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133rd Grand Commandery Grand Conclave of Knights Templar of Washington Saturday, July 4, 2020 Pre-Printed Packet This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY- This Photo by Unknown Report of the Right Eminent Grand Commander and Review REPORT OF THE RIGHT EMINENT GRAND COMMANDER 11 May 2019 – 4 July 2020 Rendered by Sir Knight W. Gary Norton Right Eminent Grand Commander One Hundred Thirty-Third Annual Conclave Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Washington 4 July 2020 Sir Knights— Greetings, in the name of our most gracious and precious Risen Lord Jesus Christ! It has been an honor and privilege to have been able to serve as your Grand Commander for this past year. Thank you for that privilege and honor. Throughout this past year, I have conducted many Official Visits to Constituent Commanderies within the jurisdiction of the State of Washington. As well, I had the pleasure of presiding over some of the Commandery Installation of Officers. It is a comfort to confirm with you that in every instance I was greeted with warm hospitality, cordial fellowship and immeasurable camaraderie. This has been an inspiration to me, as it should be to you, of the sincere amity and harmony prevailing within the sanctum of the asylums of our Commanderies. Necrology: During this past Templar year, the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Washington suffered the loss of 32 Sir Knights. An inspired and heartening hope leads us to the comforting belief that these Sir Knights met the trying hour with fortitude undaunted, and waking in the dawn of a new day, receiving justice, tempered with mercy unrestrained, which is the glorious attribute of the Son of GOD, and entering through the gates into the City, they have been admitted to the companionship of just men, made perfect in the realms of Light and Life Eternal. Among those who passed away this past Templar year, were two Right Eminent Past Grand Commanders, Sir Knight Norman F. Campo, REPGC, KCT, IKT, (1988-1989) and Sir Knight Lloyd R. Linn, REPGC, IKT, (2000-2001) and our Eminent Grand Standard Bearer, Sir Knight James H. Larson. May we reflect upon the words in Saint John 5, 21-24: “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” During this Templar year, your Grand Commandery has pursued the following endeavors. Although the pandemic of the “China Virus” (aka: Coronavirus, COVID-19) has interrupted the smooth flow of plans and events, the Sir Knights, Constituent Commanderies, and the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Washington overall, have confronted this challenge head-on, not to be deterred in the mission to protect and defend the Christian Faith. The Grand Commandery has continued to pursue and achieve its goals during this Templar year. The following actions/activities, not all inclusive, highlight some of the actions pursued this Templar year. 1. Promote the Grand Encampment Membership is “Priority One” program. The membership program is to not only focus on new membership growth, but also to revive active membership among its current members. Constituent Commanderies were to develop a membership growth plan applicable to their Commandery, identifying actions and goals to be attained during the period 11 May 2019 to 9 May 2020. As well, there should be a parallel long-range plan (3-5 years) to promote, sustain, and renew membership growth within the respective Commandery. Constituent Commanderies were required to submit the name of their Membership Committee Chairman (with contact information) and the names of the members of the Membership Committee to the Grand Commander with information copies being provided to the Grand Commandery Membership Committee Chairman and the Eminent Grand Recorder. 2. Encouraged Commanders and Recorders to utilize the Masonic Membership Solutions (MMS) system. Recorders were to ensure the records were updated on a regular basis and to manage the records with care and efficiency. Assistance with MMS was offered and available through the Office of the Eminent Grand Recorder, as well as from the Assistant to the Eminent Grand Recorder, Sir Knight David A. Aponte, REPGC (FL), and Sir Knight Michael D. Holland. 3. To promote the image of the Knights Templar and increase its visibility among Freemasons and the general public, participation in parades was encouraged. Additionally, such participation strengthened the esprit de corps among the active Sir Knights. Such parade participation contributed to the promotion of membership in the Knights Templar. The Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Washington participated in the “Unity March” in DuPont, WA on 4 August 2019. In coordination with Afifi Shrine, the Grand Commandery participated in the Hoquiam Loggers’ Day Parade on 7 September 2019. 