Good Morning everyone! Happy Earth Day!

Great meeting last night! The Degrees were fantastic.
The 15° Cast led by our Sovereign Prince, Ill. Harry Rutter, 33° was perfect. The scene with Bros. Yasser AlKhatib,32° MSA and Lawrence Hicks, was really great. You wouldn't know it to see but Bro, Yasser wasn't able to attend any of the rehearsals (because of his work commitments) but he and Lawrence did their scene seamlessly in my opinion. Great work Brethren! It was good to see Ill. Robert Burns, 33° back and involved as well. As many of you know Bro. Bob is currently serving as the Most Excellent Grand King of the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania, so his time is obviously limited. But he was there for his Valley last night. And, how can I sing the praises of the 15° Cast without mentioning Bro. Louis Krass? Bro. Lou was a member of our Fall Class and he's done a speaking part in the 4° and now the 15°! He's on his way, stay tuned! I can't forget Bros. Joe Robert and Glen Tyson too!

Again this Degree was directed by our Valley Organist, Bro. Jeffrey Lees, 32° MSA, Past Sovereign Prince. This was his directorial debut. The Cast's performance is an example of Jeff's leadership. He has already expressed an interest in coming back to direct again. That's great news for our Valley. We've been searching for new Degree Masters. We've added two new ones this Spring with Bro. Jeff and Bro. Russell Combs, 32° MSA, who directed the 9° in March. Great work Brethren!

The 18° conferral as explained by Ill. Bud Garvey, 33° was quite a hurdle with Bros. Norman Greene III, 32° MSA and Bro. Brian Skoff, 32° being out with health concerns. But their teammates picked up for them. Plus, how nice was it to see Ill. G. Kent Hackney, 33°, back out there for the Story of the Cross? You can't beat having that story told by someone that was ACTUALLY THERE! I'm kidding of course, he tells me he was born two days later. Ill. Philip Janusz, 33° MSA, Past Most Wise Master, didn't miss a step since he left the line. Our Most Wise Master, Ill. Bill Klosz, 33° as always did perfect work! Bro. Leonard Altieri, Esquire, stepped up to cover for parts for which we had missing Cast members and he did a great job. Speaking of great jobs, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the EXEMPLARY work presented by Bros. Jon Solheim, Rick Santella, Dean Jones, Tim Curran and Thomas J. Brotherton III. We could have had another missing Knight last evening, as Bro. Tim was experiencing the pain of sciatica but, hey, he's a Marine, they're tough dudes and Tim was no exception out on the floor doing his part and not showing he was hurting. Way to go Bro! Hope you're feeling better today.

Personally, I want to thank the guys on 'my team' for their help last night. We were missing Bro. Norm on one of our Stewards tables, but thanks to Bros. Thomas J. Brotherton III, Frank J Lorine, Rick Santella and new Valley Brother, Samuel Justice Morrison, 32°, everything ran smoothly. Morrison? Hmm why does that name sound familiar? Yes, everything ran smoothly, but that doesn't mean we don't need you back Bro. Norm! Get well soon Brother!

Also a huge, THANK YOU goes out to everyone who attended last night! Without your support, what do we have? You, are what makes us, 'Pennsylvania Freemasonry's Best Kept Secret.' God Bless you Clay.

My most sincere apologies go out to Illustrious Rick Freedman, 33°. It appears one of my fingers wasn't paying attention when I gave it a downward depression and it hit the 2 instead of the three and as a result our Illustrious Brother is shown in the 4° Cast listing as a 32° instead of his much deserved, 33°. Again, my apologies my Illustrious Brother. I own my mistakes!

To all those hard working dedicated Brethren that will attend our Annual Worker's Night this evening (a reward for their efforts) I'll see you there! Thanks to our Thrice Potent Master, Bro. Joel Wolfert, 32° and Lady Barbara for all their work in putting this evening's festivities together. Want to go to Worker's Night next year? Get involved!

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Dear Brethren and Friends:

Happy New Year!

Before I begin, just a note of assistance to you: Get used to writing a seventeen (17) at the end of the year. We all always seem to have trouble with that.

