Portland Valley Sweet Hearts Dinner

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All Portland Valley Scottish Rite Members and a guest are invited to attend the Sweet Hearts Dinner on February 2nd at 7:00 pm.
This event is held in honor of St. Valentine’s Day.

Schedule
Social 6:00 pm
Dinner 7:00 pm

Further details will be updated shortly but mark your calendars now for the date.

RSVP with dinner reservations by email at officemanager@portlandsr.com or phone at 503-226-7827

Portland Valley 29th Degree Conferral

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On Tuesday January 19th the Multnomah Council of Kadosh and the Portland Valley Knights of St. Andrew present the 29th Degree of the S.J. of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.

Staring members of the Oregon Consistory No. 1 and the Portland Valley Chapter of the Knights of Saint Andrew, this Degree teaches the duties to; reverence and obey the Deity, serve the truth, protect virtue and innocence and defend the people against tyranny. The lesson of the degree is that ideas and intuitions wax and wane in the great cycle of time which is but change.

The Portland Valley Chapter of KSA will also be Knighting all the Portland Valley Squires during this ceremony.

Evening Schedule
6:00 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Degree Conferral
Following the degree will be a social and cast party in the Members Lounge.

For dinner the main entree will be Shepherd’s Pie catered by Bridge’s Café & Catering of Portland at the cost of $10 per person. Please RSVP with dinner reservations by email at officemanager@portlandsr.com or phone at 503-226-7827

Congratulations to Orient of Oregon’s Illustrious Brother Gary W. Kuney 33º Active

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Congratulations to our Illustrious Brother Gary W. Kuney 33º Active Supreme Council Member, who recently was honored with a life size bronze bust to immortalize his hard work and service to the Scottish Rite.

The work was done by local artist Martin Eichinger who gave a vibrant description of the process and Bryan Witt 33º KCCH  emceed.

Ill. Brother Kuney was also joined by his lovely and very proud wife Nancy.

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January Stated Meeting for the Portland Valley Scottish Rite

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Tuesday January 12th will be the December Stated Meeting for the Portland Valley Scottish Rite.

The Oregon Lodge of Perfection will be opening in full form so all Scottish Rite members 4th° and higher are welcome to attend.

It will also be Taco Tuesday with a Taco bar provided by Bridges Cafe & Catering of Portland. Dinner will be $10 per person.

Schedule
5:30 pm Clarke Trust
6:00 pm Body Head Meeting
6:30 pm Dinner
7:00 pm Stated
8:00 pm KSA Stated
Following the Stated there will be a Social in the Membership Lounge.

Please contact officemanager@portlandsr.com or call the Valley office at 503-226-7827 for reservation for dinner.

An Update on Our Language Clinics from President William Anton

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Click on the KidTalk illustration above to read an update from our Oregon Scottish Rite Clinics President William Anton

Oregon Scottish Rite Clinics Update

 

Ceremony in Honor of the Sovereign Grand Inspector General of Oregon

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Seasons Greetings Brothers!

On Tuesday January 5th of 2016 all members of the Scottish Rite Orient of Oregon and their guests are invited to attend a Ceremony in Honor of the current Active Sovereign Grand Inspector General Illustrious Garry W. Kuney, 33º

It will be held at the Portland Valley Scottish Rite Temple starting at 6:15 pm with a social hour including heavy hor d’oeuvres, live entertainment and festivities to follow.

On this occasion we will be unveiling sculptures made in the likeness of each Illustrious Brother to Honor and Immortalize their contributions to Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

Please come enjoy the event!

Preferred attire for the occasion is formal.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend by Email at officemanager@portlandsr.com or
Phone 503-226-7827.

