Friday, July 14th, 2023, Orient Wide meeting of the Honourmen
Agenda:
• Knight Commander of the Court of Honor Meeting: 10am-Noon
• Hour break for lunch: Noon-1pm
• 33° Meeting: 1pm-3pm
Also the next day on Saturday, July 15th, 2023, there will be the annual Orient Wide Leadership Workshop from 10am-2pm
More details to follow.
Eugene Valley will be conferring and communicating the 4th through the 18th Degrees on April 15th, 2023 from 9:30am until 3:30pm. Check with the Eugene Valley for petitions and information about joining the Scottish Rite in Eugene Valley.
Email: eugenescottishrite@gmail.com
Schedule for Saturday April 15th, 2023:
• 9:30am Orientation
• 10:00am 4th Degree Conferral
• 11:00am Communication of the 5°-13°
• 11:45am Lunch
• 12:45pm 14th Degree Conferral
• 2:00pm Communication of the 15°-17°
• 2:30pm 18th Degree Conferral
At the Scottish Rite Meeting Hall
2777 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Eugene, Oregon
Hello Brethren,
I am saddened to be the messenger of this unfortunate news.
The Providence Park Stadium just scheduled a Thorns game for the Friday night we were to hold our Spring Reunion and they also added a Timbers vs Seattle Sounders game on that Saturday.
When the stadium increased to 25,218 seats in 2019, with no additional parking for their patrons, they completely outgrew the capabilities of the neighborhood to accommodate the attendance with the tiny number of parking spaces available around us. As a result with typical games for Thorns and Timbers all the parking in the area is completely gone four hours beforehand, but with Sounders games the neighborhood parking fills up much earlier and it is utter chaos and traffic jams are constant throughout the entire day. The ART was unable to broker any deals to get us additional parking so we would only have the 20 spaces in the parking lot they have been renting for us over the past four years at Rack Attack directly across the street from the stadium.
Due to consistent conflicts for scheduling on weekends in the coming months this forced us to make the difficult vote last night to cancel this Reunion at the Stated Meeting. Even if we had gotten our old small 60 space parking lot at the ART back by this time it would still be an insurmountable problem as I mentioned due to the increase of over 25,000 people in the neighborhood every time an event is held at the stadium.
The earliest available dates that there are no other conflicts for a Friday and Saturday with the Stadium, other Valleys, Appendant and Concordant Masonic Bodies, and our pre booked event rentals is in July. Without any air-conditioning in the theater it will be too warm to use the auditorium by then. We have tried single day and multiple week Reunions in the past, but they were very difficult for the casts and crew and that resulted in most of the participants saying they would not want to do it that way again.
Over all Brethren I am sorry we were not be able to find a suitable solution to reschedule this Reunion in the near future. I appreciate those cast and crew members who were willing to step up for roles in this one, we will just have to make the next one all the better because of it.
We will be holding a Reunion in the Fall of this year, the date of which has yet to be finalized. Our three candidates will be receiving notifications providing alternatives for curtesy conferrals should they want to begin to get their degrees sooner. The few of you who purchased meals in advance should have them refunded shortly.
Fraternally,
Br. Nathan Neff, 32°, K∴C∴C∴H∴
Orient General Secretary
Oregon Scottish Rite
Please come next Tuesday and help pay homage to our departed Brethren over the past year and join in the spirit of renewal for our Fraternal bonds. Please RSVP for meal(s) by clicking here. 45 meals are still available, get yours while they last. No vegetarian entrees have been requested by membership to date and the deadline has now past to order them.
This event is for all Scottish Rite members and their guests, the widows and families of our departed members, and all Masons and their accompanied guests.
Agenda:
• 5:30pm Doors open
• 6:00pm Dinner service begins
• 7:00pm Ceremony commences
As with all our events, this is not open to the general public.
Free parking provided by the ART for the Remembrance Ceremony is available behind the Morrison Plaza building from 5pm-10pm at 633 SW 14th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Scottish Rite Brethren,
I am a little late putting out the following information but some discretion was required.
Due to personal family issues, I will be moving from Sunriver to the Washington County/Portland Metro area. I will dearly miss the wonderful people and dramatic scenery of Central Oregon. I hope to complete this transition before Summer 2023.
