THE CALIFORNIA ENCOMPASSER IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GRAND YORK RITE BODIES OF CALIFORNIA AND IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY TO PROVIDE AN INFORMATION VEHICLE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP

Volume 29 April 2014 Number 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCES 2

WHITFIELD RECEPTION 2

GRAND YORK RITE SESSIONS, 2014 2

TWENTY-ONE FOR FORTY-TWO! 3

WESTERN STATES EASTER OBSERVANCE – 2014 3

ROYAL ARCH HISTORY 3

EDITOR’S MESSAGE 3

GOLDEN STATE RESEARCH CHAPTER 4RESEARCHING ROYAL ARCH MASONRY 5THE MEANING OF MASONRY, CHAPTER IV 6GRAND YORK RITE CONTACTS 8LEADERSHIP SEMINARS 9WESTERN STATES EASTER OBSERVANCE – 2014, REG FORM 10GRAND SESSIONS 2014 -- REGISTRATION FORM 12COMPTCHE 2014 -- REGISTRATION FORM 14WHITFIELD RECEPTION 15

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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS

To great acclaim, the Commandery put on leadershipseminars last year! So this year, the three bodies havebanded together to expand the concept to the entireYork Rite. See the flyer in the back for more details,but find the seminar nearest you and put it on yourcalendar. A joint committee has been established,consisting of: Bud Ramsey, Chairman; RandyDowney; Gregg Hall; William McBroome; and LeeWhelan. Each of the three bodies has appointed thesame membership. Grand Chapter is moving forwardto establish the Committee as a Standing Committee,in other words with activities from year to year. Theseseminars will be jam-packed with information you donot want to be without! BE THERE!

WHITFIELD RECEPTION

PIGM Robert A. L. Whitfield is serving now as aGrand Lodge Officer, and will be recognized at aReception in Pleasanton on Sunday, June 29th. Bob isnot just a Council guy – he labors in all four vineyards,so now is the time, if you are anywhere nearPleasanton, to come and honor him! See the back pagefor details.

CALIFORNIA GRAND YORK RITE SESSIONS-- 2014

Your Executive Committee for the 2014 Grand YorkRite Sessions is diligently at work on the plans for theGrand York Rite Sessions. Although the Sessions arenot until May 17th through May 21st, 2014; planningoccurs year round. The schedule and the registrationform are now available on the website.

A word about the Souvenir Program Ad request form.One of the challenges that we faced last year wasreceiving many of our ads after the deadline. There is agreat deal of planning and associated revenue andexpense projections involved. Mason volunteers, yourBrothers and Companions, do all this work in theirspare time. Please try to help them. Installations inDecember and January are a great time to get yourpictures for the program. Without the Ads it would beimpossible to fund the sessions so please place yourads and do so early.

We are reviewing the successes from the past andconsidering some fresh ideas. Grand Sessions is opento all York Rite Masons and their Ladies, not just thepresiding officers who obligated their attendance attheir installation. Please encourage everyone in yourChapter, Council, and Commandery to attend thisyear. We want this to be the most successful yearever. This year we will have two fun degrees. The first isthe Order of Zanzibar and it is open to all masons. Itis a light hearted fun degree that raises funds for theCryptic Medical Research Foundation. The secondis for our ladies, we will be conferring the RoyalArch Widow’s degree, this is an opportunity to showthe ladies how much we appreciate them and theirattendance at our sessions, any proceeds will go tothe Royal Arch Research Assistance Fund.

And one final thought on booking the hotel rooms ontime, through the regular registration process, and atthe GYRS rate by identifying yourself as a ‘GrandYork Rite Sessions’ attendee, if you speak to thehotel directly, this is much more important than youmay realize. We are contractually obligated to meet acertain number of room nights in exchange forthousands of dollars in “concessions” from the hotel.This includes the use of the many rooms, andballrooms that house our registration, many sidemeetings, degree conferrals, the drill teamcompetitions, hospitality suites, the GrandRecorder’s office, and so much more. You are doingyour part in making California’s Grand Sessions thepremier program that it is. No other state can boastthe quality and depth of program that we put togetherevery year. Booking after the deadline or outside ofour block could put us in a situation that, quitefrankly, we can’t afford. Looking forward to seeingyou there! See Registration Form and info at back.

