Home | What's New | Officers | Trestle Board | Masonic Light | Lodge History | Location | Poetry

THE SHORT TALK BULLETIN
The Masonic Service Association of the United States
Volume 83 Number 12
December, 2005

Return to Short Talk Bulletin Abstracts

Alponse Cerza

By: Dr: Stephen R. Greenberg

Alponse Cerza was a true Masonic giant whose writings are still popular today. Our catalog lists several digests authored by Bro. Cerza and they continue to be requested.
MSA is truly grateful to Dr: and Bro. Stephen Greenberg for sharing his thoughts and memories of one of Freemasonry's most prolific writers- Alponse Cerza.
Bro. Greenberg is a PM of Lawn Lodge No. 815 in Oaklawn, Illinois and also a PM and Fellow of the Illinois Lodge of Research.
-Editor

The noted American educator, Carl Schurz, in a letter written in 1864, said of President Abraham Lincoln, "He is a man of profound feeling, correct and firm principles, and incorruptible honesty. His motives are unquestionable and he possesses, to a remarkable degree, the characteristic God-given trait of this people, sound common sense."
The same thoughts may well be expressed today in full application of the mind and soul of one of the towering figures in Masonry, Bro. Alphonse Cerza. This good brother was born in Piane Crati, Italy in 1905, the son of Francisco and Serafina (Tosta) Cerza. Soon after his birth, his father and his older brother departed from their native land in search of a better life for the family in the land of America.
After a short period of time in Omaha, Nebraska, his father returned to Italy to bring his remaining family members to this great American land of opportunity. They arrived in Boston, Massachusetts before settling in Chicago. It was in Chicago that young Alphonse began his early schooling at the Dante Elementary School.
In 1918, his father fell victim to the epidemic of influenza then running rampant around the world, leaving behind his wife and three children. The oldest son had already established his own family in Chicago. Despite the economic promise of America, life was difficult for the Cerza family. Young Alphonse, of necessity, went to work after school as an errand boy for a local newspaper. It was here that he gained his first association with the printed word that was to eventuate into a life long passion.
Alphonse secured employment in a printing shop where he developed an affection for the linotype machine and the printing press. So strong was the infusion of printer's ink into his being that many years later when his home was built in Riverside, Illinois, he purchased and had installed in his basement the Chandler and Price letter press that he had actually used in bygone years. The press was so large and heavy that it had to be set into place and the house constructed around it. Alphonse continued to use this press to print his legal stationery, law briefs and many items of fraternal interest. During his youth, Alphonse continued to work in the printing trade, but also honed his business acumen by selling newspapers and by running a shoe shine stand, earning a nickel for each pair of shoes shined.
At the age of 14, he completed elementary school and became eligible to hold a full-time job which he obtained in 1920 in the bindery department of a banknote company in Chicago. Finding this employment not entirely to his liking, Alphonse apprenticed himself in various local print shops, while attending high school in the evenings. He hoped to become a newspaper journalist.
Alphonse subsequently transferred to Crane High School, but did not graduate because of a dispute with the principal. By 1926, he had amassed sufficient academic credits to enroll in Junior College. Alphonse worked diligently, carrying a full academic curriculum. With fully ninety hours on a transcript laced with good grades, he enrolled as a student in the Law School of Northwestern University.
In 1929, he graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. Degree in Law. His joy of accomplishment was severely tested within a few short months by the death of his mother. Alphonse was compelled to alter his career plans. In 1930, he enrolled in Chicago's Loyola University Law School. He was awarded the Degree of Juris Doctor in 1931 and a year later was admitted to the Illinois Bar.
His desire to further his journalistic career was delayed because of the severe economic conditions then engulfing the nation. In order to support himself, Alphonse practiced law in the daytime and worked evenings in a print shop. In 1934, Alphonse Cerza was joined in wedlock with Olga Baratte; a union that would last for 53 years and was blessed with three children and twelve grandchildren.
