Seattle Scottish Rite Communicator Nov-Dec. 2021

Volume 68 No. 06

November-December 2021

The Holy Bible

- pg 8

Membership

Scholarships

Thanksgiving

pg 5

pg 11

pg 13

2 Seattle Scottish Rite

Scottish Rite Communicator Valley of Seattle

www.seattle-scottishrite.org

SCOTTISH RITE OFFICERS Ill. James D. Cole, 33° Sovereign Grand Commander Ill. Alvin W. Jorgensen, 33° S:.G:.I:.G:, Orient of Washington Ill. Greg Goodrich, 33° Personal Rep. of S:.G:.I:.G:. greg@seattle-scottishrite.org Daniel Southerland, 32° KCCH General Secretary Communicator Editor secretary@seattle-scottishrite.org Gene Ulrich, 32° KCCH Treasurer Ill. Tom Lamb, 33° Almoner PRESIDING OFFICERS Bob Gunther 32°KCCH Master of Kadosh, Consistory Arturo Ortiz 32° Commander, Council of Kadosh Gerry O’Brien 32° KCCH Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix Richard Brzustowicz 32° Venerable Master, Lodge of Perfection Seattle Scottish Rite Center 1207 N 152nd St. Seattle, WA 98133-6213 206 324-3330 voice 206 324-3332 fax

The Communicator (USPS 485-660) is published by the Valley of Seattle, A&A Scottish Rite, 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213, for the benefit of its members, bimonthly and is mailed as a non-profit publication to all members of the Valley of Seattle and to specified other interested parties. $2.00 per member is assessed for the publication of The Communicator. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington and at additional mailing offices.

The material contained within this publication is intended for the education and enjoyment of the members of the Masonic Fraternity and all material published becomes the property of Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite. Postmaster: Send address changes to — The Communicator at 1207 N 152nd St., Shoreline, WA 98133-6213.

Being persuaded that a just application of the principles, on which the Masonic Fraternity is founded, must be promote of private virtue and public prosperity, I shall always be happy to advance the interests of the Society, and to be considered by them as a deserving brother.

BROTHER GEORGE WASHINGTON

Seattle Scottish Rite 3

News from the Personal Representative Brethren,

I am humbled and honored to have been appointed as the new Personal Representative of our SGIG for the Valley of Seattle. I wish to thank our SGIG, Ill. Al Jorgensen, 33° for once again placing his trust in me.

I am still profoundly saddened by the loss of Ill. Sat Tashiro, 33°. As many of you know, I served under Sat as General Secretary for five years and became great friends with him. We lost a dear brother, mentor and most of all friend. Although it is clear that none of us, especially me, could ever fill his shoes, I pray that with your support as a Valley, we will persevere and continue to grow and make Seattle Scottish Rite the premier Valley in the Orient of Washington. I look forward to once again working with you all in the months to come.

I have met with our General Secretary and look forward to working with Dan as we come up with additional ideas and programs for our Valley. I recently spoke with an old friend who recently received the Grand Cross of the Court of Honor, the highest award the Supreme Council bestows. He is a very well-known brother that travels extensively internationally and has tentatively agreed to come up to Seattle in February to give a presentation. Once it's all confirmed and dates are set, we will let the Brethren know.

I hope to see you at our November stated meeting. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Fraternally,

Greg Goodrich, 33° Personal Representative of the SGIG

4 Seattle Scottish Rite

Greetings All,

Well, it’s looking like fall is in full speed as everything changes. Along with the seasons there has been some change here at Seattle Valley. By now everyone knows of the passing of our Personal representative Ill. Sat Tashiro. We have been honored to have him as our PR for these years and know we are all better for it. He was such an inspiration to us all and the valued lessons he brought are here to stay for many years. We will certainly miss him for such a long time. I know I personally have gained so much by having known and worked with him for the last six years. There is a Masonic memorial service for Sat on Sunday December 14th at 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Nile Shrine, 6601 244th ST. SW. Mount Lake Terrace, WA. This service is open to all. There will be a Rose Croix and Masonic Ceremony.