Fraternally,Gregg Hall, Grand Standard Bearer

2014 Sessions General Chairman

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TWENTY-ONE FOR FORTY-TWO!

The 2014 Capitular Festival in Comptche will be heldon Saturda, June 28th. It’s an all day affair, so comeearly (Friday night if at all possible) and stay late, atleast for the BBQ afterwards. Twenty-one candidatesis the goal this year, as we have learned in prior yearsthat that is pretty near the maximum we can handle!See the flyer at the end of this newsletter forregistration details.

WESTERN STATES EASTER OBSERVANCE2014

Grand Encampment Knights Templar of the USA isnow sponsoring three Easter Observances to fill theneeds for all Masons, Knights Templar and Sisters ofthe Social Order of the Beauceant to attend. Presently,the East Coast Easter Observance is held in Virginia,the Mid-America Easter Observance is held in Kansasand the Western States Easter Observance is held inCalifornia. The general public is also invited to attendthis event; which is always held on Easter Sunday. Goto the following website for more details:http://www.wseo.biz/

Events include: Saturday: A tour of Warner Bros. Television isprovided for all to attend. Afterwards, our annualFormal Banquet will be held. All Sir Knights areasked to wear their Commandery uniforms minusswords and Chapeaus.

Easter Sunday: Breakfast buffet will be providedwith the Grand Encampment Officers greeting one andall. Immediately following the breakfast, all will betransported to the Shrine Auditorium. Sir Knights areasked to wear their full uniform minus swords. Beauceant members are asked to wear their red, whiteand black.

ROYAL ARCH HISTORY

Of particular interest to all Companions and SirKnights is the new addition to the History of the RoyalArch – Volume 4 is now available, which takes thehistory through 1996. This is the supplement to theoriginal 3 Volume set prepared by Everett R. Turnbull

and Ray V. Denslow. The 4th Volume can bepurchased for $25. Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4 of theHistory of Royal Arch Masonry have been reprinted.These books are hardbound and approximately 500pages each. The cost is $ 100.00 for all 4 books plus$ 15.00 shipping and handling in USA. Foreignshipping could cost more. Payment by check orcredit card. Contact the General Grand Secretary toorder books.ramintl@sbcglobal.net

EDITOR'S MESSAGE

CALENDARS OF PRESIDING OFFICERS

The itineraries can be found at the Grand York Ritewebsite. Hold down the CTRL key and click on theline below. For M.E.C. Gary Spriggs go to:http://www.yorkriteofcalifornia.org/royalarch/ghpcalendar.html

For M.I.G.M Dick Williamson go to:http://www.yorkriteofcalifornia.org/council/council_2012/2012_calendar.html

For R.E.C. Myron Tisdel go to:http://www.yorkriteofcalifornia.org/commandery/itinerary.html

COMPANION ADEPT OF THE TEMPLE

The York Rite Sovereign College has developed anew self-study educational program, similar inconcept to the Scottish Rite’s Master CraftsmanProgram, for the York Rite bodies. It is available toany York Rite Mason by enrollment through theSovereign College Office. Cost is only $30. Eightresources are made available, seven of them at nocost. Your editor purchased the other from Amazonfor $1.99! These resources include books byMackey, Thomas Smith Webb, Jeremy Cross,Bernard Jones, Jackson Chase and George CooperConnor. You will be happy to have these resourceson your PC! Or your eBook reader. For information,contact the College Office at (313) 833-1385.

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RAM-I NEWSLETTER

As you know, our Grand Chapter is associated with theGeneral Grand Chapter RAM International. TheGeneral Grand Chapter is now publishing a newsletterwith international scope. Issues numbered 24, 25, and26 for 2013 have been forwarded to local Chapterofficers. Please share as appropriate with yourcompanions. Scroll down the email to see Californiaspecific news.