His legal practice was soon expanded by his appointment as an assistant Corporation Counsel of the City of Chicago. Later, he became the Chief Enforcement Attorney in the Chicago area rent control office of the Federal Price Administration. He resigned from this position in 1944 to enter law practice, first with a partner and later, in 1953 in his own practice. In this same year, Alphonse joined the faculty of the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Here he taught courses in Government Law and Civil Procedure. He authored two textbooks on these subjects. He was always a popular teacher, training many aspiring lawyers. He retired from the faculty in 1974.
The vineyards of Masonry were first entered by Alphonse Cerza in 1936 in Wabansia Lodge No. 160 in Chicago. His nascent interest in the Craft prompted him to enter the appointed line of lodge officers and, in 1945, he was elected Worshipful Master. Later, he became a member of Riverside Lodge No. 862 in Riverside, Illinois, nearer his home.
His true interest, however, was devoted to Masonic writing and research. He worked extensively for the Grand Lodge of Illinois, serving on the Committees of Masonic Education, Legislation, and Publications. He was appointed Grand Orator in 1968-69. His two annual presentations: A Concise History of Freemasonry in Illinois and Our Masonic Heritage were outstanding examples of scholarly research; a source of direction for future Masonic researchers.
He joined the Scottish Rite in the Valley of Chicago in 1945. Soon afterwards, he became a member of the Scottish Rite Speakers Bureau and subsequently its chairman. During his tenure, he instituted the Thursday evening Speakers Forums at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. These evenings quickly gained popularity with the inclusion of invited speakers of note.
He was honored with the Meritorious Service Award from the Illinois Council of Deliberation in 1961 and a year later he was coroneted with the 33rd Degree.
Bro. Cerza authored several books of lasting value. Among them, Anti-Masonry, History of the Scottish Rite in Illinois, The Courts and Freemasonry, A Masonic Thought for Each Day of the Year and A Masonic Readers Guide. His interests in things Masonic ranged widely. There was no facet that escaped his notice and his pen. He wrote extensively on the Roman Catholic Church and Freemasonry; on Prince Hall Masonry; Colonial Freemasonry; the Effect of the War of Independence upon Freemasonry; the Courts and Freemasonry; Taxation of Masonic Property; a Survey of Masonic Literature; and Womens' Liberation and Freemasonry .
Alphonse's essays have appeared in almost every Masonic journal and magazine including the Missouri Lodge of Research, the Illinois Lodge of Research, the Philalethes Magazine and the Official Journals of the Northern and Southern Jurisdictions of the Scottish Rite. In the Royal Arch Mason magazine he wrote on such subjects as Freemasonry and the Church, Masonic Odd Balls and Edgar Allen Poe and Freemasonry.
A most significant honor came to him when three of his papers were selected for publication in the Transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, the premier research lodge located in London, England.
An additional honor came to him later when he was invited to become a member of this prestigious body; one of only a few American Masons to be so chosen. Unfortunately, the final summons from the Grand Architect came to him before he could be invested with this membership.
I first met Illustrious Brother Cerza when I became a member of the Scottish Rite Speakers Bureau of which he served as the Chairman. We met together and became close friends. He appeared to sense in me some potential for Masonic scholarship which had penetrated so deeply into his being. He encouraged me to direct my fraternal endeavors toward Masonic education and research.
The deep knowledge of the Craft, its history and symbolism, were his real passion as they were to become mine. Alphonse Cerza always nurtured and guided me. He honed my writing skills; indeed, the many articles, books and papers I have authored over the span of years are a reflection of his personal confidence.
Of all of the monumental literature which flowed from his prolific mind, the pinnacle for Alphonse Cerza was his personal philosophy which governed his earthly life; "When one becomes a Freemason, the lessons learned from the symbolic degrees reflect the basic moral and ethical principles which caused me to become aware of a philosophy that I always had possessed within my being."
He stated further, "My philosophy coincides with my general thoughts of life because both are intended to serve the same purpose."
The time came for him to share his great intellect with those in the celestial lodge above. God called Alphonse Cerza home on April 11, 1987 after an earthly pilgrimage of 81 years. In searching for a proper epitaph for this singular man and Mason, I came upon these words penned in 1883 by Joaquin Miller: