From the East
Brethren, family, and friends of Santa Maria Lodge #580,
As we near the end of 2025, and the end of my term in the East, I offer my humblest thanks and appreciation to all of you for making these last two years feel like only a few months. Had you asked me on my first day of being an Entered Apprentice Mason back in 2016 if I thought I would be writing this final Trestleboard today, only a few months before my 10-year mark, I would have laughed at the idea. At the time, the thought of leading a lodge of gentlemen and their families would have seemed impossible. Yet here we are, nearing the end of a 2-year term, only to be followed up by Brother Pete Johnson, who I have had the pleasure and honor of going through the line with. As I write this, I am filled with feeling of comfort and security knowing that Brother Pete will be stepping in after me, and that the lodge will continue to thrive.
To you Worshipful Master-Elect Peter Johnson, I wish to you the best of luck and am eager to see where you will lead us. I have no doubt that under your direction and guidance, the lodge will thrive through the upcoming Masonic Year.
To the Officers of my line, thank you for your dedication to the elected and appointed roles you have filled both within the lodge and those who filled seats on the Building Association. Without you, these past two years would have not been possible.
Though I leave the East, I leave not the lodge, as the Brethren have decided to elect me to the seat of Treasurer. I look forward to the new perspective within the Lodge, and the new duties that it will entail. Thank you my Brothers for entrusting me with the financials of the Lodge. The remainder of the elections and appointments, I leave to Master-Elect Pete Johnson to announce.
And as I always do, I leave you with a bit of history. This month numerous holidays are celebrated across the world including Christmas, Yule, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and more. As most of us are aware of Christmas and Hanukkah, a brief understanding of Yule.
Yule is one of the oldest winter solstice festivals, with origins among the ancient Norse thousands of years ago. Its roots are complicated and difficult to trace, although there are several theories about how and why the festival was celebrated. It is generally agreed that Yule celebrations began as a Norse festival called jól, although assessments of the purpose and traditions vary. Like most winter solstice festivals, themes of light, fire, and feasting are common threads.
“Yule” became a name for Christmas about the 9th century, and in many languages yule and its cognates are still used to describe that holiday. According to the saga of King Haakon Haraldsson of Norway, who ruled in the 10th century, the Norse Yule celebration and Christian Christmas celebration were merged during his reign. Haakon became Christian after a visit to England, and after his return to Norway he put into law that Yule should be celebrated at the same time as Christmas. Everyone was required to have ale from a measure of grain and keep the holiday while the ale lasted or else be subject to a fine.
In modern times Yule as a solstice celebration is observed by many Neo-Pagans, both as individuals and as groups. For Wiccans, Yule is the second sabbat of the Wheel of the Year, marked with rituals to welcome the return of the Sun. Some mark the holiday with reenactments of the battle between the Holly King (representing darkness) and the Oak King (representing light) of Celtic legend. Some practitioners endeavor to re-create traditions of the ancient Norse by burning yule logs or with feasts. Some other Neo-Pagans observe Yule by staying awake until dawn to observe the cycles of nature.
Regardless of which holiday you choose to celebrate, may it be merry and full of joy.
From the East one last time,
Chase Murray - Worshipful Master 2024/2025
From the West
Happy Holidays!!!
We are celebrating multiple Holidays between Thanksgiving and New Years, but most importantly is the celebration of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Sometimes we get caught up with the gifts and food and for those of us with young kids we tend to focus on Santa Claus. Please take the time to remind your kids, family and friends that the real and most important reason why we celebrate Christmas is because it is the birth of Jesus. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Speaking of New Years, the Lodge will be celebrating our (East Coast) New Years Eve as we do every year. It will start at 6:00 pm. It will be a potluck. We are also having our traditional White Elephant gift giving. If you would like to take part in the White Elephant, then bring a gift worth approximately $20. This year we are also doing a baked goods auction. We have done this in the past and it has helped raise money for our lodge and gives everyone an opportunity to buy some really good baked goods. Please come join us for this fun event and great fellowship. We will be celebrating the ball drop at Midnight (East coast time) which will be 9:00 pm local. Hope to see you there.
I am honored and excited to be installed as the Master for the 2026 Masonic Year. Thank you to all the brothers for entrusting me with our Lodge. I will work hard everyday to keep this lodge thriving and finding ways to get brothers and families back to the lodge and finding more ways to get involved in the community.
I would like to Thank Worshipful Chase for serving our Lodge these past 2 years. I also want to Thank the brothers that have volunteered to be apart of my line. The following is the line for 2026:
Master - Pete Johnson
Sr. Warden - Ken Bychak II, PM
Jr. Warden - Don Ruch, PM
Treasurer - Chase Murray, PM
Secretary - Bill Graham, PM
Chaplain - Mark Lantz
Senior Deacon - Wade Hendry
Junior Deacon - Ken Bychak Sr.