Prior editions from March 2012 can also be foundunder the Library tab at the Research Chapter website:www.goldenstatechapter.org

HISTORY OF THE CRYPTIC RITE

General Grand Council has recently re-published atwo-volume History, first published in 1931 and againin 1977. This new edition has just arrived and looks tobe very enlightening, especially as regards therelationship of the Cryptic Rite to the Scottish Rite andthe Royal Arch. The authors (Eugene E. Hinman, RayV. Denslow, and Charles C. Hunt) say in the Preface:

“It has been our purpose, therefore, to place within thecompass of a single work all that is known about theCryptic Rite. That the reader may have all possibleinformation at his disposal we have prepared anappendix in which appear copies of the most importantdocuments, and selections from the writings of notedstudents of the subject. …..

“While this work is essentially a history, that historyhas been largely influenced by jurisdictional and legalquestions, and we have therefore prepared chapters onthis phase of the subject. Chapters have also beeninserted on the subjects of Legend, Tradition andSymbolism, all of which have had their influence onthe history. It is this rich legacy of Legend andSymbolism that gave the Rite its popularity to thepresent time, for the degrees stand entirely upon theirown merits and are not required for advancement toany other rite or degree.” (Vol. I, page 8)

To get your own set, contact: David A. Grindle,General Grand Recorder, PO Box 332, Meridian ID83680-0332; e-mail: ggr@ggccmi.org

COMMUNICATIONS

As mentioned in previous editions of theEncompasser, communications are vital to assistthose seeking further light in Masonry. So resolvenow to ACT: 1) broadcast this publication far andwide, and encourage each of your York Rite bodiesto buy a 2-year subscription; 2) broadcast themonthly Workman to the leaders of all your bodies;3) access the following websites, and see that yourCompanions are aware of their existence and how toaccess them:

www.yorkriteofcalifornia.orgwww.goldenstatechapter.orgwww.yorkrite.org

And as you continue into this York Rite year, makeevery effort you can to continually remind yourmembership of the Colorado River Fall Festivalthis October. Confer the Mark Master as often asyou can and build interest in our brethren of pursuingfurther light.

GOLDEN STATE RESEARCH CHAPTER

The website located at www.goldenstatechapter.orgnow contains a copy of the 2010, 2011 and 2012Grand Orations booklets. Also included is a copy of“The Royal Arch Path,” by MEC Phil Hardiman,KYGCH.

The meeting at Grand Lodge on Saturday, Oct 5th,was well-attended. Copies of the Grand Orations

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2013 were distributed to attendees. Gregg Hallpresented a paper on “Why We Balance 3x3,” whichwill appear in next year’s publication. CompanionGregg is also General Chairman for Grand Sessionsnext year and he proposed, and the Chapter accepted,that we meet on Monday, in the afternoon, May 19th,rather than on Grand Chapter day, which is Tuesday,the 20th. See you there!

For information about membership, contact:

Ex. Comp Casey Latham, High Priestcasey.latham@mycampus.apus.edu

Ex. Comp Joseph Dongo, Kingalacabo@gmail.com

Dr. Paul Arthur Clark, Scribesteward_lvx@hotmail.com

M ∴ E ∴ Comp ∴ Philip A. Hardiman, Secretaryphilipandnancy@aol.com

RESEARCHING ROYAL ARCH MASONRY The Royal Arch has long been considered a necessarypart of Freemasonry. The Freemasonry of the nowUnited States began in 1730 under the Premier GrandLodge of England (Moderns) giving the first officialMasonic recognition of the English colonies. WhateverMasonic meetings may have been held before 1730were not recorded or the records have been lost, andactivity after 1730 rapidly increased and isdocumented. The other Grand Lodge of England(Ancients) and the Grand Lodge of Scotland alsochartered Lodges in America, and before the union ofthe two Grand Lodges of England in 1813, the RoyalArch Degree was conferred in this Country by theMilitary Lodges connected with the Irish Regimentsstationed in the Colonies. The first recorded mentionof the Royal Arch dates from 1743 in Ireland, tellingof a Masonic procession where the Master waspreceded by the Royal Arch carried by two ExcellentMasters. …