Okay, so what's going on?

Tonight is our 4° Cast Kick Off meeting. This is the meeting we have to introduce our new Brethren who are interested and have volunteered to to take part in the 4° conferral all they'll need to know about being a Cast member. We'll also assign parts. We had two classes to have volunteers from this time, both the Spring and Fall Classes of 2016. Unfortunately out of 128 potential Brothers the response wasn't all that overwhelming, but we did get a few of them and to those Brethren we say, 'Thank You!' You are about to begin an exciting and fun journey of involvement in your Valley and I guarantee it will be time well spent!

Thanks to all our 'veteran' or 'seasoned' Brothers who volunteered to take part in the Cast again as well. We just couldn't do it without the stalwarts in this Valley and we're glad to have you.

For those attending the meeting, parking is in the Convention Center Parking Facility, 1324 Arch Street. If you park there, your parking is FREE. If you park anywhere else you are on your own.

The dress code for the Masonic Temple is always business suit or sport coat and tie. No tux's are necessary for our rehearsals or cast meetings. Besides, unless you're an elected or appointed Valley Officer, you never have to wear tuxedo to a Valley function!

The meeting will begin promptly at 7PM in the Ill. Carl D. Homan, 33° room on the fourth floor of the Masonic Temple, One North Broad Street.

The 4° Degree will be presented on the opening night of our Spring Reunion, which is Friday, 17 March. The 14° will also be a part of that night as well. There should be one other Degree presented that evening too and as soon as our Director of Work lets me know which Degree it is, I'll let you know.

Don't forget our next Valley Family Life event, 'Valley of Philadelphia Night at the Harlem Globetrotters, on Sunday, 5 March at the Wells Fargo Center. Tickets are available for $15 per person. You can download an order form right here from our Valley group page by clicking on the EVENTS tab ^ above or by visiting the Announcements page on our Valley's web site (philascottishrite,org)

Our name, 'Valley of Philadelphia Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite' will appear on the Jumbo-tron and there will be an on the court meet and greet for all of our folks with the Globetrotters, plus a group picture with the team!

This should be a great family night. Order your tickets soon!

Our Spring Class has been named in honor of Ill. Arthur D. Becker, 33° MSA, Past Commander-in-Chief. What a great honor for Bro. Art! Very happy for him!

Now is the time to get a Candidate for the Class. To our new Brothers, if you are the first line signer on 3 initiated petitions in the same year, your Scottish Rite dues the following year are FREE! If you are the first line signer on 25 petitions over the course of your lifetime, you become a Life Member and will then pay NO dues ever after! Talk to those Brothers in your Lodge now!

Petitions are always available by visiting the Valley's website or give me a call in the Valley Office at 215-563-1814.

Second Notices for Dues are in the mail. If you've received one of these notices, please remit your dues.

As part of our new full code of by-laws, we will no longer hold a Brother for two years prior to suspension. Doing this we're still billable to the Supreme Council for the $27 per member assessment and when do not receive a dues payment from a Brother or a number of Brethren, that expense can add up.

Our new by-law article will now allow us to suspend a Brother from the Scottish Rite for failing to pay one year's dues. These suspensions will occur following our Valley's Annual Meeting which this year will be held on Friday, 16 June.

If you are having an issue paying your dues and would like to remain a member of the Valley, please contact me in the Scottish Rite Office and we can work out an affordable payment plan to help you retain your Valley membership. Please understand it is no longer affordable for the Valley to simply remit dues.

Valley By-Laws Updated-Important!

Brethren: Our Valley's By-Laws have been in need of an update for some time now.

In the past year our By-Laws Committee Chairman, Bro. Leonard Altieri, 32° has taken on the task of reviewing, revising and re-writing a new full code.

As he progressed through the project, drafts were presented to the voting members of the Valley's Executive Committee for their review and approval.

The final draft was presented at the September Executive Committee meeting and approved by the Committee at our October meeting.

The final approved draft of the new full code of by-laws is available for your inspection in the Scottish Rite Office. This full code will be voted on by the Valley at our 17 March Spring Reunion meeting.

