Some evenings in the lodge remind you why you took your obligations in the first place. The conferral of the Master Mason Degree upon Brother Raul Ramirez was one of those evenings.
The night came with its challenges. Several key brothers were absent, and the degree very nearly didn’t happen or at least, not the way it was originally planned. But Freemasonry has always been about brothers rising to the occasion, and that’s exactly what happened. A handful of men quietly assumed new roles, adapted, and delivered. Most notable among them was Brother Kevin Johnson, whose portrayal of the first ruffian was nothing short of superb. It was the kind of performance that makes the degree feel alive. Not recited, but lived.
The first section, for its part, was as polished as any the lodge has seen. Textbook floorwork. Memory work that was crisp, deliberate, and very nearly flawless from all involved. It set a tone of seriousness and craft that carried through the rest of the evening.
This was Kenton Lodge’s first Master Mason Degree of 2025, marking a return to the work after Brother MJ Gold was raised in the closing months of last year. WB Dale Palileo delivered the lecture and the charge with the care those pieces deserve, and RWB Zack Andrew stepped in on behalf of WB Mike Milford to deliver the Grand Lodge charges that served as a fitting close to the formal work of the evening.
But the night wasn’t done with us yet.
After the degree, the lodge paused to recognize Brother Jason Stewart’s birthday ,marking a moment of levity and warmth that felt right at home after the gravity of what had just been conferred. There’s something uniquely Masonic about that kind of transition: from the solemn to the celebratory, without losing the thread of brotherhood that connects them.
Brother Ramirez received gifts from his brothers to mark his raising to the Sublime Degree. This was a continuation of a tradition as meaningful as any in the lodge. Among them, a sterling silver tie clip engraved with the date of his raising, presented by RWB Zack Andrew on behalf of himself and WB Mike Milford. It’s a small thing, and a significant one. The kind of gift a man keeps.
Welcome to the East, Brother Ramirez. You were raised well.
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