We will be having our 30° conferral on November 6th and our 32° on November 20th. Both will start at 9:00 am. Donuts in the morning and lunch in afternoon so come on by and join us. Amid the great fellowship and Scottish Rite knowledge will be great days. Our Cap & Ring Ceremony will be on December 4th. Time will be coming soon so stay tuned. We will be inviting all the new members including the brothers that received their degrees virtually along with their families. Looking forward to finally having them all here.

Also, a reminder to all that we do not have a stated meeting in December. We hope you all have an excellent holiday season and stay safe. We will be back in full force for the January meeting that will be our installation of officers.

Always remember it is never too early to get the petitions in for our 2022 class in. We always invite brothers to bring in their prospective members to meet us and have dinner, just let us know and we will be ready. We look forward to having them. We are already getting new interest for the upcoming class. We have enclosed the petition for our new members.

The Seattle Valley will be looking to the future and how we want to grow, as we have seen great progress and will continue to grow in the future, but we want so much more. We are looking at bringing in great speakers, and events to enlighten us all. So, if you have any ideas of how you would like to see your fraternity grow and make us an even better place to be then come on in and let’s get the ideas out.

We want you all to be involved as this is your fraternity.

Be sure to follow our Facebook page so you can keep up to date on all the happenings of your Seattle valley. We will always put updates and events out as soon as we have them. We want to make sure you all know what is happening.

For all of our new members, including those brother who obtained their degrees virtually, you do get your first year of dinners before the meeting on us, so be sure to take full advantage of this great deal. We look forward to seeing you all here. We want you all involved and would love to hear your ideas. Don’t be afraid to let us know what you are looking for, as we love hearing the great ideas.

Remember that’s how we arrived at where we are now.

May you all have a Very Best this Holiday Season has to offer. Take care of each other.

Fraternally, Daniel J. Southerland, 32° KCCH General Secretary

Seattle Scottish Rite 5

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

Valley of Seattle

Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America 1207 N 152nd St. Shoreline, WA 98133 Telephone (206) 324-3330 ___________________________, 20______ Today's Date

TO THE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF: SEATTLE LODGE OF PERFECTION

SEATTLE CHAPTER OF ROSE CROIX

SEATTLE COUNCIL OF KADOSH

SEATTLE CONSISTORY

I THE UNDERSIGNED, DO CERTIFY THE FOLLOWING TO BE TRUE AND CORRECT: MY FULL NAME IS ____________________________________________________________. MY AGE IS ______ YEARS. MY DATE OF BIRTH IS ________ ________ ________. I WAS BORN AT ________________________________________.

STATE OF _____. I CURRENTLY RESIDE AT _______________________________________________________________.

Address, City and State I HAVE RESIDED THERE FOR ____________ YEARS. MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS _________________________________________________________________________________.

MY MAILING ADDRESS IS_______________________________________________________________________________.

Street address or Post Office Box City, State, & ZIP MY CURRENT TELEPHONE NUMBER IS (____)_______________________. SPOUSE NAME_______________________.

Area Code MY OCCUPATION IS _____________________________. I AM EMPLOYED BY __________________________________.

If retired, state previous occupation If retired, enter “Retired” I AM A MASTER MASON IN GOOD STANDING IN _________________________ LODGE NO. ___________ LOCATED AT ___________________________________ , UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE GRAND LODGE OF____________.

I WAS RAISED TO THE DEGREE OF MASTER MASON ON __________________________________________________.

Date you received third degree PLEASE ENTER YOUR CAP SIZE (IF KNOWN) __________.

PLEASE ENTER YOUR RING SIZE (IF KNOWN) __________.

Continued on other side

Page 1 of 1

6 Seattle Scottish Rite What motivated you to join the Scottish Rite?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please indicate your interest in the following subjects. 

Scottish Rite Education



Scottish Rite Ritual



Esoteric Research & Education



Participation is Scottish Rite Degrees



Participation as an officer in one of the four bodies



Participation in Scottish Rite Committees, i.e. Finance, Building, etc.



