As we approach the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Grand Lodge of California, I’ve been contemplating just how much our fraternity has changed in that time.

We have always worked to provide relief where the need exists—including beyond the walls of our lodges. Now, more than ever, we are meeting these needs in new and creative ways.

This year, we greatly expanded admissions at the Masonic Homes of California. That means that, for the first time ever, services through the Masonic Homes are open to the parents and parents in-law of eligible California Masons—including Fellow Crafts and Entered Apprentices—as well as to our fellow members in the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California and the Grand Lodge of Iran in Exile. 

That’s not the only way we’re reaching into the community around us.

Through the California Masonic Foundation, we recently launched an exciting new campaign through the Working Tools Program to invest in pathways into the trades for students in San Diego looking for an alternative to a four-year college degree. This was part of a place-based philanthropic strategy in San Diego, and one we look forward to building on next year in Sacramento.

Meanwhile, the Masonic Center for Youth and Families keeps growing, providing individual, group, family, and senior therapy to Masons, their families, and the community at large. Through MCYAF, we are meeting an important community need at a time of unprecedented stress.

The California Masonic Memorial Temple and Nob Hill Masonic Center have also implemented new strategies to bring more people in, raise awareness of our institution, and to enhance the support they provide to our many important programs. Their contributions to Masonry in California are superb.

Through these efforts and those of our lodges and members, I believe we are “Sharing the Light of Freemasonry” and materially improving the world around us.

Sincerely and fraternally,

G. Sean Metroka
Grand Master of Masons in California