Brethren:

In reference to the July 29, 2021 message [click to view message] from our Sovereign Grand Commander, Ill. Bro. Robert S. Whitmore 33° advising us: …that, subject to certain conditions, indoor Scottish Rite activities and events will be permitted effective August 15, 2021.

The conditions that he refers to and first must be met are:

1. All applicable legislative, municipal, and public health rules, limitations, directives, and guidelines must be fully satisfied and complied with; and
2. All limitations, conditions, rules, and directives coming from the applicable Provincial Grand Lodge must be fully satisfied and complied with; and
3. All limitations, conditions, rules, and guidelines imposed by the venue hosting such event must be fully satisfied and complied with.

And finally, he states that: …simply by opening up this opportunity to resume meeting, I am not mandating that Valleys must resume their normal in-person schedule for meetings, even if their By-laws stipulate specific meeting dates.

As a result of his message, the Valley of Barrie has decided NOT to resume any Reunions until the SPRING of 2022. Meanwhile we have formed a Valley Reopening Transition Team that will guide us towards a successful and safe reopening in 2022. The Transition Team hopes to be able to hold a Business Meeting and possibly Workshops (in the Fall of 2021), which will be designed towards the introduction of Health and Safety Protocols, Degree Portrayal Protocols, and Business & Reunion Reopening Guidelines.

While we are optimistic that all will go according to plan, we must also be cautious of any unforeseen circumstances. We thank each of you for your cooperation, understanding, and patience. ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’, let us be supportive of our Transition Team as they commence the task of enabling us to meet safely in person and the renewal towards the enjoyment of the social interaction among our fellow members in the Spring of 2022.

Fraternally,
Ill. Bro. John E. Harrison 33°
Active Member

UPDATES and LINKS to Important Messages from our Sovereign Grand Commander, Ill. Bro. ROBERT S. WHITMORE, 33°

• Fall 2021 Update Message from S.G.C. (Dated October 5, 2021)
• Reopening Message from S.G.C. (Dated July 29, 2021)
• Summer 2021 Message from S.G.C. (Dated May 26, 2021)
• Easter Message from S.G.C. (Dated April, 2021)
• February 2021 Family Day Message, (Dated February 15, 2021)
• January 2021 Update on the current status of Scottish Rite, (Dated January 8, 2021)
• Fall Update on the current status of Scottish Rite, (Dated September 21, 2020)
• Summer Update on the current status of Scottish Rite, (Dated June 28, 2020)
• Announcement of Suspending ALL Scottish Rite Activities, (Dated March 13, 2020)

Brethren:

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact our daily lives, the efforts of Supreme Council to protect the health and safety of our members continues.  This has resulted in the cancellation of all Scottish Rite meetings and functions until further notice.

To say that this is unprecedented would be an obvious understatement, but it is both prudent and necessary given the circumstances.  Many of our members fall into the ‘at risk’ category and we will not resume normal activities until it is safe to do so.

We will, however, continue to attempt to maintain some form of contact with our members, and I would urge you to reach out in friendship to those you know.  While we may not be able to meet in person, we can still strive to make that daily advancement using the various tools available to us.

Until we meet again, please be safe, my brethren.

Regards,
Ill. Bro. R.D. Brethour 33°, Active Member

In our ongoing attempt to remain in some form of contact with one another, the Valley of Barrie will be hosting monthly Zoom Meetings. These virtual meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of each month until the lockdown has ended (or perhaps longer if they are well received).

A committee chaired by Cam Goodman will be selecting a variety of topics and speakers for the benefit of our members. It will be a great opportunity to stay in touch – and actually see each other, even though not in person! – and to discuss a variety of topics and witness some very interesting presentations. Thanks to our Grand Secretary, Jim Anderson, the Valley has our own Zoom account, so all that you will have to do to access the meeting is click on the link which will be sent to each member via email prior to the meeting.

If you haven’t used Zoom before, it’s really quite simple and it is a tool worth using to our advantage and benefit. If you need help getting started, please check out the Unofficial User Guide that we have created for you.

These meetings will be open to all Scottish Rite members, but in particular we hope that the members of our Valley will embrace the opportunity to meet using this technology.  If you belong to the Scottish Rite, but not a member of the Valley of Barrie, and would like to be invited to our Zoom meetings, please submit an Application Form.

We think you will find these meetings both educational and entertaining, so please keep the second Wednesday of each month open. We look forward to ‘seeing’ you!