Portland Valley Scottish Rite Temple

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Scottish Rite Temple 15th and Morrison St, Portland Oregon 1903

The members of the Portland Valley in the Orient of Oregon have the privilege of conducting their work in a beautiful, distinctive and historic build. A building that has significance to all of Scottish Rite. In 1890 the Orient of Oregon was teetering on the edge of dissolution. The idea of turning in the charter had been put forward with concerns about the Orients viability. Fortunately that choice was rejected in favor of starting a Consistory and going all in. Through the efforts of a dedicated group of Brothers led by Philip Schuyler Malcolm the fortunes of Oregon Scottish Rite were turned around and within a few years the Rite was thriving. Twelve years after the decision was made to continue on, funds had been raised and a new building was built for the sole purpose of the work of Scottish Rite in Oregon. We read in the History of the Oregon Scottish Rite:

“Fulfillment of the long-cherished dream of a Scottish Rite Temple came to fruition when a Grand Opening was held May 19, 1903 in the form of a Grand Concert Organ Recital and Ball. This was the first Scottish Rite Temple built in the United States solely for Scottish Rite functions and purposes. Requests for blueprints came from all over the United States; so many copies were made and sent, the original blueprints were misplaced. Architects from many cities were sent to study the Temple Building and its plans, and, at that time, the Portland, Oregon Scottish Rite Temple was recognized as one of the Outstanding Scottish Rite Temples in the United States!”

The building was designed by Illustrious Brother Richard Martin, Jr. (see bio in the March 2015 blog below). As noted much interest was shown in Brother Martin’s plans, and the “offspring” of our building began to be erected throughout the United States and in other parts of the world. Some of those building still stand.

This summer there was an article in the Scottish Rite Journal issued July-August 2015 “The Masonic Hall in Athens” on page 22. This showed the building erected in Athens, Greece in 1931. During World War II the Nazi’s, who had proclaimed Freemasonry illegal, commandeered the building, destroyed the furniture and took the documents and records (what became of them is still unknown). The Nazi’s used the building during the war and left it in very poor condition. The building was restored and survived until the 1960’s when it was replaced by the current building. The Athens building holds many of the distinct features of the Oregon building and it would be of interest to see the interior layout for comparison. There is little doubt in the mind of this author that the Athens building was based on the plans of the Oregon building.

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After the loss of my mother in September, my return trip brought me to Dallas, Texas to visit my aunt and uncle. In a journey into downtown Dallas with my aunt we went to see the Dallas Valley Scottish Rite building. At first glance it was clear that this was another of the “offspring” of our Portland build, whose construction was based on the plans of Richard Martin, Jr. Any doubt was laid to rest after touring the building. We were guided through the building by Brother Scott Stanton commander of the KSA, who generously took time out of his day to show us this magnificent structure. Although the building is grander, bigger and more ornate, the layout is roughly the same.

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Dallas Valley Scottish Rite 1908

As can be seen the Dallas building has stairs to the main floor outside as opposed to Oregon’s which are inside. However the internal grand stairways are nearly identical and the main floor leads into the dining room in both buildings. The interior rooms have different uses and in the case of Dallas are bigger, but the placement is roughly the same. The auditoriums are also placed in the same parts of the buildings except as you enter Portland’s the stage is on the right and Dallas’ is on the left. The Dallas auditorium also has an Egyptian motif.

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Grand stairway Portland Scottish Rite
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Grand stairway Dallas Scottish Rite
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Banquet Hall Dallas Scottish Rite

From the Dallas Valley webpage we are informed that “The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry entered Dallas with the permanent charter of Dallas Lodge of Perfection granted on October 20, 1897.

Plans for a new home began when “The Dallas Scottish Rite Cathedral Association” was organized in 1903. No Reunion had up to this time been held in The Valley of Dallas for lack of suitable quarters. In May, 1904, the first Reunion of the Rite took place in Turner Hall at Harwood and Canton Streets on the site on which the Masonic Temple now stands. They continued to be held there until November, 1908, when the tenth Reunion was held in the new Cathedral.”

The Dallas building is more spacious, and contains more beautiful marble and plaster work then the Portland building, but there is no doubt that the Dallas building was based on the Portland blueprints and the architectural work of Ill. Bro. Richard H. Martin.

