Night in conjunction with our August Stated Meeting on August 25, 2008. Our Master of Kadosh, Bro. J. Hugh Russell, Sr., KCCH, has a great program planned for the evening. If you are in the area, please let us know ahead of time and we will make sure you have a meal with your name on it.


Valley of Roanoke

Stated Meetings on the 2nd Tuesday @ 6:00 PM

Chartered

October 1911

Ill. Louis K. Campbell, IGH Personal Representative of SGIG

Ill. James Campbell Bay, IGH

Secretary

Bro. Charles H. Stowe, KCCH Treasurer

Ill. Warren M. Cratch, IGH

Almoner


Bro. Melvin L. Crowder, KCCH Venerable Master

Ill. Moody C. DeVaux, IGH

Wise Master

Ill. David I. Bower, IGH Commander

Bro. William M. Keyser KCCH

Master of Kadosh

Building Address: 622 Campbell Avenue, S.W. Roanoke, VA 24016-3597

Office: 540.343.6666 Fax: 866.266.4990


Office Hours Monday thru Thursday 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Greetings from Roanoke

On June 7, 2008, in connection with the annual DeMolay Grand Master's Class of candidates in honor of Most Worshipful Edmund Cohen, 33º , Virginia DeMolay also held competitions in a number of it’s i n d i v i d u a l r i t u a l p e r f o r m a n c e s . Congratulations go to Eric Dadmun of Westhampton Chapter, who was the winner of the Flower Talk and the Magnificent Seven, and the Valley of Roanoke is especially proud of David Chang and Andrew Parizo, both of Hanging Rock Chapter, who were winners respectively of the Shield Talk and Ceremony of Light. Interestingly, Andrew has been a patient at S h r i n e r s ' H o s p i t a l s i n t h e p a s t . More recently, there is a strong connection between the two Roanoke area DeMolay Chapters and the Valley of Roanoke. Three Scottish Rite members accompanied the young men from both Chapters to Luray and no fewer than eight Scottish Rite members currently serve as DeMolay advisors including the Personal Rep and the SGIG! Another four are working to start or re-start DeMolay in Lexington and Covington. Another two or three advisors would probably make willing and eager Scottish Rite members, but as moms they have a higher calling. Perhaps it is a by-product of this relationship the Valley of Roanoke has with their respective DeMolay chapter that a half dozen young men (21 or under) DeMolays have joined local Lodges in the recent years.


Scottish Rite Master Craftsman Course


Our lead story for this issue discussed the Su-preme Council’s new “Master Craftsman Course.” Below are some questions from the course: 1 - When and where was the first Grand Lodge organized? a. 1598, Edinburgh b. 1646, Dublin c. 1696, Edinburgh d. 1717, London e. 1730, London 2 - When and where was the first Scottish Rite Supreme Council opened? a. 1762, Bordeaux, France b. 1767, Albany, New York c. 1786, Berlin, Germany d. 1800, Paris, France e. 1801, Charleston, South Carolina 3 - When was the earliest reference to the Master Masons’ Degree? a. 1646 b. 1717 c. 1725 d. 1726 e. 1730 4 - What does the Hebrew letter yod (י) on the 14º symbolize? a. Duty/Fidelity b. The Lost Master’s Word c. The Lamp of the Nine Masters d. Immortal Life e. All of the above

5 - What is the meaning of “Kadosh?” a. Holy / Consecrated b. Sublime Temple c. Unspeakable d. Without Darkness e. Original As you might see, the questions contain “Basic Masonic and Scottish Rite” questions. Many of us, I believe, have expanded our knowl-edge level from the day we were raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason. Unfortu-nately, I believe most of that expansion has only been at the Blue Lodge level. This course offers a great chance for you to really broaden your hori-zons into other Masonic areas, specifically the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Remember there are other ways to expand your knowledge in Scottish Rite Masonry. In the issue preceding this one, I gave you some ques-tions from the “College of the Consistory” which is provided courtesy of the Valley of Guthrie, Orient of Oklahoma. This course is challenging also and covers the degrees in a more specific manner. The answers to last issue’s questions in re-gards to the 14th Degree were: 1-C, 2-B, 3-A, and 4-B. If you do not have the questions anymore, please contact Dave Burkus at [email protected] and I will get you a copy of the questions and the choices that were offered for the answer.

