Burlingame Scottish Rite

04/03/2026

Blessings on Good Friday!

Monday night the Burlingame Scottish Rite the Chapter of Rose Croix was called to labor for the annual Remembrance & Renewal The ceremony was lead by our Wise Master, Gary Shweid, 32° KCCH and our Master of Ceremonies Joseph Becker, 32° KCCC, and the officers of the Burlingame Chapter of Rose Croix. This event remembers and honors our Brethren who have passed to the Celestial Lodge in the past year since our Chapter was last called to labor:

03/22/2019 Robert Glenn De Santis, 32°
08/13/2024 Augusto Venzon E***o, 32°

This ceremony strengthens the ties of brotherly love, past and present. We meet together to break bread of fraternity, to reconcile ourselves with those we may have offended and, to drink the wine of refreshment and renewal. We are reminded that our lives are to be dedicated to the Masonic principles of duty and service to elevate mankind; for what is a man, if a man, does not make the world better? This effort may be fraught with personal sacrifice, and requires the dedication to principles and values of our respective Valleys.

As Masons, we strive to exemplify Masonic light. The “Ceremony of Remembrance and Renewal” provides a moving experience and a symbolic foundation on which to build an expanded, more universal celebration of the grandeur, the beauty, the harmony, and the mystery of life and our Craft. To cite the final words of the ceremony: “May Brotherly Love prevail and may we ever be united in every social and moral virtue, cemented in the mystic and universal bond of Masonic Brotherhood.”

02/24/2026

At our February Burlingame Lodge of Perfection stated meeting, the current Commander of the Burlingame Council of Kadosh Froilan Ancheta, 33° presented the Past Commander jewel to Hjalmar Nilsen, 32° KCCH, our immediate Past Commander.

The Personal Representative Marty Cusing, 33° also presented our most recent candidates with their own 14° ring engraved with the motto, their name and the date they received the 14°. There are several other 14° rings to be presented to our other candidates at a later time.

02/16/2026

The Venerable Master’s Annual Ystävänpäivä (Finnish Friends Day) & Sweethearts Brunch was hosted at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City. The first event of the year for Burlingame Scottish Rite to bring that special person in your life (friend or otherwise). Thank you to our Venerable Master Brother Jed Beyer and the First Lady Laurie for the lovely ceramic baking dishes!

02/02/2026

01/28/2026

The Burlingame Childhood Language Center and members from our board of directors received a $30,000 grant from the Peninsula Health Care District in the category of Mental & Behavioral Health through the Community Grants Program. Tonight 42 community health programs around San Mateo county gathered at Skyline College for the awardee reception and ceremony.

This 2026 grant will allow us to provide approximately 240 hours of speech language therapy and occupational therapy for children in San Mateo County. Thank you Peninsula Health Care District!

"Peninsula Health Care District exists to address the health needs of its residents. It carries this out through a vigilant monitoring of resident health and seeks opportunities to promote health, ensure access to needed health services, and achieve equity in health outcomes.

It achieves this through a variety of health investment strategies from directly providing services and facilities for needed programs, to partnering with service providers through funding support, to community-based organizations that address the identified needs of our residents.

The Community Grants Program is one of the District’s community health benefit strategies established to recognize and support the essential contributions non-profit organizations make to improve the health and well-being of residents and to the health ecosystem."

12/09/2025

The last Burlingame Scottish Rite stated meeting of 2025 has concluded, the 2026 officers have been elected, and the holiday celebration has commenced! 🎄

Congratulations on the completion of your year as Venerable Master - Hon. Allan Young, 32° KCCH! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

12/08/2025

The Breakfast with Santa holiday event returned to the Burlingame Masonic Center this weekend and brought a collaboration between the members, wives and family of Burlingame Scottish Rite, Burlingame Lodge No. 400 & Peninsula York Rite to bring joy to the children of our masonic family and community. Thank you to the many hands that helped coordinate and serve at this events.

The extra generosity by guests brought in donations to the Scottish Rite RiteCare Childhood Language Center, Grand Lodge of California Masons4Mitts Program, and the Knights Templar Eye Foundation!

11/23/2025

Burlingame Scottish Rite created 8 new 14° Perfect Elus at our Fall Reunion this morning. Welcome Brothers!

Our Valley ritual team and tech team were phenomenal as always - and kudos to Ill. Gary Stephens, 33° for his role as both the Director of the Work and the 4° Ritual Master, and first time out of the gates Hon. Jordan Yelinek for his role as 14° Ritual Master. Thank you to all volunteers for your hours of tireless work!

11/05/2025

On Monday, the Burlingame Scottish Rite hosted the annual Thanksgiving Dinner in conjunction with the Burlingame Council of Kadosh Feast of Tishri. A splendid time with 70+ brothers, family, friends and guests!

Gary Stephens, 33° gave the history of the Feast, then Hjalmar Nilsen, 32° KCCH, Commander of Kadosh, and Allan Young, 32° KCCH, Venerable Master, led the program with a series of toasts. Thank you brothers for planning another great event!

10/01/2025

At our Monday night September stated meeting, we were treated with an oration from our Orator Gary Stephens, 33°, who presented a paper on the Constitution. It was lively, engaging and just as well presented as all historical orations that Gary has given in the past!

We also invited our Burlingame Childhood Language Center partners Speech Goals (speechgoals.com) to give our members an update on the children we serve in San Mateo County. Speech Goals have speech and occupational therapy centers in San Mateo, San Francisco, South San Francisco, Redwood City and Reno. Jasna Cowan, Founder and Director of Speech Goals, and her husband Tait presented a video of parents that have benefitted from our financial support.

The last speaker of the night was Jackie Tores Abundis, Administrative Assistant to the California Scottish Rite Foundation, who shared updates from our foundation. Jackie also has a degree in linguistics with emphasis in speech-language sciences and disorders and Spanish.

09/15/2025

Another California Scottish Rite Honours weekend in the books! Thank you to San Francisco Scottish Rite for hosting the 20 Valleys spread throughout the Orient of California, Southern Jurisdiction.

Congratulations to the Knight Commander of the Court of Honour and 33° Inspector General Honorary classes of 2025, and special congratulations to our Burlingame Valley honourmen:
Roberto Diaz, Jr., 33°
Martin Chavez, 32° KCCH
Jordan Yelinek, 32° KCCH

📸 Marty Cusing, 33°

08/27/2025

At our August meeting, Knight Martin Chavez, 32° KSA, the retiring Chieftain of the Burlingame Knights of St. Andrew, knighted 4 knights into the Chapter. The new Knights received their glengarry caps, badges and certificates. The Knights of St. Andrew (or KSA for short) is a service-oriented organization of 32° Scottish Rite Masons dedicated to supporting their Scottish Rite Valleys by assisting with ceremonies, administrative duties, and charitable endeavors. The Chapter at Burlingame was founded in 2002 and adopted the Steward Modern Hunting plaid.

The night was fitting as we send off and say goodbye and see you soon to Knight Todd Birnbaum, 32° KSA with his acceptance and September move to the Masonic Homes in Union City. Todd is an active member of our Burlingame Knights of St. Andrew and past Master of Kadosh of the Burlingame Consistory.