The present day Royal Arch Chapter is one of the mostenjoyable of all the Masonic DegreeConferring Bodies. I should perhaps mention adeclaration of interest. Only one year after being raised

a Master Mason, I was exalted into the Royal Archnearly 30 years ago. That is something I have neverregretted. There is much more to the journey throughMasonry that we cannot find just through the threedegrees alone. I personally discovered this when Iwas exalted. It is difficult to understand why morebrethren do not seek membership in a Royal ArchChapter. No Rite of Freemasonry covers the world somuch as does Royal Arch Masonry. The SublimeDegree of Master Mason is often thought of as theultimate degree of Freemasonry. However, manyMasonic scholars agree that the narrative of theCraft, as illustrated in the three degrees, is not thewhole story. The Degrees of York Rite Masonrycomplete the story and provide answers to manyquestions that a Master Mason or even a Past Mastermay have. How many times have we all heard it said,in one way or another, “All The Masonry that there is, is contained in the Symbolic, Craft of ‘Blue’Lodge?” How sad to be so short-sighted! Royal ArchMasonry actually is part of Ancient Craft Masonry,and without the degrees of the Chapter …, theMaster Mason is incomplete indeed.

From the Freemason's Monitor of 1864 we read:"This degree is indescribably more august, sublimeand important than all which precede it, and is thesummit and perfection of ancient Masonry. Itimpresses on our minds a belief of the being andexistence of a Supreme Deity, without beginning ofdays or end of years, and reminds us of the reverencedue to His Holy Name. It also brings to light manyessentials of the Craft, which were, for the spaceof 470 years, buried in darkness, and without aknowledge of which the Masonic character cannot becomplete."

The Master Mason is left with a cliff-hanger in theLodge. A truth that has been lost, and a history that isunresolved. The temple stands uncompleted, and isleft without the guardians that it so preciously needsand deserves. This is where York Rite Masonrycomes in, and most especially the Royal ArchChapter. The interpretation of the symbolism of theRoyal Arch is left to the individual interpretation ofthe Royal Arch Mason. The rich history of York RiteMasonry is undeniable. The York Rite is historicallythe oldest and purest of the Appendant Rites. EveryMaster Mason should be fascinated by the lessons

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and mysteries of Freemasonry provided by the BlueLodge. Hopefully, all Master Masons and Past Masterswill consider those lessons and mysteries available inthe York Rite of Freemasonry — in order to completetheir Masonic knowledge and the teachings that arementioned as landmarks of the Master Mason. Allbrother Masons should be advised to continue theirhistorical and educational view of Masonry. EveryMaster Mason should be a member of the Royal Arch,and then if so desired every Christian Mason shouldconsider to be a Knights Templar.

Adapted from material supplied by Nigel Gallimore

THE MEANING OF MASONRYCHAPTER IV

As space permits, we will continue to serialize the 4 th

Chapter of the book by William Wilmshurst, firstpublished in 1923. Here’s the second installment:

“It is a rite of initiation dealing less with his grosscorporeal nature and his ordinary temporal mentality(which have been the subject of purification in theearlier degrees) than with the higher reaches andpossibilities of his understanding and consciousness.As it is, what can be said here can at best be but apartial and incomplete exposition of a theme callingrather for disciplined imagination and reverentreflection than for reasoned argument. Certain thingsmust perforce be omitted from explanation entirely,whilst others are mentioned with diffidence and at therisk of their being misunderstood or rejected by suchas do not yet realize that in these matters “the letterkilleth, the spirit vivifieth” and that “spiritual truthsmust be spiritually discerned.”

Before interpreting the Ceremony itself it is desirablefirst to indicate four noteworthy features connectedwith this Supreme Order and distinctifying it from thethree grades leading to it. In speaking even of theseincidentals the before mentioned difficulties of bothexposition and apprehension will already makethemselves felt.First, no one can be received into a Chapter withoutfirst having attained Master Mason’s rank.

Second, the circular symbol of the GrandGeometrician, which in the Second Degree shone high

above in the ceiling of the Temple, and in the ThirdDegree had moved downwards and burned as aglimmering ray in the East to guide the candidate’sfeet into the way of peace, has now descendedcompletely to the chequer-work floor, where it restsas the centre and cubical focus of the entire organismand bears the Sacred and Ineffable Name, as alsothose of Solomon and the two Hirams.

Third, the constitution of the Assembly is no longerone of seven officers, but of nine, who are grouped inthree triads about the Central Sacred Symbol.

