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Lots of good information and historical newsletters.  If you want to add anything contact our Webmaster, Jim Newby.   jamesn.newby@gmail.com

Palatine Chapter #206 has let the Commandery use its time for a short while as they get ready for their Inspection.  We did receive a Petition a short while ago and will be conferring the Mark Master and Past Master Degrees in Early January.  We hope to get another Petition or two coming up.  We just had our November Convocation last night and will be holding our December Convocation on the 21st.  That is the night for our Christmas Libations and dinner.  It will be a nice time.  It always is.

Loyal L Munn Chapter #96 will hold its next Stated Convocation on Wednesday, December 7th.  We will be letting the Council have that night for their Degree conferral.  We will be celebrating the Christmas Season with the Commandery on the 21st for their Christmas Libations.  Then in January, we will be conferring the Mark Master and Past Master Degrees.  We understand that the Grand High Priest will be there.  We hope to get a candidate or two before then.  Have to beat the bushes a little.  We just celebrated our 150th Anniversary on October 5th.  Wow, time flies.

Cryptic Council #46, C.M., will be meeting in our Stated Assembly on December 7, 2016.  We will be conferring the Royal and Select Master Degrees that evening on quite a few candidates that have been in queue since last Spring.  We are looking forward to an active year going forward.  We will also participate with the Commandery at the Christmas Libations on December 21st.

Bethel Commandery #36, Knights Templar, Conferred the Illustrious Order of the Red Cross and Order of Malta on October 19th.  The new Knights of Malta are:  Dale Costello, Christian Lara, Don Miller, Devin Stieber, and James Trafford.  We had a walk through of the Full Form Opening on November 2, 2016, and last night, November 16, 2016, we conferred the Order of the Temple on Devin Stieber and James Trafford.  Our Annual Inspection is in two days, the 19th of November.  We have two Knights of Malta slated to get their Orders that day.  The fifth guy we will have to catch after the first of the year.  He had a conflict and could not come out last night.

We will be holding our Christmas Libations on December 21st at the Palatine lodge building.  A good dinner will be enjoyed by all and then the program for the evening will be delivered.

This Sunday, the 20th of November, a few of us are participating in the Masonic Charities Expo located at the Scottish Rite.  I will be representing the Knights Templar Eye Foundation and Russell Schlosser will be representing the Cryptic Masons' Nurses Scholarship Foundation.  We will have some Petitions with us, just in case.

Our own Andrew Michyeta is the Grand Commandery Membership Chairman for the year for the state of Illinois.  He is making a pitch to the lodges about Commandery history and beliefs.  We wish him well in his endeavors.

I cannot talk enough about how the Officers and Sir Knights of Bethel Commandery #36 have demonstrated our principles and beliefs as we have supported our noble Order.  God Bless all of you!

It might be nice, sometime in the Spring on a Saturday, to have a York Rite Day at Palatine.  Something to think about.

Last year we were all enjoying the new 10 man Opening for Commandery.  We did it in Templar Uniform (as we all should have been doing forever).  The key to this is that we can open with 10 men (or 9 if necessary).  The Grand Encampment Full Form Opening takes about 16-18 Sir Knights to accomplish.  Most Commanderies do not have that many at their conclaves.  This is a workable way to get back to the basics of our chivalric fraternity.  It is our understanding that this Opening will be used again this year. It is being slightly revised and updated and will be labelled 10-Man Opening 2015.  The latest Version is dated 11-15-15.  However, it was pointed out by the Grand Commander this year, that if we have enough Sir Knights at an Inspection, we should do the Full Form opening.  My two cents, practicing both types of Opening, plus the Order of the Temple, becomes a little much to practice.  But, it can be done.  We will see what next year brings.  Well, as an addendum, we are told that we will be expected to do the Regular Full Form Opening at our Inspection.  So, that is that.  Now we know.  And, we are practicing!

The Grand Commandery has come out with a new award, called the Cross and Crown Award.  This is available to a Commander who performs certain functions and reaches certain goals during the year.  It is our understanding that this Award will be available in 2016/2017, as well.  This past year our own Gary Berenger won that Award.  The only recipient in the State of Illinois.  Congratulations, Gary!