Americanism (ROTC, JROTC)



Craft Lodge Education



Craft Lodge Ritual



Other ___________________________________________________

THE SUPREME COUNCIL REQUIRES ACCEPTANCE OF THE FOLLOWING FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES: THE INCULCATION OF PATRIOTISM, RESPECT FOR LAW AND ORDER, UNDYING LOYALTY TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. DO YOU APPROVE OF THESE PRINCIPLES? ________ YES ________ NO I HAVE NEVER PREVIOUSLY APPLIED FOR ANY OF THE SCOTTISH RITE DEGREES NOR FOR ANY MEMBERSHIP IN ANY BODY OF SCOTTISH RITE MASONS. (IF PREVIOUSLY APPLIED FOR MEMBERSHIP HERE OR ELSEWHERE, USE THE REVERSE SIDE OF THIS APPLICATION TO PROVIDE FULL DETAILS OF SAID APPLICATION, SPECIFICALLY INCLUDING THE SCOTTISH RITE BODIES TO WHICH APPLICATION WAS MADE, DATES THEREOF, AND RESULTS OF SAID APPLICATION ) I NOW RESPECTFULLY MAKE THIS APPLICATION TO RECEIVE THE DEGREES OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY, PROMISING ALWAYS TO BEAR TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE THIRTY-THIRD DEGREE OF THE SOUTHERN JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATED OF AMERICA. ________________________________________________________________________ (Signature)

PLEASE ATTACH A COPY OF YOUR CURRENT CRAFT LODGE DUES CARD PLEASE FILL IN ALL PROCEEDING BLANKS ================================================================================== RECOMMENDED BY: (TWO SCOTTISH RITE SPONSORS ARE NECESSARY) 1.____________________________________________________________________________________________ Printed Name Signature Address 2. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Printed Name Signature Address RECEIVED _________________________ REFERRED ____________________________ ELECTED __________________ Please include the $200.00 fee for the degrees plus $100.00 dues for the current year with your petition: Total of $300.00 *for petitioners under 31 years of age the fees are $125.00 plus $100.00 dues for the current year: Total of $225.00 The total fees for the 4°-32° degrees of the Scottish Rite include your 14° ring, 32° Scottish Rite hat, Master Craftsman book and materials, and A Bridge to Light: A study in Masonic Ritual & Philosophy.

Page 2 of 2

Seattle Scottish Rite 7

Great words from our Speech Center and their Parents

Dear Seattle Scottish Rite,

Our family wanted to send a quick note to say how grateful we are for the Scottish Rite's continued support of the Early Life Speech and Language Services. When the pandemic hit we were so worried our son Cole would lose these essential services—he had been making amazing progress with his speech and language skills, and was finally beginning to communicate well. Cole’s speech therapist transitioned to tele-health therapy without any problem, and we now continue to meet with her to keep these services going.

Thank you again for your generosity in supporting children like Cole, in whose lives you have made (and hopefully will continue to make!) such a difference. Our family is very grateful to you and the wonderful Seattle Scottish Rite organization.

Kind regards, Mike and Dru Kessler

The end of a year is an occasion for gratitude, celebration and a look to the future. We are grateful for the 37 years of children’s speech therapy services funded by Seattle’s Scottish Rite Masons. Over the years you’ve given countless children the gift of speech, language and communication. Seattle’s speech and language program continues to see children and families, through in-person therapy and tele-therapy. We hope to continue to help children in need of this vital skill. The families (and the speech therapists!) are deeply thankful for your continued support of this program.

Happy Holidays, Barbara and Jackie

Dear Seattle Scottish Rite,

We would like to thank all the Seattle Scottish Rite Masons for their generous giving so that families like ours may benefit from speech therapy without financial hardship.