Fourth, the Assembly, regarded as a unity, is nolonger designated a Lodge, but a Chapter.The first of these points—that none but a MasterMason can enter the Royal Arch—has already beenaccounted for. It is not feasible, nor is it within thelaw governing the process of spiritual evolution, forany who has not experienced the stage of mysticaldeath to have experience of that which lies beyondthat death. As an unborn physical infant can knownothing of this world, in which nevertheless it exists,until actually initiated into it by birth, so theembryonic spiritual child cannot be born intoconscious function upon the plane of the Spirit untilit has become entirely detached from the enfoldingcarnal matrix and tendencies to which it has beenhabituated.

The second and third points can be consideredtogether. The re-arrangement of the factorsconstituting the ceremonial temple are symbolic of astructural re-arrangement which has occurred in thecandidate’s own psychical organization. This hasundergone a repolarization as the result of thedescent into it of that high central Light which at firstbut shone as it were in his “heavens”, afar off andabove him, illumining the dormer-window of hisnatural intelligence. Consider deeply what thischange implies. The Day-star from on high has nowvisited him; the fontal source of all consciousnesshas descended into the very chequerwork material ofhis transient physical organism, not merelypermeating it temporarily with light, but taking rootand becoming grafted there substantially andpermanently. In theological language, God hasbecome man, and man has become divinized, invirtue of this descent and union. In Masonic terms,

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the Vital and Immortal Principle resident in thecandidate has at last superseded his temporal life-principle and established him upon a new centre ofincorruptible life. Now, and perhaps only now,becomes thoroughly appreciable the necessity for theearlier purifications, discipline, self-crucifixion anddeath of all the lower nature. How could the purity ofthe Divine Essence tabernacle in the coarse body of thesensualist? How could the Eternal Wisdom unfold itstreasures in a mind benighted or caring for nothing butbase metals and material pursuits? How could theUniversal Will co-operate with and function throughthe man whose petty personal will blocks its channel,antagonizing it at every turn with his selfishpreferences and disordered desires? A Master Mason,then, in the full sense of the term, is no longer anordinary man, but a divinized man; one in whom theUniversal and the personal consciousness have comeinto union. Obviously the quality of life andconsciousness of such an one must differ vastly fromthat of other men. His whole being is differentlyqualitated and geared upon another centre. That newcentre is described as the Grand Geometrician of man’spersonal universe, inasmuch as its action upon theorganism of whoever surrenders himself to itsinfluence causes a redisposition of functional andconscious faculty. The knowledge of this fact was withthe wise ancients the true and original science ofGeometry (literally “earthmeasuring”; determining theoccult potentialities of the human earth or temporalorganism under spiritual stresses). “God geometrizes”wrote Plato, with intimate knowledge of the subject.Many of the Euclidean and Pythagorean theorems,now regarded merely as mathematical demonstrations,were originally expressions, veiled in mathematicalglyphs, of the esoteric science of soul-building or trueMasonry. The well-known 47th Proposition of the FirstBook of Euclid is an example of this and inconsequence has come (though few modern Masonscould explain why) to be inscribed upon the PastMaster’s official jewel. Again, the squaring of thecircle—that problem which has baffled so manymodern mathematicians—is an occult expressionsignifying that Deity, symbolized by the all-containingcircle, has attained form and manifestation in a“square” or human soul. It expresses the mystery of theIncarnation, accomplished within the personal soul.Under the stress then of the Geometrizing Principlenow found symbolically integrated within the

candidate’s temporal organism, a re-distribution ofhis component powers has become effected. Hisrepolarized condition is symbolized by an equilateraltriangle with a point at its centre, and such a trianglewill be found, worked in gold, upon the sash worn bythe Companions of the Order. The significance ofthis triangle is that the tripartite aspects of him whowears it (that is, the spiritual, psychical and physicalparts of him) now stand equalized and equilibratedaround their common Life-Principle at the centre,fitted and equipped for Its purpose. Yet each of thesethree divisions, though in itself unitary, isphilosophically triadic in composition whensubjected to intellectual analysis. “Every monad isthe parent of a triad “is another maxim of theAncients, who anticipated the modem Hegelianproposition of metaphysics that thesis, antithesis andsynthesis are the essential ingredients of a giventruth. Hence it comes about that the three aspects ofeach of the three sides of our equilateral triangle areceremonially personified by the nine officers of theChapter-three in the East representing the spiritualside, three in the West figuring the soul or psychicalside, and three subordinate links connecting theseother two. (These will be further and moreconveniently treated of later when the symbolicnature of the officers is dealt with).

