Masons consolidate to one lodge
IMPERIAL — Imperial Valley’s roughly 120 active Freemasons now belong to one lodge.
The last two lodges in the Valley — located in Brawley and Imperial — formally merged in a ceremony at the lodge here Tuesday night.
Brawley Lodge 402 and Imperial Lodge 390 are now Imperial Valley Lodge 390.
“It’s a new start for Masonry in the Valley,” said Lodge Master Kelly Ranasinghe, an attorney in El Centro.
A fraternal organization whose origins trace back to the late 14th century, the Masons have been part of the Valley for decades, according Ranasinghe. He said at one time there were five Masonic lodges in the Valley, including ones in El Centro, Holtville and Calexico. But they have all consolidated over time, with now only one group remaining.
Ranasinghe said both the Imperial and Brawley lodge facilities will remain in use. He said the lodge in Imperial, at 115 E. Barioni Blvd., will serve primarily for administrative functions, while the facility in Brawley, at 178 S. Plaza St., will be used primarily for ceremonial purposes.
He said Freemasonry donates more than $10,000 annually to local nonprofit organizations. In November, for instance, the Imperial Lodge 390 donated $2,500 to the American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties toward the purchase of a new emergency response vehicle. The organization is also committed to local public education, Ranasinghe said, contributing thousands of dollars in scholarships each year.
Local historical figures of note who have been Masons include Judge Elmer C. Heald, who also was elected California Grand Master of Masons in 1963, and Myron D. Witter.
Despite these and other heavyweights who have been associated with local Masons, the group is anything but a political organization, Ranasinghe said. In fact, conversations about politics and religion are expressly forbidden in the lodge.
Misconceptions about Freemasonry include that it is insular, secretive and exclusive to those who are invited. Nothing could be further from the truth, Ranasinghe said. “We are very transparent,” he said. “All you have to do is ask.”
The same applies to membership. In fact, members don’t recruit other members at all. The way one becomes a Mason is simply to inquire, Ranasinghe said.
“We have a saying, ‘To be one, ask one,’” he said.
Ranasinghe said he’s been a Mason himself for about 10 years. He said he appreciated the organization’s work with kids (the Shriners are under the Freemason umbrella) and believed its ideals aligned with his own personal values.
Aside from local Masons, representatives from lodges in Yuma (No. 17), Mexicali (Palingenesia No. 46) and National City (Southwest No. 283) were on hand to commemorate the birth of the newly unified lodge.