Rizals masonry

Dr. Rizals Freemasonry Membership Dr. Rizal joined the freemasonry in Madrid in 1883 at the Acacia Lodge No. 9 Grande Orientes de Espana with the symbolic name of Dimasalang, which translates as Untouchable. What was the significance of joining a Masonic order? It was an act that helped Rizals political reputation. The Masons were known for their liberal ideas.

Why did Dr. Rizal join the Freemasonry? Research does not specify his reasons for doing so, thus we look to those influences that may have molded the mind of this Philippine hero. Despite his devout Catholic upbringing, Dr. Rizals decision to become a freemason came as a direct result of his well-rounded education, experience, travel and ultimately, his belief that fraternity and brotherhood would help him achieve his dream of the eventual liberation of the Filipino people and country from injustice, inequality and abuse from the religious friars and local Spanish rule. Other possible influences included family members like his uncle, Alberto Alonso, a mason and Knight Commander of the Spanish Order of Isabel the Catholic and Carlos III. Also, Dr. Rizals elder brother, Paciano, worked for Father Jose Burgos and harbored bitter personal feelings about the Cavite Martyrdom of 1872. Paciano made a pact with his younger brother to continue their fight for the betterment of the Filipino people. When Dr. Rizal left Manila in 1882, he carried with him growing resentment after witnessing the injustices suffered by his mother and the people of Calamba, and after his own personal experiences of inequity and maltreatment by Spanish students and teachers at the Universidad de Santo Tomas. En route to Spain in 1882, Dr. Rizal passed through Naples, Italy, where he spent two days observ-ing national celebrations to honor the death of a great national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882). Dr. Rizal learned that Garibaldi was a 33rd degree Scottish rite Master Mason best recognized for unifying his country. Upon arrival in Madrid, Dr. Rizal met many intellectuals who were masons and, to his surprise, exercised unbridled freedom of speech and activity

concepts unfamiliar to Dr. Rizal in his native country. He was soon deeply influenced by Miguel Morayta, Professor of History at the Universidad Central de Madrid, and Ex-President Francisco Pi y Margall, both master masons and both staunch advocates of Philippine independence from Spain. These men ultimately played a significant role facilitating Dr. Rizals membership at the Acacia Lodge No. 9 Grand Orientes de Espana in Madrid. Despite his many studies and activities, Dr. Rizal soon became very active with the freemasons.

Rizal adopted the Masonic name Dimasalang when he was anointed under the Gran Oriente de Espaa. Rizal is said to have been influenced to join Masonry by Miguel Morayta, a history professor at the Universidad de Madrid. Revolutionaries such as Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, Ladislao Diwa, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Juan Luna, Deodato Arellano, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, H. Pardo de Tavera, and so many others in the Propaganda Movement and La Liga Filipina were also Masons and as such were automatically excommunicated as decreed for all Catholics becoming Masons since 1738 and reaffirmed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines in 1990. However, a controversy remains on whether or not Rizal recanted Masonry before he died. There were allegedly three eye-witnesses to his retraction: Fathers Balaguer and Viza of the Society of Jesus and Captain Rafael Dominguez, who claim that Rizal had signed a document of retraction and conversion before he was executed. Captain Rafael Dominguez, who was with Rizal during Rizals last hours, mentioned it in his notes, which were an hour by hour record of Rizals last moments (Zafra, 1951). On the other hand, others believe that the documents produced by the Jesuits were fake and altered and the testimonies given were coached. They assert that the Catholic Church only started to claim Rizal as their own once they realized that the people had learned to love and admire Rizal (Fajardo, 1996).