4. To support the continuing education of the Sir Knights in areas of Templary, Masonic education, and the general categories of scholarly advancement, two Grand Commandery Workshops (one East and one West) were scheduled. The Grand Commandery Workshop (East) was conducted in Richland, WA on 29 September 2019. The Grand Commandery Workshop (West) was scheduled to be conducted in Tacoma, WA on 4 April 2020, however, was cancelled due to the imposed restrictions created by the “China Virus” (aka: COVID-19). 5. Beginning on 10 May 2019, the Grand Encampment had informed the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Washington that seventeen (17) copies of the Annual Proceedings for its past Grand Conclaves were not present in the library of the Grand Encampment. A major initiative was undertaken by the Eminent Grand Recorder, Sir Knight Michael A. Smitson to locate or complete these Annual Proceedings. As of the date of this report, thirteen (13) Annual Proceedings have been located or were completed (written) by the Grand Recorder. The years remaining to be located or completed are 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. There were no Annual Proceedings for 2011, as no Grand Conclave was conducted in that year. This has been a major project for the Grand Recorder, as it has consumed much of his time and focus during the Templar year, making it a challenge to balance his other duties in conjunction with this project. In spite of this, he arose to the challenge and performed both with excellence. Work remains to be done to complete this initiative, however, the Grand Recorder, Sir Knight Michael A. Smitson, has achieved much and I congratulate him on a job well done. 6. To assist in easily identifying those Sir Knights who are Deputy Instructors, I authorized the wearing of red aiguillettes on the left shoulder by the appointed Deputy Instructors. The color red was selected to correlate with the Grand Commander’s red cord. The authorization of the red aiguillette was to easily identify a Sir Knight who was a Deputy Instructor and to provide a distinctive badge emblematic of self-esteem and achievement for the Sir Knight. 7. When the occasion arises, it may be necessary and prudent for a Grand Commander to seek counsel and guidance from a select few whose judgement and opinion he regards with confidence and trust, and the content of such counsel and guidance is assured of remaining confidential and inviolate. Therefore, two Aides-de- Camp were appointed to fulfill this important and critical burden. These appointments are administrative and not categorized as Officers of the Grand Commandery. To identify these Sir Knights as Aides-de-Camp, authorization was issued for them to wear a gold aiguillette on the right shoulder. Sir Knight Karl Reith, REPGC, and Sir Knight David A. Aponte, REPGC (FL), were selected for the position as an Aide-de-Camp. Both performed with excellence and I thank them both for their counsel and guidance throughout this Templar year. Both displayed unwavering Christian conduct and continually exemplified the teachings, virtues, and principles, as communicated to us from our Risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through the Holy Scripture. 8. To maintain a close communication among the Elected Grand Commandery Officers, officer meetings were scheduled throughout the Templar year. Elected Officer meetings were conducted on 21 September 2019, 28 December 2019, and 7 March 2020. The meetings were conducted in a casual atmosphere, attire was business casual. The meetings were beneficial for the exchange of information, to discuss plans and actions as the Templar year progressed. The meetings were open to all Sir Knights, however, the agenda of subjects discussed were focused on beneficial information for the Elected Officers. 9. The encouragement of Commanders to plan and conduct “Christmas Observances” within their respective Commanderies was continued. “Easter Observances” were also encouraged to be conducted. Unfortunately, the “Easter Observances” had to be cancelled due to the imposed restrictions attributed to the “China Virus” (aka: COVID- 19). 10. To energize the esprit de corps and esteem of the Sir Knights, a “Grand Commander’s New Year’s Reception” was held on 18 January 2020. No charge or fee was attached to the reception, it was free to the Sir Knights and their spouses. Refreshments, both food and beverages, were provided, the tables were decorated, background music was provided, and gifts (a book, a coffee cup, and some novelty items) were given to those in attendance. The event was open from 11:00 a.m.

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