The fourth point to be noticed was the change ofdesignation from “Lodge” to “Chapter”. The word“Chapter” derives from Caput, head. The reason forthe change of name lies, however, much deeper thanin the fact that the Royal Arch stands at the head orsummit of the Craft. It has reference in a twofoldway to the capitular rank and consciousness of theArch Mason himself. In virtue of his headship orsupremacy over his material nature he has passedbeyond mere Craftwork and governing the Lodge ofhis lower nature, which he has now made the docileinstrument and servant of his spiritual self.Henceforth his energies are employed primarily uponthe spiritual plane. The “head” of the materialorganism of man is the spirit of man, and this spiritconsciously conjoined with the Universal Spirit isDeity’s supreme instrument and vehicle in thetemporal world. Such a man’s physical organism andbrain have become sublimated and keyed up to acondition and an efficiency immensely in advance ofaverage humanity. Physiological processes are

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involved which cannot be discussed here, beyondsaying that in such a man the entire nervous systemcontributes to charge certain ganglia and light upcertain brain-centres in a way of which the ordinarymind knows nothing. The nervous system provides thestorage-batteries and conductive medium of the Spirit’senergies just as telegraph wires are the media fortransmitting electrical energy. But the true MasterMason, in virtue of his mastership, knows how tocontrol and apply those energies. They culminate andcome to self-consciousness in his head, in hisintelligence. And in this respect we may refer to a veryheavily veiled Scriptural testimony, the import ofwhich goes quite unperceived to the uninstructedreader. The Gospels record that the Passion of theGreat Exemplar and Master concluded “at the placecalled Golgotha in the Hebrew tongue; that is, theplace of a skull”; that is to say it terminated in the heador seat of intelligence and in a mystery of the spiritualconsciousness. The same truth is also testified to,though again under veils of symbolic phrasing, in thereference to the sprig of acacia planted at the head ofthe grave of the Masonic Grand Master and prototype,Hiram Abiff. The grave is the candidate’s soul; thesprig of acacia typifies the latent akasa (to use anEastern term) or divine germ planted in that soil andwaiting to become quickened into activity in hisintelligence, the “head” of that plane. When that sprigof acacia blooms at the head of his soul’s sepulchre, hewill understand at one and the same moment themystery of Golgotha, the mystery of the death ofHiram, and the meaning of the Royal Arch ceremonyof exaltation. It is a mystery of spiritual consciousness,the efflorescence of the mind in God, the opening upof the human intelligence in conscious association withthe Universal and Omniscient Mind. It is for thisreason that the cranium or skull is given prominence inthe Master Mason’s Degree.

With this premised we proceed to considering theCeremony of Exaltation.

GRAND YORK RITECONTACT INFORMATION

Most Excellent Grand High Priest:Gary W. Spriggs, KYGCH207 Catherine Lane

Grass Valley, CA 95945-5801(530) 274-8937 (H)(530) 913-1694 (C)spriggs@nccn.net

Most Illustrious Grand Master:Richard W. Williamson (Judy)1555 E. Tabor AveFairfield, CA 94533-2711(707) 425-2045)H)arty3@comcast.net

Right Eminent Grand CommanderMyron A. Tisdel (Wendy)30520 100 RdShingletown, CA 96088-9651(530) 474-4669 (H)(530) 474-3116 (F)(530) 945-2103 (C)mtisdel@frontiernet.net

Grand Secretary:Ken Hope11428 E. Artesia Blvd, #13Artesia, CA 90701-3872(562) 924-6500(W)(562) 484-1611(C)ca.yorkrite@verizon.net

Editor:Phil Hardiman, PGHP2713 Hoffman Woods LaneCarmichael, CA 95608(916) 712-4814(C)philipandnancy@aol.com

Websites:www.yorkriteofcalifornia.orgIf you need access to the confidentialfeatures of the website, contact one ofthe officers above for userid andpassword.WWW.GOLDENSTATECHAPTER.ORG

