I would like to welcome the brethren of Saddleback Laguna Lodge 672 to 2021. Now that 2020 is behind us, we are looking forward to the new year with all the excitement of getting back together in person. We still don’t have a date set when we will be able to meet in person, but I hope the energy of that first day is building within all our members and our community.
My plan for the year revolves around getting our brethren re-engaged in Masonic activities mainly through Education related experiences. The virtual platform lends itself to all sorts of education related interactions. We have an amazing Education Committee again this year with Br. Jack Auld, Br. Raul Sayno, and Br. Scot Trodick. They have come up with an amazing plan which includes some form of explicit education topic at each meeting. Whether it’s a short 3-5-7, a longer education topic, or a full education night event, we hope you will find something of interest. And if you have a topic that you are passionate about, please reach out to our education team and make a presentation. I can guarantee if you are interested in it, the rest of the lodge will also be interested.
In January, Worshipful Tom presented a topic on Masonry during war, specifically during the Texas Revolution. MW John L. Cooper III presented “Fringe Freemasonry and Its Attractions: Exploring the Outer Limits”. Br. Scot Trodick presented a 3-5-7 on the history of masonry from Anderson’s Constitution. In February, we had a virtual watch party of one of the Grand Lodge Speaker Series: Dr. Ola Wikander, Northwest Semitic Poetics and Masonic Motifs. A week later we had a well-timed and thought-provoking presentation by Very Worshipful Allan Casalou titled, “Let Harmony Prevail! Masonic secrets to unity, peace, and justice”.
In addition to explicit education topics, there is a more subtle mental focus around learning at every opportunity. This includes important small pieces of information, such as the correct procedures of a motion at a stated meeting, and also includes the mistakes we all make so that we can learn and improve ourselves. I request all of our brethren to take a few moments every day, and consciously think about what you have learned that day, no matter how small or big and thank the Great Architect, in whatever form, for the opportunities we have been given and those that are in front of us.
Another priority this year for our lodge is Charity. Charity is always at the forefront in Masonry, but last year unquestionably was a difficult year for many of our brethren and communities and the need for charity is higher than ever. After witnessing the quick and generous acts of our brethren to help out a widow of our lodge in need, it’s also clear our brethren are looking for ways to help out.
Many of us are in good positions to help out others, but there are also many brothers going through difficult times as well. For those of you finding yourself in the latter group, please know the rest of your brothers are here to help you however we can. Our lodge has a Charity Committee consisting of the pedestal officers who take every request in Charge. If you find yourself in difficult times whether it be financial, or otherwise, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or anyone in the lodge for assistance. Our lodge and the Grand Lodge of California has programs in place to help out. We would rather have you as a good standing member of our lodge than choosing between paying dues and taking care of your family.
If you have not been to lodge in awhile, and there are quite a lot of you, I encourage you to join us in our virtual meetings from the comfort of your house. Our lodge has 210 members, but we only see about 20-30 of you every week. We meet using the Zoom platform nearly every Thursday night at 7pm Pacific Time. The link to join is in our weekly emails. If you are not receiving the emails, please reach out to me at master@saddlebacklaguna672.org or our secretary at secretary@saddlebacklaguna672.org. There’s no need to dress up and drive to lodge. It’s just a couple quick clicks for you to reconnect with the lodge. We update the calendar of events on our website regularly, so please check https://www.saddlebacklaguna672.org for updated events. We look forward to reconnecting with all our brothers whithersoever dispersed. What are you waiting for?
By the square,
Michael Ballou
Worshipful Master