From the East
My Brethren All,
My heartfelt thanks and appreciation go out to all of you for making these last two years so memorable. I started my journey through the officer’s line shortly after I was raised 7 years ago. As I reflect on these last couple of years, several thoughts come to mind. First and foremost, I am thankful for God’s sense of time and place. I am so fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to serve such a wonderful lodge of brothers and to share this experience with my son, “your” Master elect Chase Murray. To have experienced masonry with Catheren’s father Worshipful Harold Butler, short as it was, that time is priceless to me. I wish he had the opportunity to see his grandson elevate to such a prestigious role, following his footsteps as Master of Santa Maria Lodge.
I want to thank a few brothers for their guidance and mentorship:
Worshipful Jim Rudeen, for his patience, kind words and kind heart. Well missed my brother…
Worshipful Tom Handell, for his passion for all things Masonic. A guiding light of men….
Worshipful Tom Colgan, for his soft spoken enthusiasm. A pillar to lean on…
And lastly but certainly not least – Worshipful Don Ruch for his commitment, support, fellowship, and his faith in god in all things. A true brother….
I am also thankful to the officers these past couple of years, that have ensured Santa Maria operated at the pinnacle of Masonic fervor. The Master sits in the East and basks, while others toil in the quarry, shoulder the loads, and measure the progress of the tasks.
Masonry as a whole, is something to be cherished by those endeavoring to ameliorate some measure of their moral rectitude, and it’s noble constructs have made me take measure of life, family, and brotherhood.
As this is my last communication as Master of Santa Maria to the newest members, as I sit on the sideline anxiously viewing your journey through the masonry, I look forward to witnessing the great things accomplish.
Dave Murray, PM - Master
Installation News
Breaking with tradition, the 2024 Santa Maria Installation of Officers will be held on January 20th instead of this month to allow the brethren to visit our sister lodges’ installations and enjoy the Holiday season. There will be a Pre-Installation Social Hour beginning at 1:00pm, followed by the Installation Ceremony at 2:00pm, and Dinner beginning at 5:00pm and will double as a celebration for 100-Years of Masonry in Ramona.
All are welcome to attend, including friends, however the dinner will require an RSVP which will be included in the invitations that will be going out soon.
From the West
Welcome Brothers and friends, to the month of December.
First and foremost, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the brethren, your families, and friends. If you will find yourself traveling, safe journeys to and from your destinations.
I would like to thank the brethren for electing and allowing me the privilege of serving as Master of Santa Maria Lodge for the 2024 Masonic year.
We will be scheduling several events throughout the year, including BBQs, sporting events, and the ever fabled Crawfish Boil. Yes… it’s really going to happen this year.
As we near the end of the 2023 calendar, a reminder that our “East Coast” - White Elephant Christmas/New Years eve celebration will be held at the lodge, as is tradition. As always, it will be a potluck with a white elephant gift exchange (not to exceed $25). We start at 6:00PM and start wrapping up around 9:30PM for those who want to beat the New Year’s revelers home. As before, we will be celebrating down stairs in the dining room.
I would also like to thank and congratulate Worshipful Dave Murray for two solid years as Master of Santa Maria Lodge, as well as his tremendous and hopefully continuing efforts in restoring our historic lodge. Though you can stash your hat in the closet until it needs dusting off, I know that you will continue ensuring our lodge prospers.
Chase Murray - Senior Warden (WM Elect)
From the South
Dear Lodge members, Families and friends
We are finally coming out of the summer and the summer heat. Although I will have to say that this summer wasn't all that bad, in my humble opinion, as far as the heat index was concerned, we have had worse summers. However the bottom line is: "This is the Summer that the Lord has given us, let us rejoice and be glad in it." So put on a Hawaiian shirt/dress and come and enjoy the Stated meeting dinner that Ranch Catering is providing us. The menu includes:
Kalua Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, Tropical Rice, Glazed Carrots, Island Coleslaw, Hawaiian Rolls and Coconut Cream Pie, OH yeah!.. I would show up just for the Coconut Cream Pie...
I have searched all my life for happiness and have found that I have a "God size hole" in my heart. We cannot fill it with things, status, money, power, sex, drugs, alcohol... These things may bring temporary pleasure but nothing lasts like true happiness. Only God can fill that hole .
With much fraternal love
Don Ruch, PM - Junior Warden (SW Elect)
Secretary’s Corner
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice or any other holiday you may celebrate! Congratulations to our 2024 Line of Officers! Thank you for your hard work qualifying and all the time you commit to the Lodge. We could not continue without the support of these Brothers. I would also like to thank the Brothers for giving me the opportunity to continue serving as Secretary. I enjoy working with all of you and look forward to another great year.
By the time you read this, you should have already received your Dues Invoices. 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 $65.50 this year, which gives us our total of $126.00. This is also your time to catch up on last year dues if you have not paid. If you are 2 or more years in arrears, you may be suspended for non-payment of dues as per the California Masonic Code, Section 809.370. Suspension for Non Payment of Dues. Neither the Master, I, nor any other Brother in Lodge wishes this to happen!
Sadly, there are still 19 Brothers that are in arrears. Remember, you have an obligation to pay your dues. If you have not made your payment, you are overdue. The dues for 2023 are $121.00. Per our By-Laws, the calculation is $60.00 + per capita rounded up to the nearest dollar. Per capita is $60.25 this year, which gives us our total of $121.00. Per Capita is due to the Grand Lodge and your lack of payment affects the Lodge’s abilities to make its financial commitments.
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 2023 only, and owe for 2022, I cannot send you your 2023 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.
Please go to member.freemason.org and check out your personal information. Ensure that your email, mailing address, phone number etc are correct. This is how the Lodge and the Grand Lodge contact you. It is important that this information be up to date. If you have trouble doing this, please contact me and I will assist you. Maintaining your contact information ensures that you will receive all notices that the Lodge and the Grand 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 - Don Ruch, PM (Vicki)
Treasurer - Bob Weldon, PM (Brenda)
Secretary - Bill Graham, PM (Teri)
Chaplain - Peter Johnson
Marshal - Bruce Smith, PM (Beverly)
Senior Deacon - Ken Bychak II, PM (Laura)
Junior Deacon - Rex McCray
Senior Steward - Peter Krickhuhn, PM
Junior Steward - Mark Lantz
Tiler - Jack Story, PM (Jeanne)
619-302-1223
619-787-385
858-943-1079
760-789-5254
951-970-4294
8619-607-2935
760-788-9475
707-328-9617
760-788-4957
760-612-1978
858-231-4646
N/A
Santa Maria Masonic Building
Association (SMMBA) Directory
President - Peter Krickhuhn, PM
Vice President - Chase Murray
Treasurer/Secretary - Dave Murray
Member - Ken Bychak II, PM
Member - Bob Weldon, PM
Member - Don Ruch, PM
Member - Bruce Smith, PM
Member - Pete Johnson
760-612-1978
619-607-2935
619-302-1223
707-328-9617
760-789-5254
619-787-3858
760-788-9475
858-843-1079