Masters Message
January 2012

Greetings Brothers. Please allow me the opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year. Hope all of you have had a great Holiday season. Just think, it’s about 12 short weeks until Spring.

I would like to give you a quick recap and honorable mention based on our last regular communication. As of today, we have brought to light seven (7) candidates with one more to go before passing all of them to the degree of Fellow Craft. The FC Degree will be changed to a “Special” to take place sometime in mid to late February. Our 8th candidate will be, from what I believe, the first 18 year old in the district as well as the jurisdiction, to be initiated since the age was lowered at the Semi-Annual meeting of Grand Lodge in November. What makes this candidate even more special is he is the son of R:.W:. Gary Kaufman. I also have in my hand an application for a Brother who has made his EA and FC in another Lodge and wants to finish up in Redwood. We will hopefully “raise” a total of 9 in the spring. My special thanks to our Senior Deacon, Jef Saunders, for doing an excellent job with teaching and preparing the candidates.

The District Deputy’s Visitation was well attended. It was good to see a full lodge room as well as a full dining hall as we shared a humble meal with our friends from Crossroads Rhode Island. We accomplished what we had set out to do. We wanted to incorporate the District Deputy’s Visitation with our charity event and it was orchestrated perfectly. That night would have not been a success without the help of our Brother s from Roger Williams Lodge who aided in the meal preparation. The help from Brother Richard Fascia who organized the whole program and from Brother Edward Catanzaro who has not been in regular attendance, but always manages to collect a good amount of items most needed by the homeless to get through this tough time of year. Because of his efforts, Redwood was able to donate a ½ truck load of clothing to be put into immediate use. And last but not least, to our District Deputy Grand Master, R:.W:. Raymond Hassell. Thank you for having the insight, and open mind to allow Redwood to substitute the normal visitation protocol with our charity event.

An important goal of mine is to eliminate the deficit Redwood has been stricken with for some time now. The add book program was a success and we raised roughly $3,200.00. My target is to raise another $5,000.00 to make us fiscally solid. We will achieve this task! I urge all Brothers to purchase a raffle ticket or sell one to a friend, family member, or Brother from another lodge. The cost of a raffle ticket is $100.00. Only 100 tickets will be sold. Gross proceeds are expected to be $10,000.00 and the distribution will be 50% to the Lodge and 50% to the ticket winner. The winner will be drawn in April. The treasurer and I, along with many of the officers, have the tickets. Also, if you send in $100.00 to Redwood Lodge, the lodge will be happy to forward the ticket to you entering you in the drawing.

This month is a very special month as the program will be dinner outside the lodge. Please join us for a “Scotch & Stogie Night”.

This I hope will be the beginning of a yearly tradition.

Fraternally,

W. Kevin J. Catanzaro