From the Venerable Master (February 2025)
My Brethren,
I look forward to serving you as Venerable Master of the Lodge of Perfection for the ensuing Masonic Year. With your help San Jose Bodies will grow and be in inspiration to the members of our Fraternity. I encourage all the members to participate in all of our activities and ceremonies.
At are Stated Meeting we will honor our Sweethearts with a dinner and flowers. Please make reservations for your selves and your ladies.
The following comments are taken from a book called Valley of the Craftsmen:
When the Scottish of Freemasonry came into official existence in 1801 with the formation of the Supreme Council, the leaders turned to the ancient east and west for their inspiration, They remembered Jerusalem and Athens, one symbolizing the measures of beauty from the east, the other classical order from the west. The evolving higher degree system of Freemasonry, long since an attractive ritual tradition among European nations and their colonies, envisioned common meanings induced by dual sources of civilization. They were drawing from the wisdom traditions of the Orient and Occident that sought order from chaos in the development of a moral life.
Freemasons often refer to their fraternity as “the Craft”. It is a term of pride that, like quality workmanship itself, implies the premium standard of its own guild or trade. There is, in addition, a second symbolic meaning in the title of this book.
The Scottish Rite, after its first half-century, organized itself by “Orients,” corresponding in the United States to individual states or territories, and within these jurisdictions the cities were named ”Valleys”, forming local consociations of Scottish Rite lodges. Thus, “the valley of the craftsmen” captures exactly the proper fraternal designation of the places and people who have represented Scottish Rite Freemasons in local and historical contexts.
Remembering the ancient builders of the second Jerusalem drawn from a surrounding landscape of settlements and communities, the builders and preservers of the Scottish Rite dwelled in their own equivalent valleys of craftsmen for two centuries.
May the year 2025 be a happy, healthy and wonderful year for all of you my brethren.
San Jose Lodge of Perfection Richard Rosenberg, 32° KCCH 2024 Venerable Master
From the Wise Master
(February 2025)
Brothers & Friends,
Let me begin by thanking the brethren of the Valley of San Jose, for allowing me the opportunity to serve as Wise Master this coming year. I am humbled and honored to be the 2025 Wise Master. Thank you for the confidence you’ve placed in me to lead the Chapter of Rose Croix for the San Jose Valley of the Scottish Rite for the ensuing year. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that no leader can truly be great without the help of many. I would like to take this moment to thank my line of officers for agreeing to take this journey with me.
We will soon be planning some fun events for the year ahead and I look forward to seeing you all there.
In February we celebrate love, and we honor our widows and loved ones . This is especially true in Freemasonry. Let us take this opportunity to honor our sweethearts. Let us each enjoy this month when we honor our sweethearts and let them know how much we cherish them.
Once again, thank you for this opportunity to serve you.
San Jose Chapter of Rose Croix Chris Boyes, 32° KCCH 2024 Wise Master
From the Commander of Kadosh (February 2025)
This is a start of a new year, and as the Commander I look forward to working to working with the officers of the Council to fulfill our responsibilities. The Council of Kadosh consists of the 19th through the 30th degrees. I am looking forward to an exciting year, with many and varied activities. This should be a new beginning for our Valley.
Our Scottish Rite is for you, my brethren.
Remember that our stated meetings are always short in length, to allow us to take care of our essential business, but then have time to enjoy each other’s company at our dinners afterwards.
Make sure to get your reservations in for dinner.
I hope you will join us at our meetings and other activities. Make San Jose Scottish Rite a regular part in you life. I look forward to seeing you.
San Jose Council of Kadosh Max Mora, 32° 2024 Commander of Kadosh
From the Master of Kadosh (February 2025)
Greetings, Scottish Rite Brethren.
Greetings my brothers, thank you for
electing me as Master of Kadosh for the
San Jose Consistory and my fellow officers.
I would like to share with you about Masonic Calendar (from: masonic lodge of education)
A Masonic calendar is based upon the date of an event or a beginning. Craft Masons and different appendant bodies within Freemasonry utilize different Masonic calendars to celebrate a historical inception date such as the creation of the world or an historical event specific to that Masonic order or body.
These dates are used upon official Freemason documents. The historical dates are symbolic of new beginnings and should not be misconstrued as Freemasons believing that there was a Masonic lodge in the Garden of Eden. Symbolically, they connect the creation of physical light in the universe with the birth of Masonic spiritual and intellectual light in the candidate.
