Companions,
I would like to begin by offering my sincere thanks to each of you who attended our last Convocation. It was truly a pleasure to see the seats filled and to enjoy the fellowship of Companions laboring together in harmony. Your presence strengthens our Council far more than you may realize.
I also hope that you and your families weathered the recent winter storm safely and comfortably. Times like these remind us how quickly circumstances beyond our control can arise—and how much we depend on one another, both within and beyond the walls of our Council.
I encourage each of you to continue attending not only our Council meetings, but the other Masonic bodies to which you belong. Our Craft thrives when we show up, when we support one another, and when we remain engaged in the work set before us.
I hope you found the educational portion of our last meeting meaningful and worthy of reflection. The prayer found in Psalm 30 is a powerful reminder of humility, gratitude, and trust in divine providence. It teaches us that joy and sorrow often walk hand in hand, that trials are not permanent, and that deliverance—when it comes—is not of our own making alone. The psalmist reminds us to give thanks not only for restoration, but for the lessons learned in affliction.
As Royal & Select Masters, this is a lesson we would do well to reflect upon daily. Humility keeps us teachable. Gratitude keeps us grounded. And remembrance keeps us mindful that our labors—both in the Council and in life—are sustained by something far greater than ourselves.
I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meetings and continuing our work together in peace, purpose, and Companionable love.
Fraternally,
James A. Clark
Thrice Illustrious Master
Vernon I. Bartlett Council No. 183