From the time I was elected grand master last fall through the end of the year, I’ve been on the road—a lot. In two months, I visited 19 California lodges, plus the Grand Lodge of Nevada, the French National Grand Lodge, the Job’s Daughters Grand Guardian Council, the San Diego Scottish Rite, and the Masonic Homes in Covina and Union City. The 20th stop on my tour, just before the New Year, was to one of my two home lodges, Nevada No. 13.

That’s an exhausting schedule, but the energy I get visiting Masons up and down the state—and, in fact, all around the world—keeps me not just going, but eager for more.

That’s because California Freemasonry is at an important threshold. After decades of losing members, the fraternity is poised to add to its rolls in the year ahead. 2020 will also see the transition from our last five-year fraternity plan to a new 2025 guide, as well as the development of a longer-range vision of where the fraternity will be in 2050. Through our combined efforts, we’ve laid the groundwork for that growth.

What’s that meant? It’s meant providing lodges with the tools and services they need to manage lodge business. It’s meant learning how best to communicate with fellow members and the wider world. It’s meant supporting our foundation’s key initiatives to uphold our obligation to fellow Masons and to our community.

But most of all, it’s meant having lodges step up to ensure that the experience of actually being a Mason is as profound and meaningful as it ever was. On all these counts, we’ve made amazing progress.

It’s thanks to your hard work that we’re standing on the doorstep of a bright future. It’s our golden opportunity. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

John E. Trauner
Grand Master

California Masonry: Rooted in the Gold Country, Forged in Ideals