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2014 Grand York Rite Sessions May 17th to May 21st, 2014 – Bakersfield, CAPlease send page 1 of this form and payment to:

CA-GYRS 6431 Valley Hi Dr. Sacramento, CA 95823-4838Reservation forms postmarked after 04/18/14 are subject to a 25% late fee –

Forms submitted onsite will be charged a $10 onsite processing fee

Contact the Bakersfield Doubletree Hotel 3100 Camino Del Rio Ct Bakersfield, 93308 @ (800) 222-TREE(8733)

tell the agent that you are in the Grand York Rite Group for your hotel reservation before 04/15/14 Room rate: $93.00 for balcony rooms

($10 more per night if you requested a courtyard/pool facing room) +taxes There is also a link on www.ca-gyrs.org to make your hotel reservation online

Questions,General Chairman : Gregg Hall (408) 656-2459 chairman@ca-gyrs.org

please contact:Executive Officer: James Baum, (760) 843-9258 executiveofficer@ca-gyrs.orgMeal/Event reservations: Dave Glass (916) 454-5335 reservations@ca-gyrs.org

No refunds after May 05th, 2014 unless approved by the Grand York Rite Sessions Executive Committee.

More forms (including the Order of High Priesthood, Thrice Illustrious Master & Past CommandersAssociation), menus and schedule are available from www.ca-gyrs.org.

A few words about Reservation Only events: Although there is no charge for these events, please enter in a numerical value for the events you want to

attend. This provides a headcount for the preparation of the event. Also, if the event is cancelled or changedyou can be notified.

Saturday shuttle to the Casino: A local casino is providing free shuttle service for our Ladies and otherswho are not attending the AMD In-Gathering. The times are subject to change based on reservations and you

will need to co-ordinate with the shuttle driver for your return time. Sunday Vesper services. Vespers is our gathering to honor our departed Companions and Sir Knights. All

are encouraged to attend. The Ladies Masonic Information Sessions are designed as an informal gathering in the Lake Rooms forour Ladies during the Business Meetings. The subjects of the Sessions will be available on the web site.

Members of the Royal Arch Research Chapter (and those that want to join) will be gathering on Mondayafternoon in the Lake Rooms.

Learn about what the York Rite College does at the Meet and Greet on Tuesday afternoon in the LakeRooms.

“Fun Degrees” Order of Zanzibar Degree is for the Companions, enter in a 1 in the field to register as a candidate. You will

receive a certificate after receiving the degree. Those that have received the degree and sit on the sidelines,do not need to make the reservation.

Royal Arch Widows Degree is for our Ladies enter in a 1 in the field to register as a candidate. You willreceive a certificate and a pin after receiving the degree. Those that have received the degree and the

Companions who wish to sit on the sidelines, do not need to make the reservation.

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Pleasanton Lodge #321

&

Pittsburg Lodge #429

Cordially invite you to a reception honoring

Worshipful Robert A. L. Whitfield

Grand Pursuivant 2013-2014

Grand Lodge of California, F. & A. M.

Sunday, June 29th, 2014

3:00 PM Social Hour

4:00 PM Reception

5:00 PM Dinner

$20.00 per person

Dress is Business Suits

Pleasanton Masonic Center

3370 Hopyard Road

Pleasanton, CA 94588

RSVP by June 15 to Craig Bell, PMClownbell@yahoo.com925-858-64673417 Streamside Circle #207, Pleasanton CA 94588

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W E N E E D S U B S C R I B E R SThe California Encompasser is requesting subscribers to assist with the ever increasing costs of paper, printing and postage. We are also in constant need of new items, fillers, pictures, jokes, educational papers (short) and anything else you might be able to think of.

California FreemasonsThe Family of Freemasonry

“Masonry on the Rise”S u b s c r i p t i o n F o r mYes! I would appreciate receiving the California Encompasser. You will find my check for $100.00 enclosed for a lifetime subscription or $40.00 for a two-year subscription.

NAME: ______________________________________________

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GRAND CHAPTER ROYAL ARCH MASONS OF CALIFORNIA11428 E. Artesia Blvd, #13, Artesia, CA 90701-3872

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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LONG BEACH, CA 90813PERMIT NO. 799