Bethel Commandery has come out with another belt
buckle for sale for benefit of the Knights Templar Eye
Foundation, Inc.  This one is a Royal Arch
Chapter buckle, with the triple tau, and with the
infamous words "Holiness to the Lord"
emblazoned thereon.  This buckle has been commissioned
in honor of Brother, Companion,
and Sir Knight David P. Miller, Past Grand High Priest
and member of the Palatine
York Rite.  It will sell for $50, just
as the Knights
Templar buckle did last year.  We also we able to
obtain a few more Knights Templar buckles since we
had more orders than we could fill.  Let me know if
you are interested.

Our loyal Companion and Sir Knight Jim Newby had volunteered some time ago to coordinate the Degree work.  I really did not give him what he needed to get started on this.  However, I will work on getting that done.  Jim is now out of Office as Commander and I will get myself into gear and help him with coordinating our Degrees and Orders.

The York Rite offers many opportunities for us to
serve our fellow man and our communities.  Each of the
Bodies has a charity or several charities that we
support.  Membership in our York Rite Bodies allows us
to fulfill our Obligations and Vows to help those who
are less fortunate.  Let us keep this in our minds as
we go about our daily endeavors.  There is a cloud
surrounding us, that has been built up over the
centuries, that we are a secret organization.  Now is
the time to let those on the outside know who we are. 
We should not keep our lamps under the bushel, but
should let our Light so shine before men, that they
may see our good works, and glorify our Father, which
is in Heaven.


Palatine Chapter currently has about 168 members.  L L Munn has about 55 members.  Cryptic Council about 166 members.  Bethel Commandery now has 199 members.  Of these, 94 are life members and 13 are 50-year members and are exempt from Dues.


As a reminder, the new Palatine Masonic Temple is all on one floor and at
ground level.  Therefore it is wheelchair accessible.  No ramp or chair lift
needed.


Our backlog of work is:  Palatine Chapter #206-1;
Loyal L. Munn Chapter #96-0; Cryptic Council #46-5;
Bethel Commandery #36-4.  Let's get those Petitions
in.

Sickness and Distress:   

Just heard that Mike Keltner, last year's Potentate of Medinah, passed away.  He had been battling cancer.  Our hearts go out to his family.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

1.  12-7-16  Palatine York Rite.  #96, #46, and #36 meet.  Council Degrees.  #46 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

2.  12-21-16  Palatine York Rite.  #206 and #36 meet.  Christmas Libations.  #36 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

3.  1-4-17  Palatine York Rite.  #96, #46, and #36 meet.  Hopefully 4th and 5th Degrees.  #96 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

4.  1-18-17  Palatine York Rite.  #206 and #36 meet.  Hopefully 6th Degree.  #206 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

5.  2-1-17  Palatine York Rite.  #96, #46, and #36 meet.  Hopefully 7th Degree.  #46 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

6.  2-15-17  Palatine York Rite.  #206 and #36 meet.  Hopefully Council Degrees.  #36 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

7.  3-1-17  Palatine York Rite.  #96, #46, and #36 meet.  Hopefully RC and M Orders.  #96 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

8.  3-15-17  Palatine York Rite.  #206 and #36 meet.  Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner at 6:30 to 8:00.  #206 Opens.

9.  4-5-17  Palatine York Rite.  #96, #46, and #36 meet.  Hopefully Order of the Temple.  #46 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

10.  4-19-17  Palatine York Rite.  #206 and #36 meet.  Past Presiding Officers Honored.  Degree Work if candidates in queue.  #36 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

11.  5-3-17  Palatine York Rite.  #96, #46, and #36 meet.  Annual Convocation of L L Munn Chapter.  Degree Work if candidates in queue.  #96 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

12.  5-17-17  Palatine York Rite.  #206 and #36 meet.  Annual Convocation of Palatine Chapter.  Degree Work if Candidates in queue.  #206 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

13.  6-7-17  Palatine York Rite.  #96, #46, and #36 meet.  Annual Assembly of Cryptic Council and Annual Conclave of Bethel Commandery.  Degree Work if candidates in queue.  #46 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30.

14.  6-21-17  Palatine York Rite.  #206 and #36 meet.  Steak Fry and Installation of Officers.  #36 Opens.  Dinner at 6:30 to 8:00.

Bradley L. Baker, PHP, PM, PC, correspondent