Tuesday night’s Stated Meeting of the Portland Valley resulted in a favorable ballot for eleven fine young Masons to join us in the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry at the 250th Reunion of the Valley. The elected candidates should be receiving a welcome letter and packet in the mail shortly with additional instructions. Combined with the courtesy candidates that puts us at 29 new members to welcome in to the Orient at this Fall’s Reunion on Saturday, October 9, 2021.
The membership voted for an extension of the deadline enabling any additional candidates to submit their petitions up until the day of the Reunion. Please send notice to the Portland Valley office ASAP at officemanager@portlandsr.com if you know of a candidate who is interested.
The Candidates eat for free at the Reunion, for all current members lunch will be priced at $10.00 for a sandwich, chips and beverages payable at the door during check-in.
Current members and any visitors from other Valleys will need to RSVP at officemanager@portlandsr.com if you would like to have lunch on the day of the Reunion. This includes any Ritual cast members who would like lunch.
Event parking at 633 SW 14th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Due to the ongoing construction to the property containing our Temple’s parking lot, parking is being provided free of charge to Candidates and Scottish Rite members at in the City Center U-Park Parking lot across the street from where our original lot is. Entrance is on SW 14th Ave., free parking will be available from 7am-7pm.
The ritual casts are now filled for all the primary degrees except the 14th Degree.
Please contact the Director of the Work, Brother Commander VanBeek at dow@portlandsr.com if you are interested in helping with a ritual part. Check out http://portlandscottishrite.org/calendar for the dates and times of the Final Dress Rehearsals next week.
Due to current requirements the festivities will be conducted in compliance with state health code for theater, restaurants, bars, and indoor dining. Masks are recommended whenever not eating, drinking, giving speeches to an assembly, or preforming in a theater cast.
Last night I observed the return of our precious degrees. Portland presented the 13th degree and all who were there were not disappointed. The excitement in the room during the performance and afterwards reminded me of my experience at my first reunion.
To all of our members, come and experience the fellowship, degree work, and be part of the audience. We are back, join us!
God bless all of you!
Gary Kuney, 33° S.G.I.G. in Oregon
Portland Valley Stated Meeting Next Tuesday at 7pm
September 2021 Stated Meeting, Tuesday September 28, 2021 at 7pm Notice of proposal to amend and update Portland Valley Bylaws
Doors open at 6pm, Officers requested to arrive as close to 6:15pm as possible. Please submit any items for the agenda as soon as possible.
There will not be a meal for this event, please plan accordingly.
Parking available at 1737 SW Morrison St., Portland, OR 97205
This message is very hard for me to write. I am postponing our Honors Ceremony for now. I found out that hospitals are overflowing and people are being turned away that need help. On top of that the recent Cave Degree resulted in a member contracting the virus.
As your leader in the Scottish Rite I must make decisions based on numerous details. Three of the most important details are everyones’ health, safety, and your families’ health and safety. Because of this our Ceremonies are postponed.
I just received today the scripts that have been modified by Ill. Brother Art de Hoyos. They will be used for our Honors Ceremony.
A huge thank you to all the Brothers who have worked so hard putting together our Honors Ceremony. I will be calling on many of you to help with the taping of the the ceremony.
Again, our Honors Ceremony has been canceled. Please contact the honorees and let them know. Thank you.
In case you missed the live broadcast of the 2021 Biennial Session, here is the recording.
Live from Washington, DC, the 2021 Open Biennial Session of the Supreme Council of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction of the USA- Mother Supreme Council of the World
Attached is the latest update from the Grand Master of Oregon regarding the recent Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Governors’ health recommendations. Additionally the regulations on the Secretary of States site indicate further actions that are the responsibility for the Scottish Rite Centers across the state to be aware of for operations and they are included in their entirety as they are currently stated. In the event situations change over time this post will either be updated or replaced with more recent updates.