Our daughter Cassia was diagnosed with selective mutism and possible speech apraxia at Seattle Children’s Hospital just before she turned 3. We didn’t know what to do and we definitely didn’t know how to help her overcome her speech and language difficulties. We were referred to the Scottish Rite therapists, who were known for their years of experience in these areas. We were seen twice before COVID closed our in-person sessions. We switched to virtual therapy shortly afterwards. We were skeptical that virtual therapy would be helpful, especially with Cassia’s mutism. We couldn’t have been more surprised that the therapy was effective and fun for our daughter. We were also involved and learned how to help her communicate.

Since then, Cassia has progressed so much! Before she was often withdrawn and very quiet around people outside of her immediate family. Now friends and family that haven’t seen her since we began the program hardly recognize her! She will be five this month, still shy, but now a happy child with a good natured and chatty personality. Her confidence and speech are growing and she is learning new vocabulary and grammar with the help of tele-therapy and our weekly assignments.

We are so thankful that this opportunity was afforded to us by the Seattle Masons. Early intervention is so effective, and your giving has opened doors for Cassia and us.

Gratefully,

Audra and Glenn Hwaung

8 Seattle Scottish Rite

THE HOLY BIBLE

SHORT TALK BULLETIN - Vol. II March, 1924 No.3 by: Unknown

Upon the Altar of every Masonic Lodge, supporting the Square and Compasses, lies the Holy Bible.

The old, familiar Book, so beloved by so many generations, is our Volume of Sacred Law and the Great Light in Masonry. The Bible opens when the Lodge opens it closes when the Lodge closes. No Lodge can transact its own business, mush less initiate candidates into its mysteries, unless the Book of Holy Law lies open upon its Altar. Thus the Book of the Will of God Rules the Lodge in its labors, as the Sun Rules the Day, making its work a worship.

The history of the Bible in the life and symbolism of Masonry is a story too long to recite here. Nor can any one tell it as we should like to know it. Just when, where, and by whom the teaching and imagery of the Bible were wrought into Freemasonry, no one can tell. Anyone can have his theory, but no one can be dogmatic. As the Craft labored in the service of the Church during the Cathedral-Building period, it is not difficult to account for the Biblical coloring of its thought, even in days when the Bible was not widely distributed, and before the discovery of printing. Anyway, we can take such facts as we are able to find, leaving further research to learn further truth.

The Bible is mentioned in some of the old manuscripts of the Craft long before the revival of Masonry in 1717, as the book upon which the covenant, or oath, of a Mason was taken but it is not referred to as a Great Light. For example, in the Harleian Manuscript, dated about 1600, the obligation of an initiate closes with the words: So Help Me God, and the Holy Contents of this Book. In the old ritual, of which a copy from the Royal Library in Berlin is given by Krause, there is no mention of the Bible as one of the Lights. It was in England, due largely to the influence of Preston and his fellow workmen, that the Bible came to its place of honor in the Lodge. At any rate, in the rituals of about 1760 it is described as one of three Great Lights.

No Mason needs to be told what a great place the Bible has in the Masonry of our day. It is central, sovereign, supreme, a master light of all our seeing. From the Altar it pours forth upon the East, the West, and the South its white light of spiritual vision, moral law, and immortal hope. Almost every name found in our ceremonies is a Biblical name, and students have traced about seventy-five references to the Bible in the Ritual of the Craft. But more important than direct references is the fact that the spirit of the Bible, its faith, its attitude toward life, pervades Masonry, like a rhythm or a fragrance. As soon as an initiate enters the Lodge, he hears the words of the Bible recited as an accompaniment to his advance toward the light. Upon the Bible every Masons takes solemn vows of loyalty, of chastity, and charity, pledging himself to the practice of the Brotherly Life. Then he moves forward from one degree to another, the imagery of the Bible becomes familiar and eloquent and its music sings its way into his heart.

