Michael Sinatra, 32°, K.C.C.H.
1439 N.W. 97 Terrace, Coral Springs, Florida 33071–5945
Ourgang@mediaone.net

Participation in the Revised Standard Pike Degrees offers an opportunity to start "re-engineering" and improving the Scottish Rite for the 21st Century.

"Re-engineering the corporation," have you ever heard that term before? Probably, if you're in business and wish to remain both competitive and profitable. The term came to prominence a few years ago. Many companies have distributed books on the subject to all levels of management with the directive "must read and execute."

Re-engineering the corporation is analyzing a business regarding its current products or services, methods of doing business, and internal processes. All levels of management and front-line employees are instructed to examine the role of their individual department within the company. The ultimate goal is to determine if a company is doing business today, and for the near future, in the best way possible. This process must take into consideration profits, employee interests, and strengthening the company to be as competitive as it can be within its market. Most of the time, there is substantial room for improvement. Operating a business as though it were still 1950 or even 1985 is not a smart approach.

In some aspects, the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite is already re-engineering itself. For instance, we carefully reviewed our ritual during the last decade and determined if the 4° through the 32° are in a form, structure, and language in keeping with the times. The idea was to enable Degree Teams to carry the lessons of our Order to 21st-Century Candidates. That is exactly what the Revised Standard Pike Degrees do.

Although beautifully written over 130 years ago, our Scottish Rite Degrees present us with a language difficult to speak and interpret. Therefore, the Scottish Rite ritual was reviewed, studied, and rewritten in the Southern Jurisdiction to fit more appropriately within the new millennium. The teachings of our Order, however, still deliver the same message as when Brother Pike wrote the texts for the Degrees. The same process has taken place with most classic works, such as Shakespeare's plays, and, of course, the Volume of the Sacred Law for most faith traditions has been cast in modern language to reach as wide an audience as possible. The message is the same; only the method differs.

Degree Teams now have the new scripts supplemented by audio-visual materials and music supplied by the Supreme Council. I hope you enjoy the Revised Standard Pike Degrees when they are presented in your Valley. It may be difficult for Degree Team members who have given much-appreciated long service in certain roles to adapt to the revised Degrees. If they, regretfully, decide not to gain an enriching new perspective by continuing their work in the Degrees, other members now have the opportunity to join your Valley's Degree Teams and participate in an exciting fresh start. It will be difficult and sad to leave the old behind, but if our Rite is to survive and prosper, we must adopt new ways to attract prospective members, retain present ones, and keep our Brothers interested and willing to participate.

Nor does the process ever come to a definitive conclusion. Once a company re-engineers itself, the process does not end. We must constantly look at what we're doing and determine if we're doing it in the best possible manner, one which will ensure continued success. That applies to every aspect of our Rite, not just Degree work. Each effort to re-engineer our Rite deserves an open mind and opportunity, so, starting with the Degrees, why not give the Brothers involved in re-engineering our Order your support, understanding, and assistance? Regarding the Degrees, many cast members have been presenting the same Degree for a number of years. They now have the difficult task of memorizing new scripts, creating new props, and learning different floor work. This challenge is not easy, but the finished product will be a Scottish Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States ready to take on another 100+ years!

Michael Sinatra is employed by AT&T as their Florida Market Fleet Manager. Raised in 1978 and currently a member of J. Dewey Hawkins Lodge No. 331, Oakland Park, the Scottish Rite Bodies of Lake Worth, and Amara Shrine Temple, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Brother Sinatra has been Venerable Master in the 14° for the past eight years, was invested a K.C.C.H. in October 1997, and received the Double Eagle Award in May 1999.