Found out Dad was a 3rd Degree Free Mason - What does that mean exactly?

SO Dad passed away 4 years ago. My Step Mom provides me a bin of stuff and in it is a black plastic like case. I don't believe she ever opened it up before, as she never seemed to be interested in his things.

My Grandfather I do know was in the Free Mason. My Dad had told me so, but I never did see anything that would lead me to believe that.

I went into this large black pouch bag and I found a document in scroll/left side in English and the right side I believe is in Latin? IT states that my Father advanced from 2nd Degree to 3rd Degree with the dates and his signature on the side of this form, not on the bottom. I found that it was signed during the time my Mom would have been about 5 months pregnant with me.

Also in this bag was something at first to me looked like one of those graduation caps, but blue and white in colour.. but when I opened this thing up, I am not sure what it actually is. It has tassels on either side, a square piece attached to another piece and when I lift the cap like part of this flag/thing my Dads name is signed on it again.

He never talked about it ever. My Mom said she never knew that my Dad was in it. When I asked my Step Mom she said she never asked him where or what he did.


My question. What does it all mean? Third Degree Mason I understand based on google terms.. but was he like eating Babies? Was he doing good? I know him to have always been a knowledge seeker and truth seeker. He did not like anything really about the government and he definitely thought for himself.

I guess I am just wondering what the initiative was and what he had to do to stay in it. If they would have any more records of him that would help me understand clearly a part of him I had no idea about before he passed.

Last Edited by CrazyMama73 on 05/16/2023 11:07 PM