Nor is it strange that it should be so. As faith in God is the corner-stone of the Craft, so, naturally, the book which tells us the purest truth about God is its Altar-Light. The Temple of King Solomon, about which the history, legends, and symbolism of the Craft are woven, was the tallest temple of the ancient world, not in the grandeur of its architecture but in the greatest of the truths for which it stood. In the midst of ignorant idolatries and debasing superstitions the Temple on Mount Moriah stood for Unity, Righteousness, and Spirituality of God. Upon no other foundation can men build with any sense of security and permanence when the winds blow and the floods descend. But the Bible is not simply a foundation rock it is also a quarry in which we find the truths that make us men. As in the old ages of geology rays of sunlight were stored up in vast beds of coal, for the uses of man, so in this old book the light of moral truth is stored to light the mind and warm the heart of man.

Alas, there has been more dispute about the Bible than about any other book, making for schism, dividing men in sects. But Masonry knows a certain secret, almost too simple to be found out, whereby it avoids both intolerance and sectarianism. It is essentially religious, but it is not dogmatic. The fact that the Bible lies open upon the Altar means that man must have some Divine Revelation - must seek for a light higher than human to guide and govern him. But it lays down no hard and fast dogma on the subject of revelation. It attempts no detailed interpretation of the Bible. The great Book lies open upon its Altar, and is open for all to read, open for each to interpret for himself. The tie by which our Craft is united is strong, but it allows the utmost liberty of faith and thought. It unites men, not upon a creed bristling with debated issues, but upon the broad, simple truth which underlies all creeds and over-arches all sects - faith in God, the wise Master Builder, for whom and with whom man must work.

Seattle Scottish Rite 9

Herein our gentle Craft is truly wise, and its wisdom was never more needed than today, when the Churches are divided and torn by angry debate. However religious teachers may differ in their doctrines, in the Lodge they meet with mutual respect and good will. At the Altar of Masonry they learn not only toleration, but appreciation. In its air of kindly fellowship, man to man, they discover that the things they have in common are greater than the things that divide. It is the glory of Masonry to teach Unity in essentials, Liberty in details, Charity in all things and by this sign its spirit must at last prevail. It is the beautiful secret of Masonry that all just men, all devout men, all righteous men are everywhere of one religion, and it seeks to remove the hoodwinks of prejudice and intolerance so that they may recognize each other and work together in the doing of good.

Like everything else in Masonry, the Bible, so rich in symbolism, is itself a symbol - that is, a part taken for the whole. It is a symbol of the Book of truth, the Scroll of Faith, the Record of the Will of God as man has learned it in the midst of the years - the perpetual revelation of Himself which God has made, and is making, to mankind in every age and land. Thus, by the very honor which Masonry pays to the Bible, it teaches us to revere every Book of Faith in which men find help for today and hope for the morrow. For that reason, in a Lodge consisting entirely of Jews, the Old Testament alone may be placed upon the Altar, and in a Lodge in the land of Mohammed the Koran may be used. Whether it be the Gospels of the Christian, the Book of the Law of the Hebrew, the Koran of the Mussulman, or the Vedas of the Hindu it everywhere Masonically conveys the same idea symbolizing the Will of God revealed to man, taking such faith and vision as he has found into a great fellowship of the seekers and finders of the truth.

Thus Masonry invites to its Altar men of all faiths, knowing that, if they use different names for the Nameless One of an Hundred Names, they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all knowing also, that while they read different volumes, they are in fact reading the same vast Book of Faith of Man as revealed in the struggle and tragedy of the race in its quest of God. So that, great and noble as the Bible is, Masonry sees it as a symbol of that eternal, ever-unfolding Book of the Will of God which Lowell described in memorable lines: Slowly the Bible of the race is writ, And not on paper leaves, nor leaves of stone Each age, each kindred, adds a verse to it, Text of despair or hope, of joy or moan, While swings the sea, while mists the mountain shroud, While thunder surges burst on cliffs of cloud, Still at the Prophets feet the nations sit.

