here is my dilemma.

I was about to Join a Lodge in Maine when I got a new Job Offer in Boston. I travel back to Maine on the weekends to go back to my wife and live in Salem, MA during the week.

I still want to pursue becoming a member of the fraternity and wondering what course of action I should take; should I not join at this point; should i seek membership in Boston where I work, in Salem where i live or in Maine (No meetings on the weekends).

Thanks for any help.

Todd T.

i know this isn’t a normal question but any insight from a mason would be helpful in how to pursue membership into the freemasons.

Hi, Todd-

Thanks for the question.

You do have a little bit of a dilemma, but the answer is relatively straight forward.  What works best for you?  As far as the process for becoming a Mason, you will probably need to join a lodge in Massachusetts.  Whether it is in Salem or Boston is up to you.  The lodges that meet in both cities will welcome you.  Once you have joined, you could then affiliate with a lodge in Maine.  Although your attendance at the lodge’s meetings would be limited while you are living in Massachusetts, many lodges have weekend activities (community service, family, and social events, etc.) that would provide you the opportunity to become a part of their lodge.

I suspect that you will not be able to attend an Open House this weekend, since you will be in Maine.  Therefore, I encourage you to contact a Brother in Salem or Boston (or, perhaps both) listed on the Lodge Locater on AskaFreemason.org to learn more about their lodge.  This may help you ultimately decide which lodge to petition.

-Robert

Thank you for the reply. It is exactly what I suspected but wanted to be sure.

Todd

I spoke with the Ambassador to one lodge in Salem and he said to contact the Secretary it would be fine. The Secretary said it cant be done because I need to join where I am a resident.

Can anyone confirm or deny this?

I’m pretty sure that you can join any lodge in the state as long as you reside in that state.  Perhaps he misunderstood you?  If your official residence is in MA, you should be able to join any lodge in MA.  Also, if you live out of state, it IS possible to join a lodge in another state, but you need special dispensation from the Grand Master of that State.

Of course there is the slight possibility that the lodge you contacted has a special rule in their constitution that doesn’t non-residents to join, but that is highly unlikely.

I joined a lodge in Boston while living in Somerville, and most of the members of my lodge don’t live in Boston, so something isn’t right there.

I’ll do some checking.

Thats my issue, my official residence is the state of maine; however, i “live” in mass during the week. It’s hard to join in Maine when meetings are during the week and studying for the degrees would usually be then too.

The grand Master for the state was at my house a couple of months ago when I was thinking of joining his lodge, I will contact him and see what he thinks.

well, one of those roadblocks life puts in front of us. I will let you know which detour I chose;)

Do you mean Jeff Hodgedon or the GM of Maine?  If it is Jeff, he should be able to help you without a problem.  Just give him a call.  He approved a member for our lodge with similar circumstances.

That would be the GM from Maine, sorry for not being clear on that.

Well, the Grand Master of Massachusetts would be the one who would have to give the dispensation, but Gerald Leighton should be able to give him a call and put in a good word for you.

Hi, Todd-

As Dan pointed out, there is a “release from jurisdiction” procedure.  The Secretary of the lodge you are petitioning would write to the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts making the request on your behalf and explaining why it is necessary.  We then write to the Grand Lodge of Maine and ask them to “release” you from their jurisdiction.  Upon receiving the release (which is always given) you are eligible to begin taking the degrees.  It sounds complicated, but it really isn’t.  Masons are almost militaristic in following protocol, and this is one of the areas where it is observed.

Appreciate all the feedback, i’ll be running with it;-)

Todd