333-019-1025 Masking Requirements for Indoor Spaces
(1)(a) It is vital to this state that individuals wear a mask or face covering when in indoor spaces with other people (but not when in private residences). COVID-19 undergoes frequent mutations as it replicates, which over time has resulted in variants that are more transmissible, cause more severe disease, or have other features of public health concern such as decreased vaccination effectiveness. As of the time this rule was adopted, Delta was the variant making up more than 90 percent of sequenced specimens in Oregon. The Delta variant is approximately two to three times more infectious than early wild-type COVID-19 variants. There is emerging evidence that people infected with the Delta variant have similar viral loads regardless of vaccination status suggesting that even vaccine breakthrough cases may transmit this variant effectively.
(b) COVID-19 infection is transmitted predominately by inhalation of respiratory droplets generated when people cough, sneeze, sing, talk, or breathe. Studies show that masks and face coverings block the release of respiratory droplets into the environment and can reduce the wearer’s exposure to droplets. COVID-19 viral particles spread between people more readily indoors than outdoors. Indoors, the concentration of viral particles is often higher than outdoors, where even a light wind can rapidly reduce concentrations.
(c) This rule is necessary to help control COVID-19, reduce hospitalizations and deaths, and provide general health protection to people in Oregon.
(2) Nothing in this rule is intended to:
(a) Prohibit an individual or person from complying with a more restrictive local, state or federal mask requirement.
(b) Prohibit a person, including a business, from applying a more restrictive requirement.
(3) For the purposes of this rule, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Business” means an individual, organization or entity engaged in commercial, industrial, or professional activities.
(b) “Common or shared space” means an area where individuals may interact such as a restroom, breakroom, hallway, elevator, lobby, classroom, large room with cubicles, meeting rooms, conference rooms and any area open to the public.
(c) “Face covering” means a cloth, polypropylene, paper or other face covering that covers the nose and the mouth and that rests snugly above the nose, below the mouth, and on the sides of the face. Face coverings are not a covering that incorporates a valve that is designed to facilitate easy exhalation, mesh masks, lace masks or other coverings with openings, holes, visible gaps in the design or material, or vents.
(d) “Face shield” means a clear plastic shield that covers the forehead, extends below the chin, and wraps around the sides of the face.
(e) “Fully vaccinated individual” means an individual who has received both doses of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine and at least 14 days have passed since the individual’s final dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
(f) “Indoor spaces” means anywhere indoors, including but not limited to public and private workplaces, businesses, indoor areas open to the public, building lobbies, common or shared spaces, classrooms, elevators, bathrooms, transportation services and other indoor space where people may gather for any purpose. An indoor space does not include a private residence or a private automobile being used for personal use and that is not used for ride sharing.
(g) “Mask” means a medical grade mask.
(h) “Person responsible for an indoor space” means any person or governmental entity responsible for the activities within an indoor space.
(i) “Private individual workspace” means an indoor space within a public or private workplace used for work by one individual at a time that is enclosed on all sides with walls from floor to ceiling and with a closed door.
(j) “Public and private workplaces” means indoor places where people work, including but not limited to businesses, banks, food processing plants, manufacturing facilities, construction sites, warehouses and farms.
(k) “Public transportation” means any form of transportation open to the public including but not limited to trains, buses, trolleys, street cars, vans, school buses, airplanes, boats, ride sharing services. Public transportation does not include private vehicles unless the private vehicle is being used for public transportation such as ride sharing services.
(l) “Ride sharing services” means transportation services, whether public or private, where a driver transports an individual or a group of people in a vehicle and charges a fare or bills for services. Ride sharing services include, but are not limited to, taxicabs, Uber, and Lyft.
(m) “Transportation hub” means any airport, bus terminal, marina, seaport or other port, subway station terminal (including any fixed facility at which passengers are picked-up or discharged), train station, U.S. port of entry, or any other location that provides transportation subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
(4) Individuals, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a mask, face covering or face shield when in an indoor space unless the individual:
(a) Is under five years of age; unless an individual is using public transportation or in transportation hubs in which case an individual under two years of age is not required to wear a mask, face covering or face shield.
(b) Is sleeping.
(c) Is actively eating or drinking.
(d) Is engaged in an activity that makes wearing a mask, face covering or face shield not feasible, such as when actively swimming.
(e) Is in a private individual workspace.
(f) Must remove the mask, face covering or face shield briefly because the individual’s identity needs to be confirmed by visual comparison, such as at a bank or if interacting with law enforcement.
