Anthropology sophomore Alex Ruiz holds a senior warden officer’s apron Oct. 21 at the Scottish Rite Temple. The plumb line reminds members they are all on the same level, he said. Photo by Neven Jones
Anthropology sophomore Alex Ruiz holds up a compass and square, the most common symbols of Freemasonry, at the Scottish Rite Temple Oct. 21. Photo by Neven Jones
The Davy Crockett Lodge No. 1225 gives back to community.
By Ian Coleman
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
They have been credited with the Boston Tea Party, having designs on the nation’s capital by literally creating designs in the street layout of Washington, D.C., and accused of ties to the Illuminati, an 18th-century Bavarian secret society.
The Freemasons say all these ideas are false.
Archaeology sophomore Alex Ruiz is a third degree master Mason with the Davy Crockett Lodge No. 1225.
Anthropology sophomore Alex Ruiz talks about Perfect Union Lodge Room 10 at the Scottish Rite temple Oct 21. The lodge rooms are numbered in the order they were created. Photo by Neven Jones
The Davy Crockett Lodge is a “Blue Lodge,” which is for men who complete up to three degrees in Freemasonry: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason.
Various lodges are for men at advanced levels of Freemasonry; they can work their way up to 33 degrees.
According to The Grand Lodge of Texas website, a degree “is a drama in which the candidate or newcomer to Masonry is made to play a key part.
The degrees “have several characteristics and are progressive in nature … a unique characteristic of each Masonic degree is an obligation taken by the candidate.”
“The obligation is an oath taken for the purpose of instructing the candidate in his Masonic duty.”
Freemasonry is defined by The Grand Lodge of Texas website as “the oldest surviving fraternal organization in the world; the exact date of its founding is uncertain.”
According to the website, “It exists to take good men and help them to become better men.” However it cautions that Freemasonry is not a reform society.
Ruiz said people often have misconceptions of freemasonry.
“We are not a secret society,” Ruiz said. “Just a society with secrets.”
Ruiz said he became a Freemason in February 2013.
According to the Sugar Land Masonic Lodge No. 1141 website, the Mirabeau B. Lamar Scholarship and Award for Excellence in Education “is awarded to students and educators in recognition of outstanding personal achievements in academics, citizenship, community service or sports. Relationship to a current or deceased Mason is not required for consideration.”
Lamar, a president of Texas and a Mason, is renowned as the “Father of Texas Education” for his support of a public school system in Texas.
On Aug. 19, the Davy Crockett Lodge donated $400 of backpacks full of school supplies to Will Rogers Elementary School.
Ruiz said he relates to the children who receive school supplies because when he was growing up, his family did not have money to buy the school supplies he needed.
“I got picked on,” Ruiz said. “I went to school with a plastic bag from Handy Andy that all my stuff was in.”
Ruiz said the Davy Crockett Lodge also participates in community service projects such as blood drives.
Visit www.davycrockettlodge.com or www.grandlodgeoftexas.org.
1 Comment
“The lodge rooms are numbered in the order they were created.” Is not a correct statement. Masonic lodges are not rooms, but are named and are always followed by a number, such as Washington Lodge No. 13 or Ancient Landmarks Lodge No. 319. The number is issued by the governing Grand Lodge and sometimes does not designate the order in which lodges have been chartered in that jurisdiction. For example Alamo Lodge No. 44 is an older lodge than Perfect Union Lodge No. 10 due to a discontinued practice of recycling of Lodge numbers for various reasons.