Photo of 18th Degree stage backdrop from Theatre of the Fraternity, Staging the Ritual Space of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, 1896-1929, University Press of Mississippi, 1996; Photo Courtesy: Holak Collection of the Performing Arts Archives of the University of Minnesota Libraries

I was a member of the 267th Reunion, the Bicentennial Class that became Scottish Rite Masons in October of 2001, Valley of Kansas City, Missouri. With much of what happened still fresh in my mind, I feel I can speak with some accuracy on the experience and share with you a reminder of what a Reunion is like from a Candidate's viewpoint.

From the moment I walked through the doorway of the Kansas City Temple on the first Saturday of the Reunion, I was made to feel welcome. Men in red coats were directing people around the lobby with what appeared to be the kind of practiced efficiency that only comes from doing something again and again. Once it was verified that I was a Master Mason and also a Candidate, I was taken to the office of the Valley Secretary where I was given a nametag.

Please note that I said I was "taken" to the office window. No one stood there and pointed. I was escorted! From the office we went to the hall by the Lodge Room where I was given a red collar with my nametag attached. Do you remember what it felt like to immediately become the one who stands out in the group? At that moment, I, unlike many of my fellow Candidates, knew no one in the Temple, yet when I stepped back into the main lobby, everyone seemed to know me! Everyone I passed shook my hand, introduced himself, and welcomed me into the Rite. I lost track of exactly how many times I was told that I would really enjoy the day and that there was a lot to learn.

I was then directed to the dining hall for a hardy breakfast that was, in itself, overwhelming! As I looked around me, I found other red-collared Brothers looking as apprehensive as I was about this experience. Like fish of the same kind schooling together, we began to gravitate towards each other. If I was nervous when I arrived at the Temple, this period of introduction and a chance for the Candidates to seek out any people they knew, as well as to make new friends, washed all my anxiety away. The way the Candidate is treated from his first arrival until the beginning of the Degree work has a major impact on everything that happens after that.

This was the first time I had seen the inside of the massive auditorium of the Kansas City Valley. It took my breath away! The lighting, the massive stone walls, the symbols that adorn the walls, the ceiling that resembles the sky-all of it literally left me speechless. From this point on, I was treated to ever-changing scenery on the stage and house lighting that made you feel that each Degree was a play worthy of presentation on the stage of any professional theater.

When you sit in Blue Lodge and watch Degree work, you know how difficult it can be to remember all the lectures and speeches given to the Candidates during the conferral of three Degrees. Yet here were many more Degrees, each evidencing the time and practice the Brethren had taken to make the Degree come off in an expert manner. More than 100 actors appeared on the stage in costume and make-up for the almost 200 character roles in the 13 Scottish Rite Degrees that were actually acted out in that auditorium over two Saturday meetings.

Because of the actors' abilities, the work served as a reminder that these performances were being given by men fully dedicated to Masonry. They were motivated to fulfill their roles in the best manner possible so that the Candidates would better understand the true symbolism of Freemasonry. I, for one, was deeply impressed, and the light of Masonry burns brighter in my heart and mind because of what occurred during the two days of the Reunion.

The presentation of the Scottish Rite caps was also a moving ceremony. The sincerity with which each Master performed his duty amplified the importance of what we had witnessed when we took the oaths for each Degree.

On behalf of my class, I want to say thank you to every Brother who was involved. I and my fellow Reunion classmates will endeavor to make you proud of the 32° Masons you helped to create.

How long has it been since you attended a Reunion yourself? How long has it been since you had that "light" of Masonry rekindled in you? Come to the next Reunion. I'll be there to meet you!

Ronald C. Hewitt is a web site designer and developer. He was raised in 1982 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is an active member of Rising Sun Lodge No. 13, Kansas City, Missouri. Brother Hewitt serves the Valley of Kansas City in the Temple Guard and is Chairman of the Greeters Committee. He also serves on the Childhood Language Disorders Clinic Board, is a student in the College of the Consistory, and works as a stagehand for the Valley Reunions.