MASON AT SIGHT

by Elijah Mills | PM, Arminius Lodge No. 25

On March 30th, 2023 I traveled to Virginia to meet with Most Worshipful Brother Annas F. Kamara, MWB Jeffrey D. Russell, RWB Christopher Mahaney, WB Alex Crowther, and WB Pedro Guerrero for a very rare ceremony: to make a Mason “at sight.”

For those unfamiliar, making a man a Mason “at sight” is exactly what it sounds like but goes back to the very beginning of our fraternity. In Mackey’s listing of the Landmarks (he gives 25 in “The Manual of the Lodge”), he lists it at Landmark VIII which reads simply: “The prerogative of the Grand Master to make Masons at sight.” Henry Wilson Coil also addresses the practice in his Masonic Encyclopedia with a lengthy entry. He notes, however, that although there are traditions, it ultimately varies by the jurisdiction and the will of the Grand Master at the time. One of the earliest known examples of this practice was the raising of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine in 1731 who went on to become the Holy Roman Emperor 14 years later. William Howard Taft was raised as a Mason at sight (in Ohio) on February 18th, 1909 a few weeks prior to his inauguration as the 27th President of the United States and ultra-locally, General Douglas MacArthus was raised by this Grand Lodge on January 17,

1936. Here in D.C., I learned, this involved petitioning a lodge, having a favorable ballot, and then traveling to the petitioner’s home to confer the three degrees, which essentially covered the obligations and modes of recognition. This is an exceptionally rare ceremony and circumstances must be truly extra-ordinary coupled with a very deserving candidate to be granted. Frankly, when I made this request of the Grand Master on February 9th, I never expected it to be granted because they are so rare.

The occasion for this degree was, however, not a happy one. Going back to pre-pandemic, I had visited Benjamin Brown French Lodge No. 15 a number of times with a friend of mine, then Mr. and now Br. James Moxness. Although I am not a member of that lodge, I thought it would be a natural fit for him since he is an active duty Navy JAG officer and would enjoy the culture at their meetings - and he did. We went to several events and he even petitioned to join that lodge. And then he was deployed to Africa and was unable to begin his degrees. And then the pandemic struck and he was stranded there away from his husband for several years. Finally when he was able to return to their home in Virginia, he was almost immediately diagnosed with glioblastoma - a rare, aggressive, and always fatal type of brain tumor. Although he is blessed to be receiving essentially the best care through the military, even still, he was given 9-12 months as an estimate last year. A brief biographical sketch follows of Brother Moxness.

Lt. Commander James Moxness, II, is a triple degree graduate of the University of Arizona, masters graduate of the University of Oxford, and juris doctor via Harvard Law School. His mixed educational background, which spans the fields of art history, chemical engineering, and law has uniquely placed him as an intelligent and talented leader throughout the communities he serves. As a deputy staff judge advocate in the United States Navy, he not only serves as an essential component in maintaining the high quality of ethics and morals in the United States Navy, he works closely with US and foreign flag officers to train members of the service and allied navies in a wide range of legal and ethical areas. Most recently, he trained Djiboutian Navy personnel while at a posting in the Horn of Africa.

James is a devoted husband, married to Max Hazell since November 2016. He is also an active Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian, confirmed by the IX Bishop of Washington on the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul in 2017. He is an acolyte for his parish, and local leader of the international Society of Mary. He is also a confrere in the Order of Saint John, and is an active member of his community and DC professional life. His integrity, kindness, and honesty is rooted in devotion to Christ and love for others.

The journey to confer this honor on a deserving man was not always straightforward: he lives in Virginia, was briefly hospitalized at Walter Reed, then moved to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and then finally was at home again in Virginia - this obviously posed some jurisdictional issues but both the Grand Lodges of Maryland and Virginia were happy to grant our request to perform the ceremony in their jurisdictions. With the rapidly changing state of his health, having this flexibility was crucial. So, on March 30th this year, the team mentioned at the top of this article were able to visit Br Moxness at his home and confer the three degrees of Masonry in an abbreviated format around his bed.

Personally, I can say this is one of the most moving things I’ve experienced in Masonry. Quite simply, here was a man only a couple of years older than myself who is dying and what did he want: to be made a Mason before it was too late. We, your Grand Lodge, BBF, and everyone who pulled together on this project were able to make it happen and we should all be proud of that. Man is not too oft reminded that he was born to die - and I can tell you those degrees have a greater impact when conferred in those circumstances; greater than I would have imagined. I knew it would be hard seeing a friend of mine in his diminished state but seeing how much this affected him and knowing how important it was to get this done in time reminded me of how important what we do can be for people. 