Dear Brethren,
Welcome April! It is hard to believe we are already a quarter of the way through the year. It has a been a busy time for masonry in our district. Several Lodges have already conferred degrees on newly initiated brothers some of whom have waited a long time through the COVID hiatus for this most special opportunity to join our fraternity. I had the privilege of seeing one of these new brothers flawlessly recite the long form of the Entered Apprentice proficiency. It was exiting to see a new brother on the first step of the journey to acquire more and deeper meaning on our ritual and mysteries. We should all approach the craft with such reverence and wonder!
There is another special opportunity this month for all of us to learn more about freemasonry. On Saturday April 9 at UC Berkeley the 2022 International Conference on Freemasonry will be held. This year’s conference is themed “The View from Here: The Masonic World Through North American Eyes” and will feature presentations by top-notch Masonic researchers from the United States and Canada. This Conference has typically been held down in Los Angeles at UCLA so this is a great opportunity for us in our own back yard. You can find more details on line at freemason.org/conference.
This month’s Officers’ School of Instruction will be Wednesday, April 27th 7:30-9:00 PM with San Benito Lodge No. 211 in Hollister as our host. We will be covering the complete ceremonies of the First Degree with a special focus on the floorwork and the work at the altar. I will coordinate with WB Bob Wilson, Officers’ Coach, on the team to exemplify the work for us and may be reaching out to some of you to assist at the SOI. If you are a Lodge officer and unable to attend the SOI please contact me and let me know ahead of time.
Keep the light shining inside and out!
Mark Breckenridge
Inspector, 353rd District
Breckenridge@msn.com
831-682-5552
