Tranquility Lodge Meets on the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Every year at Waco Lodge, we host Tranquility Lodge 2000 which was chartered to continue the Masonic work that began in 1969 when Brother Buzz Aldrin carried dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Texas. 2019 was special because the meeting fell upon the exact day that the entire world was recognizing the Moon Landing’s 50th anniversary.
Waco Lodge went above and beyond. The meal was smoked brisket cooked by the Lodge officers overnight. After breakfast, Tranquility Lodge’s members piled into the Lodge Room to begin the day’s labor which included a stated meeting, their annual officer election, installation, and a 30 minute program about the history of Freemasonry & Astronomy. In order to create the best environment for the program, Secretary Marshall turned the Lodge Room into a planetarium with a starry sky on the ceiling rotating in accordance to the diurnal rotation of the Earth. An enlarged depiction of the Earth and Moon were also employed as well as a 3D floating Moon which made its way around the audience. Amid the spectacle, attendees heard about the evolution of Astronomical studies from antiquity to the present day with an emphasis on cases where Freemasons played prominent roles in new developments. The highlight of the day was when Senior Deacon Brian Broadway unveiled his painted portrait of Brother Buzz Aldrin.