Okay, what month is this? They keep running together, I am being very optimistic that we will once again, shortly, be able to meet in person. As we enter into the winter months, please everyone stay well and safe. Get you flu shots, and wear that mask. It’s almost second nature for all of us to have that mask when we leave the house, and have extras in the car now. Who would have thought…

We were able to conduct a Grand Council meeting on October 10th virtually. Thank you to all the officers and members who participated. I am still planning on meeting in person for the March Grand Council meeting, fingers and toes crossed.

As lodges begin to elect officers for the new term ahead please review the letter that sent out from our Judiciary Committee. Please send any questions or comments to myself or Al.

Some lodges in various counties have been getting together, practicing social distancing and keeping the quantity of people to a minimum. I have heard some lodges are doing takeout meals for their members and communities. Some are meeting outdoors with everyone bringing their own food & drink. And there are the lodges doing the Zoom meetings / dinners.

Ken and I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. We are still being very cautious.

Congratulations to all our new and returning Officers. We thank you for your commitment during this difficult time. We will need LEADERS willing to go the extra mile. We don’t, currently, know how the pandemic is affecting our membership. We need to reach out to our current members and not be afraid to look for new members. I know that might seem difficult but if we maintain our lodges’ social medias we can still reach out to potential members. Don’t be afraid to offer applications electronically and put those potential members on your email list. They will be more likely to be around when we are able to meet again if we keep them included in our emails and newsletters.

Your Grand Lodge President and Vice-Presidents

Congratulations to the new officers and those who made the choice to resume their position of office.

This month I have some highlights of Leadership information I received from SHARE “Catholic Daughters of the America” and feel that it is good information to share with new and returning lodge Officers.

How we present ourselves, how we treat others, how we think about other people can change the way we think and behave. Consider the following small steps that will provide personal growth and success as a leader.

1. THE ONLY PERSON YOU CAN CHANGE IS YOURSELF! Fear exists only in your mind. Choose a positive sense of challenge. Dare to take on your dreams and challenges.

2. BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF BY BEING PREPARED. Past positive successes give the confidence to keep going forward. Look to the future to see the results. Learn from differences. Ask yourself if you have

What a year 2020 has been and is. My prayers are with all that have been affected by the fires, hurricanes and floods. I would again like to thank my brothers and sisters as well as the many lodges that reached out to me doing this difficult time with my health problems. I would like to assure you your prayers have helped. I’m well on my way to being healthy again.

Now for some Italian trivia.

November is truffle season in Italy,

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I saw this cartoon on social media the other day and it seems ironic the COVID-19 pandemic has, in a way, taken the brunt out of Columbus Day celebrations by many local lodges. This issue of the ILeone would be full of pictures of our annual Columbus Day celebration with members enjoying a friendly bocce ball tournament, great food, dessert contest, raffle, and bounce house for the junior members. The pandemic did not allow for us to have an event this year and in view of the “Cancel Culture” occurring in the country it may have been a good thing.

With Christopher Columbus statues being graffitied or torn down across the country I joked Roma Lodge could find a slightly used one, like the one removed from the California Capitol, to donate to the International Agri-Center (IAC) park where we hold our annual celebration.