On Wednesday March 12th, everyone, including Saint Patrick’s ghost, left well fed from True Fellowship’s annual observance of St. Patrick’s Day. Whether it was the corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, onions or carrots that filled you up, or Sis. Debbie Shuler’s amazing green whipped marshmallow dessert: it was a time for feasting and merrymaking for all …
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On March 13th, 6 new members of Barnes 77 traded in their black collars and became the patriarchs to learn the sublime and enduring mysteries of the Golden Rule Degree. Using a modified script provided by Chief Patriarch Debra LaVergne, the Golden Rule Degree reminds us of the virtue of tolerance in our day to …
A dream come true often looks like an experiment, where we try something we have never done before in hopes that we get better results than what had been happening before. In the case of Cupertino Lodge no. 70’s Kanikapila and True Fellowship Lodge no.52’s Burger Fry: four times this year we were scheduled to …
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Some of the interesting things on display in the museum. As Odd Fellows, we’re heirs to a rich tradition of crafters and artists creating beautiful custom pieces for their lodges, as well as a number of lovely yet mass-produced items that lodges could acquire from the established fraternal supply houses of their time. On April …
True Fellowship no.52 and Cupertino no.70 have been cooking up a plan for music, dance, and juicy hamburgers for the last few months: and it all finally came together at the February Kanikapila hosted by Cupertino Lodge no.70! Noble Grands Jim Kabbage and Andrew Crockett reached agreement that instead of running events in competition with …
“Cherish the beautiful teachings of our Order, which, falling upon the heart like rays of light, give color to every affection of our nature, and dictate every act of our lives.” This was Brother Don Lang’s final live degree. On Thursday, February 13th, my new Brothers and Sisters of Barnes Encampment #77 conducted a Patriarchal …
Relxing at a LARP event on February 15 True Fellowship 52 of San Jose recently welcomed 7 new members who all came from Refuge LARP. We asked them to introduce themselves and explain what LARPing is all about. — Mason Wolf, editor An Introduction to Refuge LARP What is a LARP? Live Action Roleplaying (LARPing) …
The District 107 Youth Pilgrimage Scholarship Committee received several essays for its contest. The winning essay was written by Bao Nguyen, a junior at Oak Grove High School in San Jose. He’ll spend 2 weeks in the Eastern US with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Pilgrimage, and is very excited for the upcoming opportunity. …
Statements from our incoming chairs in 2025
“Men exist for the sake of one another. Teach them then or bear with them.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations These words from Marcus Aurelius set the tone for an unusual gathering at San Jose’s Odd Fellows Hall on a balmy Wednesday evening in May. The ‘Leadership Mixer’ sought to explore this very idea: how leadership …
Read more “Beyond Authority: Exploring the True Meaning of Leadership”