Several changes have been introduced in the Valleys. In the Salem Valley there have been changes to all the Orient positions. In order to better utilize Valley resources Illustrious Dave Fuller, 33°, will concentrate on managing the Temple and the rental program. He has retired as Personal Representative. In the future he will retain the title of Personal Representative Emeritus. Illustrious Brother Dave has fulfilled many roles in the Salem Valley and has worked tirelessly to guide the valley through difficult times. I was remiss in not providing him the assistance he needed to better lead the Valley. Going forward Illustrious Greg Jenkins, 33°, is appointed as Personal Representative; Scott Freeman, 32°, K.C.C.H., will assume the duties of General Secretary and Dave Fryday, 32°, K.C.C.H., will assist the Salem Valley as Treasurer.
In the Valley of Klamath Falls, Illustrious Lyle Logan, 33°, has retired as Personal Representative. In the future he will retain the title of Personal Representative Emeritus. John Monfore, 32°, K.C.C.H., is the newly appointed Personal Representative. Frank Drew, 32°, retains the position of General Secretary and Lance Lesueur, 32°, K.C.C.H., retains the position of Treasurer. Illustrious Brother Lyle will still be called upon to mentor the Valley.
Illustrious Dale Vanderpool, 33°, has retired as the Orient Personal Representative. Illustrious Brother Dale has taken on a more active leadership role on the Board of our Speech and Language Clinics. The Orient Personal Representative position will not be filled at this time.
We are planning to have an Orient Leadership Conference on Saturday, July 15th, 2023, at the Portland Valley Temple. This will be preceded by a meeting of the K.C.C.H. members and 33° members on Friday, July 14th. Details of all meetings will be available soon.
Remember that two signatures are required on all checks. If a Valley has a special circumstance that would warrant a single signature this needs to be approved by the Orient C.F.O.
Please remember to register for Supreme Council’s VMAP.
The Orient has resources to help the Valleys develop a website and a calendar of events.
I strongly recommend that all Valleys participate in the Master Craftsmen Program. Please contact me if you need educational assistance to start the process.
Sincerely & fraternally,
Rick Komraus, 33°
Deputy – Orient of Oregon
Supreme Council, 33° | Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, SJ, USA | www.scottishrite.org
We just received word that the Orient of Oregon’s Education Foundation Scholarship application period is open but it’s also closing on March 1st, 2023. Sorry for the late notice but we were just informed.
For a little background the Orient of Oregon has an Education Foundation that annually awards scholarships. Applicants for Scottish Rite Scholarship assistance must be residents of the State of Oregon entering as undergraduates at an accredited college, university or trade school. Grants are made on the basis of student need. Consideration is also given for exceptional qualities of leadership.
Applications are available at https://orsrscholarships.com/
Planning for 2024, the Orient of Oregon is looking to expand our local members involved in the Fellows Program. If you or a member of your Valley is interested in participating please contact the leadership of your Valley in Oregon.
The Supreme Council’s Fellows Program is intended to expand education and communication within Scottish Rite. Thus far, almost a thousand Scottish Rite members have become Fellows.
In even-numbered years, each SGIG or Deputy who agrees to participate designates one or more Fellows from his Orient. Generally, such selections are made based upon the member’s perceived enthusiasm, dedication and eagerness to support the Rite. Each Fellow must agree to attend the in-person Fellow’s Workshop held in Washington, D.C. Valleys should consider receiving an oral report from each Fellow following his attendance at the in-person Fellows Workshop.
Greetings Brethren All,
Starting this Friday February 3rd at 10:00am the Portland Valley will once again begin hosting an informal event for members and Mason guests.
Come join us for Coffee & Donuts in the Membership Lounge!
This will be an excellent opportunity for any members who have difficulty getting down on Tuesdays evenings to come in, hangout and catch up on Fraternizing with fellow Brethren. We might even have a 33rd or two on hand to expound on the greater mysteries of the mystic bond. This will be a bi-weekly event, the next one to be held on Feb. 17.
Just a heads up to the early birds, there won’t be anyone available at the building until 10:00am just in case you typically like to show up early.
S&F,
Bro. Nate Neff
Orient General Secretary
oregonscottishrite.wordpress.com 