Dallas hosts the largest Scottish Rite Valley in the world with approximately 4,700 current members. Twice a year, using a team of about 220 members and crew, the Valley puts on all 29 Scottish Rite degrees in full Reunions in the Spring and Fall,. They also host a one day five terminal degrees Reunion in the Summer. Scottish Rite Brethren are welcomed and encouraged to visit and attend these Reunions. There is no charge for members of any valley. Just pay for breakfast and lunch if you want to eat.

In conclusion my brothers as you travel keep an eye out for the “offspring” of the Portland Valley Scottish Rite building, and be sure to take pictures and report back your findings.

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Michael D. Robinson 32° KSA, was the second Master Mason Raised in Esoterika Lodge #227, and the first member Raised in that Lodge to serve as Worshipful Master. He was elected Master in 2013 and 2014, and currently serves as Chaplin for that Lodge. Brother Robinson was appointed Historian for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Orient of Oregon in December of 2014, and Secretary of the Eugene Valley in March of 2015. He also serves as Historian for Research Lodge #198 and Eugene Lodge #11. He is the recipient of the “Novus Astorum” from the Scottish Rite in 2010, and the Hiram Award from Esoterika Lodge in 2012.

Brother Robinson has a degree in History from Colorado State University, class of 1982,

The Important Lesson of Justice Within the Masonic Lodge

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The laws of a moral society are there to protect man’s inalienable, God-given rights. If we are going to live in such a society and partake in all the qualities that it has to offer us then we too must also live within the laws governing such a society.

The administration of such laws is a very sacred duty and the commitment to justice by its administration is the very foundation for a government of free people. Furthermore, those given the job of determining whether a just society’s laws have been broken must act impartially, without prejudice, uprightly, with patients and charity.

I fully believe in the adage by Hermes from the Emerald Tablet, “What is above is like what is below, and what is below is like that which is above. To make the miracle of the one thing.” We are a reflection of God and the wrong done to another is a wrong done to us all and an affront to the nature of God. The laws and justice against such a wrongdoing are given to us by God in order to better live within the laws enacted by Him as the creator and legislator of the universe.

Whoever sheds the blood of man by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”     (Genesis 9:6)

The most obvious and grave injustice is the taking of the life of another human being. Given that we are a reflection of God when the unjust murders another human being it is a murder of a creation that is most like God—and the most loved by God, and is therefore an attack upon God Himself.

In masonry we seek the most effective method of enforcing just laws and the prevention of wrong and or injustice. I believe that we find this justice in temperance between the egocentric and the altruistic. Just as an unjust man will find his ruin in a just society so to will a just government find itself when a corrupt hierarchy overseeing its administration.

Socrates contends, and I agree, that justice is the principal virtue of the human soul. Justice serves as one of the four columns of the cardinal virtues of mankind, (justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude) and is very closely linked to the practice of charity. Justice then connects the human experience with others regardless of status, color, creed, wealth or standing. Therefore, Justice is fundamental to virtue because it regulates our understanding of man and his reflection of the divine spirit of God.

I find that there is no better curriculum with regard to the importance of Justice and its influence upon our country, city and neighborhood than Freemasonry. We as masons must seek daily a way to hold these lessons dear and articulate them well within the lodge so that we may carry these sacred lessons home to bear fruit within our own communities.

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Larry Roberts 32° KCCH, Portland Valley Treasurer. Member of Modesto Lodge 206, Esoterika Lodge 227 and Research Lodge #198.

Portland Valley Annual Winter Social & Holiday Party

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Seasons Greetings!
On Tuesday December 1st the Portland Valley Scottish Rite will be having our annual Winter Social & Holiday Party.

We will be having horderves and festive beverages in the Members Lounge starting at 6:00 pm with festivities following.

All Scottish Rite members as well as their friends and loved ones are welcome to attend. Please be sure to RSVP if you plan to attend by emailing officemanager@portlandsr.com or calling 503-226-7827 with number of guests. Be sure to invite any members from your Blue Lodge that might want to get to know the Brethren of Portland Valley or join the Scottish Rite.

Look forward to seeing you all there and Happy Holidays!