Change is a constant in life. There is an ebb and flow to life, most enjoyable at times, and then there is the sadness these times of change can bring. But we adjust to them, hopefully. Your favorite sports team, riding supremely at the top, is going to have the likes of a Joe Di Maggio or Kobe Bryant retiring, someone else lost to injury or sadly death, but we forge ahead to rise again! And that is the joy of new beginnings, a new start, and that time is upon our Lodge!

Our new President Frank DiSalvo is ascending to his new role, and stepping into the footsteps of retiring President Joe LaPorta. As Frank says

And so … Happy new year to everyone; let’s see if this year can be better than the old. A job well done is a job done.

AARP tells us that the Flu shots give us a 20% better advantage over heart disease events per year compared to those folks not getting the shots. Schedule your shots now.

For those that are aware that our articles have been missing these past few months, the fault is being reviewed by the staff

Roma Lodge 1573 held its 85th annual ravioli dinner. After taking a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic, lodge members decided to continue this long held tradition and fundraiser. The picture on the right shows the 25th anniversary of of the dinner back in the 1960’s when attendees got a dinner of ravioli, spaghetti, ½ BBQ chicken, salad, salami, cheese, wine and dancing to a live orchestra until 1 a.m. for only $3.00. It was the social event of the year for the community with over 1,250 people attending. How times have changed.

Long time Roma Lodge member Charlie Pitigliano and

On Saturday, November 4, the Cornelia-Vita Nuova Lodge #1198 of San Francisco celebrated its milestone 100th Anniversary, only the second lodge to do so in our Grand Lodge. 150 persons attended this special event, which was held at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club, in the heart of North Beach. Guests were treated to a loop of humorous and memorable lodge pictures shown on a screen as well as historical documents and artifacts on display. The Vita Nuova Lodge gave the Grand Lodge its first and eleventh Grand Venerables, the Cornelia dei Gracchi a State Queen, and the Cornelia-Vita Nuova a State President.

The evening opened with Lodge President Jennifer De Palma Chandler welcoming our guests and setting the celebratory tone for the evening with her well-chosen words. We enjoyed a delicious meal of salad, two types of pasta and chicken piccata. Next to speak was Josephine Longhitano, who

Columbia Lodge held their very enjoyable and successful bocce tournament on October 22, 2023 at the Peninsula Italian American Social Club in San Mateo.

There were 40 players in attendance. The First Place winners were Captain: John Nardi, Players: Nella Conti, Angie