If anyone has any questions or concerns regarding the proposed new full code, please direct your questions to either Bro. Altieri or myself. Thank you.

On behalf of the Commander-in-Chief and my fellow voting members, I would like to thank Bro. Leonard for his fantastic work on this project.

Scottish Rite Day Reservations Closed

Dear Brethren: 

Just to let everyone know we've cut off accepting reservations to the Scottish Rite Day event.

The Commander-in-Chief expressed concern with the way reservations were being made that there wouldn't be seats for any of our new Brethren that will become Scottish Rite Masons through the One Day Masonic Journey; and while National Scottish Rite Day does belong to all Scottish Rite Masons across the country, the Candidates are the focus of the event and we have to provide opportunity for them to attend.

I'm sorry that we cannot accommodate everyone. Thank you all for your continued interest and participation in our Valley and its programs.

Don't forget our 'Christmas in Hershey Family Life Event, ' tickets are in! Also, be sure to get your check in for the Valley's Annual Holiday Party happening on Saturday, 17 December at the Heritage Ballroom in Holmes, PA. That's going to be a very fun evening!

Our National Scottish Rite Day Observation

Brethren: 

Our Commander-in-Chief notified me yesterday that he has decided to make our event on Saturday, November 12, 2016, at the Yardley Country Club, 1010 Reading Road, Yardley, Pennsylvania, free for all Valley members that wish to attend. However, as of this posting only 173 of the 200 seats in the room remain. This is a first come, first served program.

The evening will begin with a cash bar Social Hour from 5 to 6 PM. A buffet dinner wll follow at 7PM with this menu: Stuffed Flounder, Beef Short Ribs, Veal Marsala, Portobello Ravioli, Sauteed Zucchini and a pastry assortment for dessert.

DJ entertainment will be provided.

If you wish to attend please call 215-563-1814. I will make two reservations for you from this notification, for you and your significant other. Please do not say, 'and include Jim, Bob and Joe and their Ladies too.' As this is a first come, first served event, if a Brother and his Lady wish to attend, he must contact me. No Exceptions.

This evening has been published in THE DOUBLE EAGLE and I've posted the flyer to the Valley Facebook group. If you've ordered tickets I will make your reservation and return your check to you as long as seats remain. 3 Brethren have already sent in checks and their reservations have been honored and they are in the count. Your ticket fee will be returned to you.

As reservations are made I will keep you updated as to how many seats remain.

Thank you for your anticipated and expected cooperation

Our Latest Fall Class Count and What Else is Happening

Good Friday Morning everyone!

I went to Lodge last night and came home with 5 petitions for the One Day Masonic Journey. That gets us up to 31. I had 'promises' from two other Brothers who will petition at the event. In the mean time I received emails from Ill. Rick Freedman and Bro. Lou Eggert letting me know to expect more. The Valley of Pittsburgh is leading the pack right now with 101 petitions. Now I don't know if we'll get that many, but the challenge is out there. Lets get at it!

I spoke with our Trustees Chairman, Valley Bro. Rick Santella in regards to his Dad and our Brother, Americo D. Santella's surgery yesterday. He came through it well and Rick wanted me to let you all know that he smiled when Rick let him know that we were all praying for him. Brotherhood in action! Please keep our Brother in your prayers and thoughts as he faces a lengthy recovery time.

Don't forget the Feast of Tishri. One of the Candidates from my Lodge also purchased a ticket. He's very excited about it and you should be too! This is going to be a fantastic evening of fellowship and Freemasonry. I had a Brother last night ask me why it cost so much? I told him that not only are you receiving a great meal, it is also a fundraiser for our Valley. We have to make something on it, don't we? Not sure if he's going to buy a ticket or not, but I left him thinking about it.

