From the East
Welcome brothers and friends to the month of May!
I cannot believe we are almost half-way through this year of 2024! First and foremost, I'd like to send a congratulations to Brother Wade Hendry who as of Thursday, April 25th, delivered his Third Degree Proficiency in a spectacular manner and will be working to further his Masonic knowledge of ritual in preparation for 2025.
Second, a reminder for this month. Breaking with tradition slightly, we will be holding our annual School's Night to recognize outstanding 6th Graders from our local elementary schools. This year we will be holding this event on May 21st starting at 6:00pm with a traditional spaghetti dinner by Ranch Catering, who has agreed to cover the event at a reduced cost. For which we are thankful and appreciative.
Also this month on the Monday the 27th, we will be observing Memorial Day. As we gather for our BBQs and chosen events, let us remember that this holiday is intended for the remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the line of duty.
Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades.
Each year on Memorial Day, a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 P.M. local time. It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings.
Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved since to commemorate American military personnel who have died in all wars, including both World Wars, The Vietnam War, The Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some wear a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in war—a tradition that began with a World War I poem.
Fraternally, Chase Murray - Worshipful Master
From the West
Dear Masonic family and friends.
It's hard for me to believe but this Masonic year for Santa Maria Lodge is half over. It seems that we still have a lot to accomplish, and such a short time left. I read a passage in the Bible just a bit ago that I would like to share my thoughts with you on the verse. It is in the book of Psalms:
"Among all the gods (small g) there is none like you, Oh Lord; no deeds can compare to yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God." (Psalm 86: 8-10)
Which other gods (small g) is King David talking about? My theory is that there are many material gods (money, sex, drugs, alcohol......) I believe that if we love any material thing more than we love God then we are in league with the devil.
Yours in Christ.
Don Ruch, PM, Senior Warden
From the South
To all the Brothers, Ladies, family and Friends,
Please join us for our Stated meeting on May 13th. Ranch catering will be providing the following;
Barbacoa w/Condiments, Chicken Enchiladas Verde, Cilantro Lime Rice, Jorge's Peruvian Beans ,Caesar Salad, Flour Tortillas, and Tres Leches Cake
Restroom Update: Work continues on both downstairs Restrooms. Right now, we are on schedule to have the plumbing portion completed by the 6th of May, which means the upstairs restrooms should be functional for the officers meeting. We are pushing really hard to have at least the Women’s restroom 100% completed before the May Stated meeting. We will try to have both Restrooms ready but focusing on the women’s restroom first. We appreciate everyone’s patience during this time.
John 6:35 “and Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
May God Bless you all and keep you safe and healthy!!
Pete Johnson - Junior Warden
Secretary’s Corner
June has arrived and Happy Father’s Day to all of our Fathers and the Father’s in the Lodge! Public Schools Night was a great success, and the students and family were happy and proud to be selected for this honor. Congratulations to Brother Gabriel Zabrosky for being passed to the Degree of Fellowcraft. We had a couple of visitors with some outstanding work being done by Worshipful Brother Jeff Powell and a fantastic singing rendition of the perambulation by our Inspector, Worshipful Tom Colgan. It was all around a fantastic degree and evening. You really missed out if you were not here.
We continue to meet at 0800 on the 2 nd and 4th Saturday’s of the month at the Lodge for coffee and then breakfast. Our candidates and prospects are often there to meet the Brothers. Come join us and get to know these fine men that are looking to join our Fraternity.
Please go to member.freemason.org and check your information. If you have not yet created your account, PLEASE get with me and I will walk you through creating the account and entering your information.
After voting and suspending our 3 year Delinquent Brothers, there are still 23 Brothers that are in arrears for the 2024 dues. Remember, you have an obligation to pay your dues. If you have not made your payment, you are overdue. The dues for 2024 are $126.00. Per our By-Laws, the calculation is $60.00 + per capita rounded up to the nearest dollar. Per capita is $65.25 this year, which gives us our total of $126.00
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 2024 only, and owe for 2023, I cannot send you your 2024 dues card. You are still in arrears and will need to bring your dues up to date first.
If you are financially unable to pay your dues, please contact the Master to discuss.
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 - Chase Murray
Senior Warden - Don Ruch, PM (Vicki)
Junior Warden - Pete Johnson
Treasurer - Bob Weldon, PM (Brenda)
Secretary - Bill Graham, PM (Teri)
Chaplain - Elijah Descoteaux
Marshal - Bruce Smith, PM (Beverly)
Senior Deacon - Ken Bychak II, PM (Laura)
Junior Deacon - Rex McCray
Senior Steward - Mark Lantz (Kim)
Junior Steward - Dave Murray, PM (Catheren)
Tiler - Wade Hendry (Marianne)
(619) 607-2935
(619) 787-3858
(858) 943-1079
(760) 807-2883
(951) 970-4294
(619) 987-1004
(760) 788-9475
(707) 328-9617
(760) 788-4957
(858) 231-4646
(619) 302-1223
(760) 535-3176
Santa Maria Masonic Building
Association (SMMBA) Directory
President - Don Ruch, PM
Vice President - Chase Murray
Treasurer/Secretary - Dave Murray, PM
Member - Ken Bychak II, PM
Member - Bob Weldon, PM
Member - Wade Hendry
Member - Bruce Smith, PM
Member - Pete Johnson
(619) 787-3858
(619) 607-2935
(619) 302-1223
(707) 328-9617
(760) 807-2883
(760) 535-3176
(760) 788-9475
(858) 943-1079