Lodge Work for Master Masons

September 2010

More lodges are now bringing Master Masons on to the floor during ceremonies to give them a feel for taking part in ritual prior to their becoming Worshipful Masters. This is to be encouraged. Such tasks are particularly useful in the presentation of the tools of the three Degrees.

However, it appears that there are doubts as to what a Master Mason may or may not do during a ceremony, and Grand Lodge has now approved a set of rules which were announced in the latest Quarterly Communication. It is worth repeating that advice here by giving examples of parts of the ceremonies that Grand Lodge says can only be conducted by an Installed Master.

These are the Opening and Closing of a lodge, Initiation down to the end of the candidate’s entrustment with the secrets of the Degree; Passing, including the test questions and subsequent entrustment, down to the end of the entrustment with the secrets of the Degree.

Raising, including the test questions and subsequent entrustment, to the end of the main part of the ceremony, the Traditional History – but not necessarily the explanation of the Tracing Board – and communicating the full secrets. In addition, the entire Installation, including the three Addresses, but excluding the working tools.

It is down to individual lodges to decide what arrangements should be made when allocating work, but those parts of the ceremony which can be carried out by Master Masons ‘should not be allocated to them to the complete exclusion of Past Masters’ Grand Lodge makes clear.

This particularly applies to more junior Past Masters, who either do not have an office in the lodge or any early prospect of receiving one. It is important that their interest is maintained by the lodge as well as those of Master Masons. As such, both the administration of the Obligations and the communication of secrets should be the preserve of Past Masters.

So that is Grand Lodge’s view. One might add another point. Very often in lodges the same brethren carry out the same part of the ritual over and over again. ‘Old George is mustard at the Address to the Brethren’, so ‘Old George’ does it at each Installation.

Nobody wants to hurt the feelings of ‘Old George’. But this is what the lodge committee is for – to work out in advance in open discussion who does what. A quiet word to ‘Old George’ before the committee meets might soothe otherwise ruffled feathers. But involving as many brethren in the ritual is good.

John Jackson