Marshall - Elijah Descoteaux
Senior Steward - Rex McCray
Junior Steward - Gabriel Zabroski
Tiler - Bob Weldon, PM
Musician - Dave Murray, PM
The Installation will be on January 17th at 3:00pm. I hope you all can make it. It would be wonderful to have a great showing of Brothers from Santa Maria Lodge #580 in attendance.
As always, we want and need brothers coming back and we need ideas on how to make that happen.
God Bless you all, and God Bless this Lodge and Fraternity.
Pete Johnson, Sr. Warden.
From the South
Dear Brothers, families and friends;
It's been three days and I don't know about you but I'm still stuffed from the Thanksgiving feast. I just re-read a verse from the Bible this morning that I would like to share with you; "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.- Genesis 1:2
I know all Master Masons are familiar with this verse, but reading this again struck me in a personal way. This verse paints a picture of us prior to God coming into our lives. We are formless, empty and dark from sin. And yet the Spirit of God was and is always hovering there, active and alive in our lives. It is up to our own God given "Free Will and accord" to invite God's grace into our lives. Without God, our lives would be empty and void of goodness. Let God breathe His Spirit into your life.
Don Ruch, PM, Junior Warden.
Secretary’s Corner
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice or any other holiday you may celebrate! Congratulations to our 2026 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 2026 are $133.00 (Per our By-Laws the calculation is $60.00 + Per Capita rounded up to the next whole dollar). Per Capita for this year will be $72.50 giving us a dues of $60.00 + $72.50 = $132.50 rounded up to $133.00. This is also your time to catch up on last years 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!
Remember, if you send a payment in and are in arrears, that payment will go to the past due amount. You will still need to come back to good standing for the current year to receive your Dues Card. Please contact the Master or myself to discuss this if you have any questions.
Payment is due by December 31, 2025. There are several ways that you can pay you dues:
Send a check to the Lodge at:
Santa Maria #580
PO Box 68
Ramona CA, 92065
You can log in to the Lodge website, www.santamaria580.org, and pay by credit card. Use the link in the Grand Lodge email and pay through the Grand Lodge or you can bring a check or cash to me at the Lodge.
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.
If you are interested in becoming a Life Member, please use the following information from the
CMC 2022
§809.320.B LIFE MEMBERSHIP
A sum of money equal to the Lodge’s annual dues at the time of purchase of the Life Membership multiplied by the factor indicated opposite the member’s age in the following schedule:
Age 49 and under, a factor equal to or greater than 24 times annual dues;
50 to 54 inclusive, a factor equal to or greater than 20 times annual dues;
55 to 59 inclusive, a factor equal to or greater than 18 times annual dues;
60 to 64 inclusive, a factor equal to or greater than 16 times annual dues;
65 to 71 inclusive, a factor equal to or greater than 14 times annual dues; and
Age 72 and over, a factor equal to or greater than 12 times annual dues.
Our dues for 2026 are $133.00. Use the chart above to calculate the amount needed. As an
example, I am in the 55-59 bracket. For me to purchase a Life Membership, the cost would be
18 x $133.00 for a total of $2,394.00. Please contact me if you wish to pursue this.
There are still 10 Brothers that are in arrears for the 2025 dues. Remember, you have an obligation to pay your dues. If you have not made your payment, you are overdue. The dues for 2025 are $129.00. Per our By-Laws, the calculation is $60.00 + per capita rounded up to the nearest dollar. Per capita is $68.50 this year, which gives us our total of $129.00
If you are financially unable to pay your dues, please contact the Master to discuss.
If you have paid and have not received your dues 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
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 - Pete Johnson
Junior Warden - Don Ruch, PM (Vicki)
Treasurer - Bob Weldon, PM (Brenda)
Secretary - Bill Graham, PM (Teri)
Chaplain - Mark Lantz (Kim)
Marshal - Bruce Smith, PM (Beverly)
Senior Deacon - Ken Bychak II, PM (Laura)
Junior Deacon - Rex McCray
Senior Steward - Elijah Descoteaux
Junior Steward - Wade Hendry (Marianne)
Tiler - Dave Murray, PM (Catheren)
(619) 607-2935
(858) 943-1079
(619) 787-3858
(760) 807-2883
(951) 970-4294
(858) 231-4646
(760) 788-9475
(707) 328-9617
(760) 788-4957
(619) 987-1004
(760) 535-3176
(619) 302-1223
Santa Maria Masonic Building
Association (SMMBA) Directory
President - Don Ruch, PM
Vice President - Chase Murray
Treasurer/Secretary - Elijah Descoteaux
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) 987-1004
(707) 328-9617
(760) 807-2883
(760) 535-3176
(760) 788-9475
(858) 943-1079