From the East

Greetings from the East,



Thank you to Worshipful Joe Freidson, Worshipful Sidney Moore, and Worshipful Scott Morrison for installing the officers of Natoma Lodge 64 for the 2024 masonic year. I would also like to thank Worshipful Kevin Williams for the time he spent preparing for Master of Ceremonies and regret that he was unable to participate. Thank you to Worshipful Joe Nielsen for the example he has set and his continued support as officers coach. I am looking forward to the year ahead and the work the officers and members of the lodge will do to be better. Thank you to Mary Davis as pianist and Sean Cummings as piper for their wonderful musical talents. I appreciate the beautiful flag presentation given by the members of Rainbow Natoma Assembly #90 and the fabulous job they did with our boutonnieres and corsages. Thank you to the brethren, special guests, family, and friends who attended. Most of all I would like to thank my wife Terri, who, without her vision and help, I would not have been able to pull off this installation!

For those of you that have had the honor, it is a shock the first time someone calls you Worshipful! It impacted me with the responsibility I have to my brothers and the legacy of those who built Natoma to be the great Freemason Lodge it is today.

My theme for this year is “Work to be Better.” It does not need to be by giant steps. I gave a small presentation to our officer’s school of instruction about St. John the Evangelist. He is one of the patron saints of Freemasonry, known for his acts of kindness, especially small everyday acts that make us just a little bit better. It is like the ashlars - we enter the lodge as the rough imperfect ashlar and by doing the work and practicing our masonic principles, little by little, we move toward our goal of becoming the perfect ashlar.

We cannot do it alone however, we need the help of our fellow masons. The lodge needs you to help it become better. What little thing are you willing to do to help our lodge to make it better, to help other brethren have a better lodge experience, and to grow with the lodge and your brothers?

We have a big, active year ahead of us.

January starts with our Stated Meeting, the annual budget approval and a discussion about our dues. The first breakfast of the year on January 6, a double second degree on January 11, a first degree on the 25, and a fun event, the Robert Burns Supper. Bring your lady and enjoy a five-course dinner and an evening of fun, music, poetry, and fellowship celebrating our brother, the poet laureate of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, Festive Board style.

I need your help! For all that we do, we could use your involvement on a committee to make it happen. A little assistance with breakfast. A couple of hours with Robert Burns night. Sideliners at the degrees. Pick and choose what interests you. I have been told we could use a committee to vet our donations to community groups like boy and girl scouts before it comes up by surprise at a stated meeting. This is a great suggestion and I appreciate the opportunity to make our donations process better.

February is Masonic widow’s month. We need a committee to contact our widows, invite them, and honor our obligation to them. Does anyone love to play golf and would be willing to work together on a golf event in April? We are having a family deep sea fishing trip in May and space is limited. Sign ups for the fishing trip will be available at the January stated meeting.

Do you thrive in the outdoors, like to camp and cook among the pines? If so, we could use your help on June 1 for a special family camping event planned in historic Coloma including a special outdoor degree with the California Grand Master, Most Worshipful Sean Metroka participating. Please reach out if you are interested in helping to make this unique experience a success.

Is there something else you want to do this year to make your lodge better? Let me know. Let's work together to be Better! 

From the South

Dear brothers, welcome to a new year and a new opportunity to make new resolutions and resolve old, unfinished ones.

As we set out on our journey this year, let Temperance help us to put limits against excess and against the acquisition of things that we would like to have but that we do not really need.

May Fortitude be our key against procrastination and help us finish what we have already started.

May Prudence be the voice of inner wisdom to refrain from making quick and reckless decisions and may we know how to take our time to think twice before making a decision.

And let it be Justice, the virtue that helps us be fair and upright in our dealings with society, especially with our own brothers in masonry.

This month, we will begin on January 4 with a Peruvian-style reunion dinner, followed by our monthly breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 6. Don't forget to RSVP to the Stated Meeting Dinner and Pre-pay for yourselves and guests. We encourage you to bring your family and friends to these events because it is the opportunity to maintain and make even stronger this "triple cord" towards our ancient and honorable fraternity.

Additionally this month, all brothers are called to come and show support in our new brother's initiation into Freemasonry by attending the Entered Apprentice ceremony which will likely take place on the third Thursday of this month.

I want to particularly thank Brother Noel Lukas for being, not only our tortilla chef all these years since he joined our shelter, but also for providing me with good leadership guidance and commitment to the tasks he performed. Tasks and duties that are under my care this year.

The same gratitude and recognition goes to my brothers elected, appointed and committed as officials and other positions in the ceremonial rituals and in the administration and management of our lodge. Thank you all for your support and example.

And finally, I especially want to thank all the brothers of our lodge for placing their trust in me to be part of the lodge officers. I will do my best to live up to your expectations in this new year.

By the Plumb,

Pedro Sanchez

Junior Warden

From the Northeast Corner

First off, Happy New Year. And just as a point of information, January is named for the Roman God Janus who is pictured with two faces. One looks back in reflection and the other looks forward into the future. 

So, as we look back at what has been, try not to spend too much time on what you have not done and remember we can only make changes if we decide what will be accomplished in the future, starting now.

We now have two new Entered Apprentices and two new Fellowcraft candidates. Their Masonic future is going to depend on who is ready be a part of their continued education. With this in mind, it is my hope that we will have a few more brothers step up to the challenge of coaching. It is truly how fellowship is maintained. Let me or the Master know if you are interested.

Fraternally Yours,

Joe Freidson P.M.

Head Candidates Coach

From Natoma Rainbow Assembly #90

Hello Masons of Natoma Lodge!! I hope you all had an amazing holiday season. The girls of Natoma Rainbow wish you a Happy New Year!

This past month, our current Worthy Advisor Aubree had the last formal meeting of her term. On the 18th, the Natoma Assembly held our annual Holiday Party where we wrapped presents to donate to a family in need and got to know them better when we delivered our presents. Our incoming Worthy Advisor Kenna plans to collect a different item each month to donate to help those in need as well, and we are excited to continue donating to The Center! 

Our installation ceremony will be held on January 5 at 7 p.m. at the Masonic Center and we hope that you all can make it! The theme is “For One to Fly, One Only Needs to Take the Reins.” At our installations, all of the girls are installed into their new offices for the term, and the line officers move up towards becoming Worthy Advisor. The incoming WA gets to pick the theme, colors, and food for the installation and gets to wear a special dress! Natoma Assembly is looking forward to a busy and service-filled 2024, and we thank you in advance for all of your support along the way!