Ronald A. Seale, 33°, Sovereign Grand Commander

Digital communication has opened a whole new and positive era for the Scottish Rite.

“Things That Work” was the main theme of the spring 2004 Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences. This focus was most clearly evident regarding digital communication. Each conference was kicked off by a six-minute video presenting a capsule history of the Scottish Rite. Titled An Introduction to the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, it was so dynamic and inspirational that many Brethren wanted it as a DVD for use in Masonic Lodges and Scottish Rite Centers across the Jurisdiction

Also, all the conference handouts were available on a CD, as opposed to the usual bulky folders or binders. Using the CD, any Brother can print out whatever parts are of particular interest to him. Distributing the substance of the conferences this way was less expensive, more efficient, and convenient. Also, the e-mail addresses of all attendees were requested, including the Scottish Rite Fellows, our newer members who are just beginning their leadership roles in the Rite. With these addresses in hand, the Supreme Council can sustain easy, instant contact with some of our Order’s most active members.

The 2004 Leadership Conferences also accented other digital innovations. In a few key strokes, users of the new Sentinel system can get accurate, up-to-date, and complete membership information. Also, Valleys can now use the Internet to provide the Supreme Council with nearly all reports. Again, paper and mailing costs have been significantly reduced.

Bar coding dues cards, initiated in 2003, presently allows every Valley to scan membership cards to record the participation by the Brethren for all Masonic events. The data can then be added to each Brother’s file in Sentinel. In addition, digital ID coding can be used to authorize and track access to our Scottish Rite buildings.

At the House of the Temple, over 1.8 million cards, one for each past or present member, were scanned and are now instantly available via the Internet to authorized persons. Valuable office space, which previously housed these cards, is now available for more efficient use.

Today, nearly every member of the Supreme Council, as well as many Personal Representatives and Valley Secretaries, have e-mail for direct, instant communication. In the near future, all communication between the Supreme Council, its Active Members, and Valley Officers will be by e-mail.

For the first time ever, the 369 pages of the Transactions of the Supreme Council, 2003, were archived on CD in Portable Document Format (PDF). PDFs are digital replications of a publication, and they can be viewed using any PDF viewer, such as Adobe® Acrobat® Reader, a program which is available free on the Internet at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Only essential paper copies of the 2003 Transactions were printed for archival purposes. Developing a CD of the Transactions significantly reduced the cost of paper publication and mailing. Furthermore, the CD is searchable. Keying in a relevant word or name brings the user directly to pages where these occur.

Similarly, the next binding of the printed Scottish Rite Journal and its index will have a complementary CD which will be searchable and allow the user to view each page of every issue.

Every day, the Supreme Council receives news items of interest and timely articles worthy of publication. The Journal can only publish a small portion of the very good materials received. Consequently, many valuable “Current Interest” items and fine articles must go unprinted. Two new features on the Supreme Council Web site allow sharing many of these contributions. The “NEWS” link on the Council’s homepage permits anyone to read a wide variety of Scottish Rite news items, and these are changed every two weeks when new contributions are listed. Previously featured contributions are archived, but still available on the Web site.

Also, the “INTERNET ARTICLES” link on the Council’s homepage gives Brethren access to several outstanding articles which, however worthy of publication, could not be squeezed into the printed version of the Scottish Rite Journal. Changed every two months, Internet-featured essays are archived but also still available. This new system allows more authors to share their insights with the Brethren than is possible through the printed Journal alone.

As Grand Commander, I am dedicated to using every means of electronic communication available to advance our Order. What we have already accomplished in this area is a significant start, and together, with the help of evolving technology, we can sustain our Rite as the world’s most dynamic and progressive Masonic Fraternity.