Recently several Grand Lodges have reintroduced an old tradition, that of accepting a Lewis into the Craft. A Lewis is the son of a Mason who may be admitted in to the Craft upon his 18th birthday. Once he is maded a Master Mason the individual is entitled to wear the Master Mason Ring.
There is ample evidence that the Past Master Degree was worked in America in the last half of the 18th Century. The first reference to what was probably the Past Master Degree is the working of the Excellent Degree in St. Andrew’s Royal Arch Lodge on August of 1769 in Boston. It is an honor to wear the Past Master Ring.
The Past Master Degree in Masonry is an honorary degree. It is more closely associated with sumbolic than capitular Masonry. It is primarily a necessary or rational degree, containing little of the deep sumbolism of the Mark Master and Royal Arch Degrees. The recipients of this degree are caled Virtual Past Masters, while those who receive the degree prior to their installation as Worshipful Master are called Actual Past Masters. Once becoming a Past Master, the recipient is entitled to wear a Past Master Ring.
While there probably are some actual stone-workers who are Masons, Masonry does not teach it’s membership the literal techniques of stonework. Rather, it
takes the actual ‘operative’ work of Medieval Masons and uses it as an allegory
for moral development. Thus, the symbols of Masonry are the common tools that
were used by medieval stonemasons: the gavel, the rule, the compass, the square,
the level, etc. Each of these has a symbolic meaning in Masonry. For example,
Masons are said to meet ‘on the level’, meaning that all Masons are brothers,
regardless of social status, personal wealth, or office within the Lodge or in
the world at large. Similar symbolism exists for other tools.
While working on my car, my fraternal ring got caught and had to be sliced off. It was a silly mistake; normally I remember to take my rings off before I do any heavy-duty work. My daughter, a jewelry enthusiast, offered to help me select a new ring to replace the one I broke.
She directed me to moissanite rings. I had never even heard of moissanite before, but apparently it’s a synthetic stone that’s just as brilliant and nearly as durable as a diamond, but without the hefty price tag. My daughter assured me that such “bling” was perfectly stylish and appropriate to have on a fraternal ring. I’m happy with the way my new ring has turned out, and I’ll be sure not to damage this one.
The most important principle upheld by the Knights of Columbus is charity. In the 2009 fraternal year, the Order gave more than $151 million directly to charity and performed over 69 million hours of volunteer service. The Order has been instrumental in helping those in need, regardless of their faith. For instance, the Knights of Columbus donated 1,000 wheelchairs in April 2010 to the people of Haiti. A $1 million initiative was also launched to provide prosthetic limbs for the children of Haiti.
Over the past three decades the Order has donated over $382 million to charities supporting the mentally and physically disabled, particularly the Special Olympics. As members of the Order, my father and grandfather have put in a lot of man hours volunteering at Special Olympics events. It gives them a sense of pride to contribute to the betterment of their community. They wear their Knights of Columbus rings wherever they go, as a subtle way of advertising the good deeds of the Order, and to remind themselves of their commitment to charity.
Conspiracy theorists love to hate Freemasonry because they allegedly run the world. In actuality, Freemasons are ordinary working men who have a strong commitment to their communities. Active lodges raise lots of money for charities and perform community service. My grandfather was recently honored by his lodge for his lifetime commitment to service.
My grandfather worked hard in the family clothing store for most of his adult life, but always made time for community service. He organized clothing and food drives, volunteered at shelters, and helped raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children. When he retired he spent his days volunteering with special needs kids in the local public schools. As a gift, I bought him a yellow-gold Masonic pendant to wear on his suit at the dinner in his honor. I only hope that I can live up to the example he has set.
The Shriners are an appendant body to Freemasonry and are best known for the red fezzes they wear and their hospitals. The Shriners Hospitals for Children treat children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate in a family-centered environment. Patients are accepted regardless of the parents’ ability to pay. There are currently 22 non-profit Shriners hospitals across North America.
The first Shriners hospital was opened in 1922 in Shreveport, Louisiana and provided pediatric orthopedic care. At first, the hospitals were intended to help children coping with polio, but as the disease became controlled the hospitals branched out into other specialties. Being a part of this rich heritage of philanthropic work on behalf of children is something to be commemorated. Shrine rings, emblazoned with the Shriners emblem and motto, are the perfect thank you gift for members of the organization.
In 1962 the Bulova company introduced a new line of jeweled watches. The reasoning behind it was to make their watches more competitive by offering a jeweled option at prices comparable to other manufacturer’s non-jeweled watches. Needless to say the strategy was a success and the new line of watches took off practically overnight. In the fifty years since their inception these affordable jeweled watches are now available from Bulova in over 290 distinct styles.
When Bulova introduced them no one expected Caravelle watches to be the success they’ve become. The best part about them is how affordable it is to have a gorgeous, eye-catching timepiece. There’s no need to spend as much money as most people spend on new cars just to put a watch on your wrist. When you’re doing your gift shopping this year don’t forget to take a look at Caravelle watches from Bulova for unparalleled elegance at a fraction of the price.