None the less, while we honor every Book of Faith in which have been recorded the way and Will of God, with us the Bible is supreme, at once the mother-book of our literature, and the master-book of the Lodge. Its truth is inwrought in the fiber of our being, with whatsoever else of the good and the true which the past has given us. Its spirit stirs our hearts, like a sweet habit of the blood its light follows all our way, showing us the meaning and worth of life. Its very words have in them memories, echoes, and overtones of voices long since hushed, and its scenery is interwoven with the holiest associations of our lives. Our father and mothers read it, finding in it their final reasons for living faithfully and nobly, and it is thus a part of the ritual of the Lodge and the Ritual of Life.

10 S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e

Every Mason ought not only to honor the Bible as a great Light of the Craft he ought to read it, live it, love it, lay its truth to heart and learn what it means to be a man. There is something in the old Book which, if it gets into a man, makes him both gentle and strong, faithful and free, obedient and tolerant, adding to his knowledge virtue, patience, temperance, self-control, brotherly love, and pity. The Bible is as high as the sky and as deep as the grave its two great characters are God and the soul, and the story of their romance. It is the most human of books, telling us the half-forgotten secrets of our own hearts, our sins, our sorrows, our doubts, our hopes. It is the most Divine of Books, telling us that God has made us for himself, and that our hearts will be restless and lonely until we learn to rest in Him whose will is our peace.

He hath showed thee, O man, what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.‌Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind and thy neighbor as thyself.'

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them for this is the law and the Prophets. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted by the world.‌

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.'

Copyright, 1924, by The Masonic Service Association of the United States. The contents of this Bulletin must not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without permission.

Published monthly by The Masonic Service Association of the United States under the auspices of the member Grand Jurisdictions. Entered as second-class matter September 6, 1923, at the Post Office at Washington, D.C., under the Act of August 214, 1912. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of Postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized February 17, 1923.

S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e 11

Great News from the Scottish Rite Scholarship Foundation of Washington Seattle Valley Scottish Rite Scholarship Night Tuesday, September 21, 2021

For a second year, because of the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic, the Valley was unable to hold its Annual Scholarship Night to properly acknowledge all of our recipients. Below is the following report for 2021.

In 1958, a Masonic philanthropy providing university scholarships and fellowships was formed for students entering their Junior and Senior years of college and Graduate School in the State of Washington. Since 1958, the Scottish Rite Scholarship Foundation of Washington’s aim has remained strong in "Preserving American Ideals Through Education".

The students must be U.S. citizens, Washington State residents attending an accredited college or university in the State of Washington and must maintain an accumulative GPA of 3.0 or better and be entering their Junior or Senior year.

The Scottish Rite Scholarship Foundation of Washington is a non-profit Private 501(c)3 Foundation. As such, your donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.

This year the Foundation had two hundred and fifty-one (251) registrations of which one hundred and nine (109) failed to submit an application. One hundred and thirty-six (136) were received and evaluated from the thirteen (13) Valleys in the Orient of Washington. Fifty-two (52) of that number were first time recipients at $3,000 each for a total of $156,000. There were forty-six (46) renewal recipients at $3,000 each for a total of $138,000; and an additional twenty (20) Graduate Fellowship recipients at $6,000 each for a total of $120,000. This year the Foundation also donated $25,000 to the William R. Miller Scottish Rite Scholarship Fund and gave twenty-six (26) $1,000 scholarships to the Grand Master’s Scottish Rite Scholarship Program for a total of $26,000. This came to a grand total of $465,000. In all, one hundred and forty-four (144) awards, total, were given out in the Orient of Washington. Since 2009, the Foundation has given over $4,567,000 in scholarship and fellowship awards.

The Seattle Valley received twenty-two (22) registrations of which eight (8) students were interviewed and all eight (8) submitted completed applications for review and grading. Of the eight (8) submitted, six (6) ended up being recipients of scholarships. Four (4) of which were first time applicants and two (2) were renewal applicants.

As a side note, there were two (2) Running Start registrants who received scholarships from the Valley of Seattle.

The Scholarship website will open again on November 1, 2021.

Gale H. Kenney, 33°, IGH Director, Valley of Seattle Scottish Rite Scholarship Foundation of Washington

12 S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e

S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e 13

The Origin of Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. Their destination? The New World.

