This past Saturday, the Scottish Rite Masons of California gathered in San Francisco for one of the most prestigious events in our Masonic calendar—the 2025 Honours Ceremony, celebrating those Brethren who have been appointed to receive the Knight Commander of the Court of Honour (KCCH) and the Thirty-Third Degree, Inspector General Honorary, the highest recognition within the Southern Jurisdiction.

The symbol is older than the Golden Fleece or the Roman Eagle, to borrow from the description of another Masonic item—the lambskin apron. It is a distinctive symbol of power, one dating back more than two millennia before the building of King Solomon’s Temple, and a distinctive symbol that has held its aura for 50 centuries over three continents.

We are most pleased about the news, carried elsewhere in this newsletter, of the appointment of Ill. Arthur L. Salazar, 33°, as the Deputy of the Supreme Council in the Orient of California. It is an honor to have a member of our Valley appointed to such a prestigious position, of course, and it is also a cause for celebration that our Orient will be led by such a truly distinguished and capable Masonic brother.