August 2025:
When it Comes to Masonic Relief, Share Your Stories!
California Masons make a profound commitment to providing relief to their fellow lodge members and their families—and one that provides hundreds or even thousands of elderly and indigent members with support when they need it most. Through Masonic Outreach Services, our fraternity is able to reach even further into every corner of the state to connect members in need with services, referrals, emergency funds, and more—no matter their unique situation.
As an organization, we’re rightly proud of this incredible work. That’s why we want to know more about what’s going on at the ground level!
This month’s installation of The Leader is simple: We’re asking you, as lodge leaders, to help keep us in the know about relief efforts your lodge is engaged in. Whether it’s passing the hat for the sick wife of a past master, picking up and delivering medication for someone unable to drive, or just being sure to check in on elderly members who haven’t been to lodge in a while—we want to know about it! Having a better picture of all the little acts of relief happening at the lodge level helps the team at MOS better orient their resources where they’re most needed. It also helps us better publicize amazing acts of Masonic values being put into action, and hopefully inspires the next lodge to step up for their community when they see a similar need.
So: If you’ve got a great story to share about Masonic relief at your lodge, let us know! Email communications@freemason.org and just give us a simple description. We’ll be sure to share with the MOS team and, if appropriate, perhaps broadcast it to the rest of the fraternity via social media or through our magazine.
Remember, by sharing your light, you’re helping us strengthen Masonic relief for all.
A quick reminder: As of December 31, Intacct will begin charging a $10,000 fee for lodges and halls that are still on the old platform. Members of the Grand Lodge Finance team are leading free, online webinars to help get you started with iMember Accounting. This new system is made by and for Masons—and it’s entirely free.
Here's what you can expect:
- Simplified Accounting for Everyone: With an intuitive, member-friendly interface, you don’t need to be a finance expert to manage your lodge’s books.
- No More Double Entry: The system integrates directly with iMember’s online payments, meaning dues payments automatically appear.
- Improved Transparency and Access: More lodge officers can now access real-time financial reports, increasing visibility and collaboration.
- Significant Cost Savings: The new iMember Accounting System is free to lodges and hall associations. Starting next year, lodges that stay with Intacct will have to pay market rates—up to $10,000 per entity.
Training sessions were held in July and more will come later in the fall. If you need help migrating over to the new system in the meantime, reach out to accounting@freemason.org.
If silence could speak, what would it say to you?
In the stillness between thoughts, there exists a whisper—a subtle echo of something far greater than words, yet more intimate than breath. It doesn’t arrive through profound revelation, but through quiet recognition: “You are not separate from the Source. You are It, remembering Itself.” — Carlos M. Diez, Jr.
Most of life is spent searching—for meaning, for success, for love, for God. But few realize that the seeker and the sought are one. Like a drop of water forgetting it came from the ocean, we spend our days trying to become what we want, not realizing we already are.
U.S. Andersen wrote, “There is only one thing you can become—yourself.” And herein lies the paradox: True transformation is not about changing into something new, but returning to the essence of who you’ve always been.
Rumi called it the “Beloved.” Watts described it as the “universe playing hide and seek.” Whatever name you give it, this inner divinity is not hiding out in distant heavens. It lives in the quiet recesses of your thoughts and decisions. In the breath you barely notice. In the love you extend without hesitation or confirmed reason.
But why is it so hard to hear?
Because the world is loud. Because ego begs for attention. Because fear dresses up as logic and talks you out of your own greatness.
So, we must return to the beginning—not to become, but to remember.
“Close your eyes. Fall in love. Stay there.” —Rumi
This is the invitation: not to do more, but to be more. To sit with your own soul long enough that you no longer confuse it with the noise of the world.
And when you do, you begin to notice the Divine not only within you—but in every face, every struggle, every experience. Life becomes less about control, and more about communion.
You don’t need permission to live freely.
You only need to accept that you already are.
—Carlos M. Diez, Jr., Grand Orator
Use this content to spread the word about resources provided by the California Masonic Foundation, the Masonic Homes of California, and more.
Masonic Health Services:
Services at MCYAF Across the Lifespan
The Pavilion at the Masonic Homes
Masonic Homes of California Resources
Masonic Philanthropy:
Last month, we asked does your lodge have any volunteer or fundraising efforts planned this summer? Of those who replied,
- Yes - 37%
- No - 63%
- Comments - We focus on these things in the Spring and Fall, Summer we participate in community events. Not as active because of extreme heat.
