Founded in 1917, it’s a not-so-secret society of community volunteers
By Jill Cousins, OWSL
One of the best-kept secrets in Oviedo is tucked behind the eastside bleachers of Oviedo High School’s football stadium. The modest cream-colored building with the blue double doors probably goes unnoticed to most passersby, unless you’re looking for a good parking space for one of the Lions’ Friday night football games.
What actually lurks behind those blue doors is a society steeped in history and secrecy. It is also the meeting place for a group of men who are dedicated to helping the community and helping each other become better men.
This is the home of the Oviedo Masonic Lodge #243. “Our motto is, ‘We make good men [into] better men,’” says Rick Simmons, the Lodge’s 2010 worshipful master (the Masons’ version of a club president). “There are a lot of misconceptions about Masons and what we do. People think we’re a secret society, but we’re really not. But we do have our secrets. In fact, one of the first obligations is to take an oath that you won’t share the secrets of Masonry.”
A Masonic Lodge is a basic organizational unit of Freemasonry, a worldwide society known for its charitable work and secret rites. In recent years, Freemasonry has become more of a society with secrets, rather than a secret society. Among its members are 15 U.S. presidents, from George Washington to Gerald Ford, and 17 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Symbolism is also a big part of Masonry. One of the society’s iconic symbols is the “all-seeing eye,” which is pictured on the back of the $1 bill. All members receive a blue Holy Bible and a burial apron.
The Oviedo Lodge, which was chartered in 1917, takes pride in its Child ID program, a free service in which children are fingerprinted, interviewed, and videotaped. Parents then receive a DVD, designed to facilitate the safe recovery of a lost, runaway, or abducted child. “We’re really proud of the work we do,” says Richard Long, chairman of the Oviedo Lodge’s Child ID program. “Almost everything we do as Masons is geared toward children.”
Besides the Child ID program, the Oviedo Masonic Lodge is also a fraternity of men who are dedicated to community service and brotherly love. The list of past worshipful masters reads like a Who’s Who in the history of Oviedo – names that can be seen on street signs and on elementary schools, including Aulin, Partin, and Lawton.
In 1885, 31 years before the Oviedo Lodge was chartered, the area had an Ionic Lodge that was home to the area’s first Masons. One of those men, Andrew Aulin, was named the area’s first postmaster, and one of his first jobs was to give the post office a name that was unlike any other in Florida. At the time, the area was known as Lake Jessup community, and it was Andrew who came up with the name – Oviedo.
To become a Mason is no easy task. You won’t see Masons trying to recruit new members; they rely on new members seeking them out. There are strict rules regarding how prospective members can be approached.
The primary requirements are that a man must be at least 21 years of age, have belief in a creator or higher power [in any religion] and be interested in helping to improve the community. “We don’t advertise,” Rick says. “If you meet a nice person who you think would fit in with our community, you can ask him one time if he knows about Masonry, and you can ask if he might be interested. In the past, you couldn’t even do that.”
Rick, who joined the Masons in December 2006, discovered the Oviedo Lodge when he attended a church service in the Mason’s building. He had a nephew who was born with Down syndrome, and he knew that the Shriners [an affiliated body to Freemasonry] had done a lot to help his nephew receive proper medical care. By joining the Oviedo Lodge, Rick saw an opportunity to give back to the community in the same manner that the Shriners had helped his nephew.
“I feel like this gives you an opportunity to hone your skills as an individual,” Rick says. “I wish I had done this at a younger age. Not only do you learn how to treat each other, but as you progress [as a Mason], you learn how a business is run and how to be a leader.
“To be a Mason, you just need to be a person who wants to learn new things and help in the community. We help each other build a better community and better lives.” ♦ OWSL