From the East
Brethren,
The 4th of July is a very important date for Freemasons and is celebrated by members of the craft across the country. Freemasonry and the fourth of July are interconnected by events that took place almost 250 years ago. Which, would not have been possible or could have had very different results, had it not been for Freemasons.
The Declaration of Independence was signed and accepted into Congress on the fourth of July 1776, marking the birth of the United States. This date is important to Freemasons due to the great influence they had in forming this great nation. On June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress established the “Committee of Five” to draft a Declaration of Independence. This committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert Livingston of New York, ALL Freemasons.
In addition, of those who signed the Declaration, ten are verified to be Freemasons and historians believe as many as 21 of the 56 signers were of the craft:
• William Ellery - 1st Lodge of Boston
• Benjamin Franklin - Grand Master of Pennsylvania
• John Hancock Merchants - Lodge #277
• Joseph Hewes – unknown – but was verified in Unanimity Lodge #7 – 1776
• William Hooper – Hanover Lodge –
• Robert Treat Pain - Massachusetts Grand Lodge
• Richard Stockton – Charter member, St, John’s Lodge Princeton, NJ
• George Walton – Solomon’s Lodge #1, Savannah, GA
• William Whipple – St. John’s Lodge #1 Portsmouth, NH
• George Washington – Masonic Lodge #4 Fredericksburg, VA
This shows that one of the most influential voices shaping the nation, of the United States, were masonic voices and ideology.
Freemasonry could be perceived as the very superstructure upon which the United States was founded. A country which has allowed the union of different religions, races, creeds and ideas. Yet, holds mutual respect and good will at its heart. These are all principles found in Freemasonry.
Freemasonry therefore had a significant role in the making of the nation. The fact that the first president of the United States was a freemason is further proof of that role. The influence of Freemasonry is one element that has enabled the United States to become a strong, independent model of democracy and a nation that is based on individual and social responsibility.
Dave Murray - Worshipful Master
Senior Warden Chase Murray
From The West
Welcome to the month of July my Brothers and friends.
As a reminder, this month we will be having Masonic Burial Service for Brother Michael Bonner. The service is 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.
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.
Chase Murray - Senior Warden
Junior Warden (Elect) - Pete Johnson
From The South
Greetings from the South,
Happy Independence Day to everyone!! I hope you have great plans with family and friends to celebrate and enjoy fireworks on the 4th of July. Please be safe!!
This months dinner will be again provided by Ranch Catering. The menu is as follows:
BBQ Ribs, Oven Fried Chicken, Baked Potatoes w/fixings, corn on the cob, Watermelon Feta Salad, Rolls and butter, and Chocolate Cream Pie
Please join us for a great meal and fellowship at our stated meeting.
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength” - Philippians 4:13
Happy 4th of July and may God Bless you and your family!!!
Pete Johnson - Junior Warden (Elect)
Worshipful Bill Graham (PM)
Secretary’s Corner
Happy 4th of July!! Summer continues and so does the heat! Fortunately, the Lodge now has a new A/C system that does a wonderful job keeping the Lodge Room at a nice, comfortable temperature. What better reason than to come spend time with 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 multiple 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.
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