As one of our great charitable efforts, Scottish Rite responds to children’s language needs. We help families. We improve lives. We call it RiteCare. It all began more than fifty years ago in Colorado. It is instructive to look at the history of this program and how it has evolved in the Orient where it all began. The Orient of Colorado provides the following story of care and success. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, the first-ever Childhood Language Disorders Program was started in Denver, Colorado in 1953. Since then in nearly every State of the Union, the Scottish Rite has developed similar programs. In 1963 the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America, sitting in Washington, D.C., adopted the Childhood Language Disorders Program as the flagship charity of the Jurisdiction. How did this work get started? In early 1952 a social worker at The Children’s Hospital in Denver approached the Scottish Rite in Denver re-questing assistance for a young widowed mother who needed financial help in obtaining treatment for her 4-year-old son. The Scottish Rite Masons who followed up on this request were William G. Schewigert, 33°; Gerald L. Schless-man, 33°; and the Honorable Haslett P. Burke, 33°, Colorado’s Sovereign Grand Inspector General. Following a detailed investigation, these Scottish Rite Masons presented an organization proposal to the Scottish Rite membership for creation of a foundation which would be dedicated to the treatment of children with language disorders. During a cold and snowy night on November 25, 1952, about 500 Scottish Rite Masons gathered in the Scottish Rite Consistory auditorium at 1370 Grant Street in Denver and approved creation of the Scottish Rite Foun-dation of Colorado for the treatment of childhood language disorders. On February 3, 1953, the Foundation was for-mally organized as a 501(c)(3) public charity. How has the program expanded in Colorado? In 1953, 14 Colorado children were treated for language disorders at The Children’s Hospital with Scottish Rite Foundation financial assistance. Currently, about 1,000 children receive therapy and related services each year and through 2006, 12,495 children have been served with the Foundation’s financial assistance. The Foundation began expanding its clinic program in 1986. Today the Foundation partners with 11 service pro-viders serving 21 communities throughout Colorado. The clinic expansion evolved as follows:

1986 - Grand Junction, St. Mary’s Life Center 1987 - Pueblo, Children’s Therapy Center (The Children’s Hospital Satellite) 1997 - Colorado Springs, Memorial Hospital for Children 1998 - Fort Collins, Children’s Speech and Reading Center 1998 - Montrose, Montrose Memorial Hospital 2000 - Greeley, University of Northern Colorado 2000 - Cortez, The Piñon Project 2004 - Grand Junction, Rocky Mountain SER Western Slope Head Start 2006 - Sterling, Sterling Regional MedCenter 2006 - La Junta, Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center

The Children’s Hospital is currently the Foundation’s flagship partner. The hospital’s Audiology, Speech Pathol-ogy, and Learning Services Department has served more than 9,500 children with the Foundation’s financial assis-tance. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Virginia Scottish Rite Masons can be proud that the fraternal ties that bind us to our Brethren in Colorado have encouraged us to help people in our own Commonwealth. It started in Colorado and spread throughout the country. We are all in a great endeavor - TOGETHER!.


COMMITTED TO THE FLAMES Arturo de Hoyas and S. Brent Morris

(Lewis Masonic 2008) Reviewed by William A. Parks, Jr., KCCH

The Society of Blue Friars was inaugurated in 1932 to recognize Masonic authors. It may be the most exclusive Masonic or-ganization known to the public. Limited to twenty members, it has three officers; the Grand Abbott, who is the presiding officer and retains office as long as he wants; a Deputy Grand Abbott, his designated successor; and the Secretary-General. The Society's members have included Arthur E. Waite and Henry Wilson Coil, both Masonic encyclopediasts, John William Boetjjer, Past Editor of the Scottish Rite Journal, and Virginia's Masonic "Legends," W. Kirk McNulty (Freemsonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol) and Mark Tabbert (American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities). Now the team that brought us Is It True What They Say about Masonry?, Arturo de Hoyas and S. Brent Morris (yet another Virginia Masonic "Legend"), Deputy Grand Abbott and Grand Abbott, respectively, of the Society of Blue Friars, present Commit-ted to the Flames, part biography, part mystery, part Masonic history, politics, and ritual. In 1827, Robert B. Folger, a newly-made Mason and physician, filled an empty chapbook with ciphers, codes, and his own invented alphabet which were first decoded in the 1950's by William Baden, Past Master of Henry Clay Lodge No. 227 in New York. It turns out that Folger's code as deciphered is a "very good interpretation of the first three Degrees of the Rectified Scottish Rite (Rite Ecossais Rectifie or R.E.R.)" and the earliest appearance of the R.E.R. in the United States. So there's plenty here for cryptologists. Several pages of Folger's encrypted book are reproduced and the authors describe in detail how Folger's cramped and detailed code and symbols at long last revealed their meanings, so the reader can now participate in some of the deciphering. Equally gripping are the biography of Folger himself and the wild twists and turns of Masonic politics in nineteenth century New York following the notorious William Morgan Affair of 1826. The 1800's saw no fewer than six New York Grand Lodges as well as titanic battles to establish some authoritative body to administer the Scottish Rite. This was the age of Cerneau Masonry. Joseph Cerneau was a French jeweler expelled from Cuba in 1806. Upon arriving in New York, he proclaimed himself a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, and eventually claimed to have earned the thirty-third de-gree and the right to confer it. In 1814 he started conferring Knights Templar Degrees, although he had never been a member of that Order. By the time Cerneau returned to France in 1827, the seeds of strife he had sown had already blossomed into controversies over Masonic, and particularly Scottish Rite, jurisdiction and authority. At various times until the 1880's, there existed in New York the Sovereign Grand Consistory N.Y.C., The Supreme Council of the Northern Hemisphere, the Supreme Council of the United States, Their Territories and Dependencies, and the Supreme Council of the Western Hemisphere, as well as the Supreme Council of the State of New York. It appears that Masonry attracted more than its share of megalomaniacs in nineteenth century New York. Robert B. Folger plunged wholeheartedly into the schismatic and brawling Masonic politics of his era. He enthusiastically em-braced the goal of establishing within some model of Cerneau Masonry the right and power of the Scottish Rite to confer the first