The Feast happens on Friday, 30 September at Twining Hall at the Trevose Fire Company. Very nice place too and the food is tremendous! The address is 4900 Street Road in Trevose. The evening begins with a cash bar Social Hour at 6 PM with 15 different butlered hors d'oeuvres. Yes, I said 15! How many times have you seen that? A delicious buffet dinner will be served at 7PM featuring a carving station. After dinner we will have the ceremonial portion of the evening, explaining the traditional means of the Feast, accompanied by toasts. Everyone will receive a souvenir toast glass. Following that, our Keynote Speaker, our own, Ill. Robert J. Bateman, 33° RWPGM and Active Member of the Supreme Council will offer us a few words of wisdom.

We have the hall until 11 PM although our activity will probably only last until around 9 or 9:30, so once we're done, we'll reopen the cash bar and there will be cigars for those that enjoy them. An outdoor party tent will be set up for the cigar loving Brethren to fellowship in.

Yes, this has been advertised as a Black Tie event and we'd like to see as many of you possible attired that way, but, business suits are acceptable and welcome for those that might not have a tux. We do not want to exclude anyone who wishes to attend. Tickets cost $65 per person and Tables of 10 are available for purchase. Ticket sales are going great but we still have plenty of seats for those that are lollygagging. Come on already! Don't miss this!

The very next day, Saturday, 1 October, at the Cannstatter is our first ever Double Eagle Car Show! Cannstatter is located at 9130 Academy Road, in NE Philadelphia. The show begins at 10 AM and runs until 2 PM. It's only $5 to get in and if you have a car to show, it's $20. This is also a fundraising event for our Valley. Please give it your support as well. If you wish to show a car or have a vendor table at the event, please get in touch with our Chairman, Valley Brother, Tim Curran at doubleeaglecarshow@gmail.com or by calling 267-495-9855.Tim will be glad to fill you in on all the particulars needed to participate. While the Feast of Tishri is a Masons only event, the Double Eagle Car Show is open to the entire family!

I won't ruin the surprise now, but watch your October issue of THE DOUBLE EAGLE for information regarding our event to celebrate National Scottish Rite Day on Saturday, 12 November.

Well, I have 5 petitions to process among my other duties here in the office, have a great Friday everyone and an even better weekend ahead!

The Feast of Tishri, a spectacular evening of Masonic fellowship and heritage

Dear Brethren and Friends:  

On Friday, September 30, 2016, the Valley of Philadelphia will observe its first ever 'Feast of Tishri' event. The gathering will happen at Twining Hall at the Trevose Fire Company, 4900 Street Road, Trevose, PA. Tickets are $65  per person and must be purchased in advance. This is a 'Brethren only' event and ALL MASONS are welcome.

The Feast of Tishri is a celebration commemorating the dedication of the Temple by King Solomon (II Chronicles 7:8-10). There is a ceremonial portion to the evening's program in which toasts are offered. Everyone attending will receive a souvenir wine glass, designed exclusively for the Feast. It will be from this glass that participants will take their toasts.

Our evening will begin at 6PM with a cash bar Social Hour featuring butlered hors d'oeuvres. A buffet dinner will follow at 7PM.

After dinner the ceremonial portion of the Feast will be observed, featuring traditional presentations and toasts offered. After the ceremonies our Keynote Speaker for the evening will be the Valley of Philadelphia's own, Ill. Robert J. Bateman, 33°, RWPGM and Active Member of the Supreme Council.

Twining Hall has been reserved until 11 PM, so, following the program the bar will be reopened and cigars will be available for those that wish to imbibe. The hall itself is smoke free, a party tent will be set up outside for those that wish to enjoy the fellowship with a cigar.

This is a Black Tie event, however; if a Brother wishing to attend doesn't own a tuxedo, business suits are acceptable and welcome. 

Tables can be reserved for up to 10 people. Lodges and other Masonic Bodies are welcome and encouraged to purchase a table. The deadline for ticket purchases is Monday, September 26, 2016.

This is going to be an evening of classic and unique Masonic fellowship with some of our rich Masonic heritage thrown in.

If you are interested in attending and would like more information, please call 215-563-1814. If you wish to purchase a ticket, tickets or a table, please make your check payable to 'Scottish Rite Bodies' and send it to, Scottish Rite Office, Masonic Temple, One North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107-2520, before Monday, September 26, 2016.