Keeping The Secret

Some rituals are well guarded, revealed only to those who have accomplished prescribed measures of enlightenment.

“We have to keep some things secret because otherwise it will diminish the effect on the candidate,” said Michael Molloy, who as a 33rd degree Master Mason is one of a small band of highly revered brothers at the top of the scale.

“It’s all a surprise. The ceremony is a way of enlightening and teaching the candidate by using ancient ritual and symbolisms of history. We try not to ruin it for them by letting them know what will happen in advance.”

In addition to camaraderie and ritual, Masonic lodges also are involved in many charitable deeds. Euclid Lodge 65 sponsors the local Scholastic Bowl, takes part in Habitat for Humanity projects and Naperville’s Labor Day parade.

In our jurisdiction, any man over 18 can join the Masons. (Some lodges have groups for women as well). The lodge has about 180 members. The youngest is 21-year-old Adam Daeschlein from Wheaton, who has a special reason for being part of the fraternity.

“When I was 13, my father passed away,” he said. “I wanted to surround myself with older and well-respected men. (My father) was a history teacher, and he would have been really proud of me. It’s given me a nice place to socialize and feel comfortable.”

Tim Ory, the lodge’s historian, has been a member for 15 years.

“I started compiling information so we wouldn’t forget the men who had gone before us,” he said. “It went from curiosity to almost an obsession.”

The history of Euclid Lodge 65 shows it was begun in 1848 by Joe Naper and some of the town’s other founding fathers, such as James Wright and Lewis Ellsworth. The Masons had a presence in Naperville ever since, with their current building constructed in 1916.

And they don’t shrink from the light that Brown’s book casts upon them — although they stress it is fiction.

“I think Brown’s latest book is extremely positive,” Ory said. “It’s accurate and debunks a lot of myths.”

All the information about passwords and handshakes, he noted, is on the Internet.

“But they aren’t the true secrets. You can’t think about them as a tangible thing,” Ory added. “We are always in the process of seeking enlightenment. The knowledge is what I consider to be the secret.”