Committed to the Flames (Continued from Page 15)

three degrees, thereby gaining control of the brotherhood immediately upon initiation and free from Grand Lodge control. It is difficult to imagine the unrelenting, decades-long warfare over the regularity of lodges and the legitimacy of the degrees conferred. For his dedication, which some would call fanaticism, Folger was twice expelled from Freemasonry. Meanwhile, Folger had his little book containing three coded manuscripts describing the ritual of the first three Scottish Rite Degrees, namely, Disciple, Fellow's Grade, and Master's Grade, elsewhere called First De-gree, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. Included are lectures, rambling "histories" of religion and faith, and de-scriptions and diagrams of R.E.R. lodges. (By the way, those ropes around the perimeters of lodge rooms with knots resembling figure 8's depict the popular French symbol chaine d'union or chain of union.) The degrees depicted by Folger are full of coffins, sepulchers, skulls, last wills and testaments, black walls, mourning, and other such doom and gloom. The rituals contain dramatic "lessons" that more resemble sopho-moric hazing than our own Virginia York Rite and seem totally unrelated to the calm and tranquil rituals of Al-bert Pike. Each of these three degrees employs the Chamber of Reflection, a separate room, entirely black, into which no light cam penetrate, where the candidate is prepared (scared out of his wits!) and whence he is con-ducted by Brother Terrible ( I am not making this stuff up!) to set forth upon his "trials." In one version of the Entered Apprentice Degree, just before taking on the obligation, the candidate is per-mitted to sip some water from a cup. When he returns the cup to a Brother, that Brother has "some wormwood in a bottle, which he pours into the cup after the candidate has drank part of it." Then the Worshipful Master pro-ceeds to confer the Obligation on the hoodwinked candidate:

If I prove faithless to my oath, and wanting in my duty, if a spirit of curiosity has conducted me hither - (The Master gives the sign for the cup to be given to him) - I consent to this draught - (The wormwood is here put into the cup) - shall be changed to bitterness, and that it may become a subtle poison to me - (He empties the cup.) .... WM: What do I see, Sir? I perceive an alteration in your countenance. Does your conscience give the lie to the assurance of your tongue? Has the draught so soon changed to bitterness? Take away the Profane.

Welcome to the Fraternity, Brother! Some moments later the candidate takes a much-needed time out on the "stool of reflection." In due course he is subjected to thunder, drenching, tripping, stooping, wind, and other tra-vails designed to turn him into a docile and trustworthy brother suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. No wonder the rituals' secrecy was once so carefully guarded. There is far more to this and the authors deliver one hundred eighty pages of these Folger rituals without comment. Presenting so much utter nonsense without comment demonstrates the authors' intellectual detach-ment and leaves to the reader the delights of forming his own opinion of these rituals which, at some points, become so bogged down in preachiness and trickery that Folger incorporates large chunks of York Rite Webb ritual to flesh out his degrees and mercifully bring them to conclusions. The Folger manuscripts give yet more cause to celebrate the victories over Cerneau Masonry. Folger's rituals enable us to rejoice in the coherence and beauty of present day Blue Lodge and Scottish Rite ritual. True, these are R.E.R. degrees, not Folger's, but Folger's versions are presented here. One cannot imagine their survival past the nineteenth century in America without massive and well-founded litigation. It is difficult to imagine many candidates progressing beyond the first degree following the abuse, insults, lies, invasive inter-rogation, and pompous and didactic sermonizing inflicted on them in the first degree. Brothers DeHoyas and Morris admirably rely on primary sources in detailing Folger's life and the social and fraternal contexts of his struggles on behalf of a degree system and Masonic view to which he was passionately dedicated in a tragically self-destructive way. Committed to the Flames offers several cautionary tales, as good history often does. The trickiness of the Folger rituals render them more mean than meaningful, more clever and sly than wise. This terrific book pro-vides a rule and guide for preventing Freemasonry in general and the individual Mason in particular from going over the top and falling into egocentric foolishness and pomposity. The Craft owes Brothers de Hoyas and Mor-ris the deepest gratitude for this ample demonstration that not all ritual created in the name of Freemasonry is valuable, constructive, or worthwhile.


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