Although filled with uncertainty and peril, it offered both civil and religious liberty.

For over two months, the 102 passengers braved the harsh elements of a vast storm-tossed sea. Finally, with firm purpose and a reliance on Divine Providence, the cry of “Land!” was heard.

Arriving in Massachusetts in late November, the Pilgrims sought a suitable landing place. On December 11, just before disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they signed the “Mayflower Compact” – America’s first document of civil government and the first to introduce self-government.

After a prayer service, the Pilgrims began building hasty shelters. However, unprepared for the starvation and sickness of a harsh New England winter, nearly half died before spring. Yet, persevering in prayer, and assisted by helpful Indians, they reaped a bountiful harvest the following summer.

The grateful Pilgrims then declared a three-day feast, starting on December 13, 1621, to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends. While this was not the first Thanksgiving in America (thanksgiving services were held in Virginia as early as 1607), it was America’s first Thanksgiving Festival.

Pilgrim Edward Winslow described the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving in these words:

“Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling [bird hunting] so that we might, after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as… served the company almost a week… Many of the Indians [came] amongst us and… their greatest King, Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted; and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought… And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet BY THE GOODNESS OF GOD WE ARE… FAR FROM WANT.” In 1789, following a proclamation issued by President George Washington, America celebrated its first Day of Thanksgiving to God under its new constitution. That same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church, of which President Washington was a member, announced that the first Thursday in November would become its regular day for giving thanks, “unless another day be appointed by the civil authorities.” Yet, despite these early national proclamations, official Thanksgiving observances usually occurred only at the State level.

Much of the credit for the adoption of a later ANNUAL national Thanksgiving Day may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. For thirty years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting President after President until President Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving. Over the next seventy-five years, Presidents followed Lincoln’s precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday

Lincoln’s original 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation came – spiritually speaking – at a pivotal point in his life. During the first week of July of that year, the Battle of Gettysburg occurred, resulting in the loss of some 60,000 American lives. Four months later in November, Lincoln delivered his famous “Gettsysburg Address.” It was while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of graves there at Gettysburg that he committed his life to Christ. As he explained to a friend:

When I left Springfield [to assume the Presidency] I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.

As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving each year, we hope they will retain the original gratefulness to God displayed by the Pilgrims and many other founding fathers , and remember that it is to those early and courageous Pilgrims that they owe not only the traditional Thanksgiving holiday but also the concepts of self-government, the “hard-work” ethic, self-reliant communities, and devout religious faith.

1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt set it one week earlier. He wanted to help business by lengthening the shopping period before Christmas. Congress ruled that after 1941 the 4th Thursday in November would be a federal holiday proclaimed by the President each year.

14 S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e

Messages Happy Birthday!

Congratulations from all your Scottish Rite Brethren To our members over 90 who have reached a very important birthday!

November

December

Floyd F. Klinkenberg 11/12/1927

Donald G. King 12/25/1928

Edward A. Tolford 11/07/1929

William E. Edwards 12/10/1925

James W. Hart Jr. 11/11/1930

Roy D. Heberling 12/23/1929 Raymond L. Horn 12/24/1929 Joseph L. Bennett 12/31/1930 Joseph Smith 12/19/1931

Polo shirts are in!

Get yours now $20.00

S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e 15

www.seattle-scottishrite.org

MONTH TIME EVENT November 6

9:00 am

30th Degree

November 14 1:00 pm Ill. Sat Tashiro Memorial Service Nile Shrine November 16

7:30 pm

Stated Meeting, dinner 6:30 pm.

November 20

9:00 am

32nd Degree

All Times may change as the closures due to the pandemic are updated with the ability to meet in person.

Jackets $40.00 looks great

Follow us on Twitter! @SeaScottishRite

Scottish Rite of Freemasonry 1207 N 152nd St. Shoreline, WA 98133-6247

Periodicals Postage Paid USPS 485-660