The only idea intended to be conveyed is that the principles of Freemasonry are as old as the existence of the world. It is the spirit of the institution of Freemasonry which brings a candidate from intellectual darkness to intellectual light. Each of the "Mason" calendars, below, begin with the word, Anno.
In the Latin language, Anno means In the Year of. The English word, annual, is derived from the Latin word, anno.
C.E. means Common Era, (Christians sometimes call it the Christian Era)
B.C.E. or B.C. means Before Common Era
Ancient Craft Masons Calendar
Anno Lucis - (A.L. or A:.L:.) In The Year of Light
Anno Lucis is Latin for In The Year of Light.
Historical Significance: The Year of Light signifies the date of the creation of the world (approximately 4000 years before the Common Era), as we read in the third verse from the Book of Genesis in the King James version of the Bible as well as in the Torah.
Ancient Craft Freemasons in the York and French Rites, residing in Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Germany, and in America, use the words, Anno Lucis.
Math: Anno Lucis is found by adding 4000 years (from the creation of the world to the present date (4000 B.C.E. + 2025 C.E. = 6025 A.L. (Anno Lucis)
Relevance: The Ancient Craft Mason Masonic calendar celebrates the creation of the world, approximately 4000 years before the Common Era, or 6025 years ago. (as of the year, 2025) The word, "approximately" must be used, here, because, historically, there were many different calendars in use over the last 6000+ years.
This makes precise dates very difficult to ascertain. (Some historians believe it to be 4004 years before the Common Era.)
Scottish Rite Calendar
Anno Mundi - (A.M. or A:.M:.) In The Year of the World
Anno Mundi is Latin for In the Year of the World.
Historical Significance: Anno Mundi also begins with the date of the creation of the world, but is based upon the older, Hebraic (Hebrew) calendar, which begins the civil year in September rather than the Gregorian calendar in use by us, today which begins the new year in January.
The Hebrew calendar has several differences from the Gregorian calendar, one of which is that some months in the Hebrew calendar have 29 days and some have 30 days. (See Anno Hebraico, below.)
Math: Anno Mundi is found by adding 3760 years to the current year. (3760 B.C.E. + 2010 C.E.) After September of the current year, add 1 year more.
Therefore, if the current date is July, 2010, add 3760 years = 5770 A.M.
If the current date is October, 2010, add 3761 = 5771 A.M. (Anno Mundi)
Relevance: The Scottish Rite Masonic calendar celebrates the creation of the world, 3760/3761 years before the beginning of the Common Era (C.E.) or 5770 years ago. It is counted using the Hebrew calendar.
Hebrew Calendar
Anno Hebraico: In the Hebrew Year
Anno Hebraico is Latin for In the Hebrew Year. It is sometimes abbreviated as A.H or A:.H:.
Historical Significance: Tishri; Tisri - tish'-re, tiz'-re: Tisri, or Tishri, is the 7th month of the Jewish ecclesiastical, and the first month of the Hebrew/Jewish civil year.
(September-October).
Tisri begins with the new moon in September. Tisri, or Tishri is called Ethanim in 1 Kings 8:2.
I will continue next month about the Masonic calendars and our upcoming Consistory events for the year.
San Jose Consistory
Eddie Hermano, 32°
2025 Venerable Master of Kadosh
From the Chief Knight
(February 2025)
Happy February to all from
the Knights of Saint Andrew! I am honored to serve as Chief Knight for 2025. We’ve recently had more interest in joining KSA and I must say, it’s a fun group!
Words don’t easily express how satisfying it is to be a part of this awesome group. It is very rewarding to serve your brethren, the other bodies, and several youth orders. We greet members at Stated Meetings, perform Arches of Steel, present the Colors at various events of Scottish Rite, Grand Master Receptions, and for other Masonic bodies. They are very impressive ceremonies.
As many might know, the Knights of St. Andrew, is a service based organization and our focus is to support the other bodies and other valley activities. Our humble, and close-knit knights in KSA focus on forming a bond within our group in concert with our service to the fraternity. We meet outside of the normal 2nd Tuesday. We have a great time serving the fraternity. Please let any of our
Of course, Kilts are optional.
San Jose Knights of St. Andrew
Chris Boyes, 32°
2025 Chief Knight, KSA
The Knights of Saint Andrew 2025 Officers
Chief Knight | Bro. Chris Boyes 32º |
First Knight | Bro. Alan Porjesz 32º |
Knight of the Watch | Bro. Mike Lammer 32º, PCK |
Secretary | Bro. Tim Lynch 32º |
Monk Knight | Bro. Angelo Encarnacion 32º |
Sentinel | Bro. John Absalon 32º |