(g) Is practicing or playing a competitive sport at any level.
(h) Is performing, including but not limited to playing music, delivering a speech to an audience, and theater.
(5) A person responsible for an indoor space must:
(a) Ensure that employees, contractors, and volunteers comply with this rule within the indoor space.
(b) Make reasonable efforts to ensure customers, guests, visitors and other individuals comply with this rule within the indoor space.
(c) Post signs at every entrance to the indoor space that face coverings are required as described in this rule.
(6) Nothing in this rule is intended to prohibit an employer or place of public accommodation from making reasonable accommodations in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, ORS 659.850 or applicable provisions of ORS chapter 659A.
(7) Penalties: An individual or person responsible for an indoor space who violates any provision of this rule is subject to civil penalties of up to $500 per day per violation.
33rd Degree Inspector General Honorary Coronation: 9:30am (Limited to 33rd Degree Elected and Current 33rd Degree Members)
Knight Commander of the Court of Honour Investiture: 1:00pm (Limited to Scottish Rite Members)
Hello my Brethren!
I hope all of you are healthy and doing well.
It has come to my attention that the schedule for honors hasn’t made it to everyone, so I am asking for your help. Here is the schedule. September 11, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. the 33° will start. Then at 1:00 p.m. the K.C.C.H. will start. Honors will be held at the Salem Valley this year. All Scottish Rite Masons are invited, but to watch the 33° you have to be a 33°. No wives or guests. If the Covid-19 restrictions increase, the number of members who can attend the ceremonies may decrease.
Please pass the word to all of your members and honorees. There will not be a dinner, but there will be sandwiches for lunch thanks to our host Valley of Salem.
A huge thank you to the Salem Valley, cast members, stage, transportation, Stewarts, program designers, PRs, Secretaries, Treasures, Orient officers, security, and the many members behind the scenes. We couldn’t pull this off without your hard work and dedication.
The roll of the workmen has been called, and one Master Mason, Illustrious Brother James Wesley Aday, 33°, has not answered to his name. He has laid down the working tools of life and with them has left that mortal part for which he no longer has use. His labors here below have taught him to divest his heart and conscience of the vices and superfluity of life, thereby fitting his mind as a living stone for that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Strengthened in his labors here by faith in God, and confident of expectation of immortality, he has been granted admission to the Celestial Lodge above. His Brethren mourn the passing of a great man and Mason.
Illustrious Brother James (Jim) Aday was born on March 25, 1933 in Denver Colorado and passed to the Celestial Lodge on Tuesday July 20, 2021 at 88 years of age. He was a life member of the Medford Valley Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, and a Past Potentate in 2006 of the Hillah Shrine in Medford Oregon. Jim was also Past Master of Laurel Lodge #13, A.F. & A.M. in Roseburg, Oregon. Brother Aday received his 33° Honours in October of 1995. He demitted in 2009 due to failing health issues.
He passed away peacefully at home, with his loving wife Minnie. Funeral plans are in work; most likely being held in September at their Roseburg Church. No date or time was announced at this time.
The following Brethren have been nominated to receive the 33°,
Inspector General Honorary, for the 2021 Biennium.
Baker Valley – Lynn A. Halliday
Eugene Valley – Michael D. Robinson
Medford Valley – Roland L. Kari
Medford Valley – Bruce A. Kundert
Roseburg Valley – Randy J. Haugen
The following Brethren have been nominated to receive the 32°,
Knight Commander of the Court of Honour, for the 2021 Biennium.
Baker Valley – Timothy J. Best
Baker Valley – Duane A. Bush
Baker Valley – John F. Ferguson
Baker Valley – David S. Gover III
Coos Bay Valley – Charles O. Cornell
Eugene Valley – Steven A. Karner
Klamath Falls Valley – Ezekiel N. Ordaz
Medford Valley – Donald G. Wetzel
Portland Valley – Curtis J. Lewis, Jr.
Portland Valley – Sean P. McCallum
Salem Valley – Jerald D. Schierling
Thank you Brethren for your service and dedication to the Scottish Rite!
See all the Southern Jurisdiction Honourmen by clicking here: 2021 Honourmen
