I have been reading what I can find about Free Masons and I believe I would like to be involved.  I read that if a person has a felony conviction that it may prevent someone from being a member.  When I was younger I was not the same man I am now.  I have not been in trouble for many years.  Will this prevent me or reduce my chances to the point that I shouldn’t continue pursuing this.  Any advice or light on this matter will be greatly appreciated.

I am delighted to hear of your interest in Masonry. Masonry requires its members to be of good moral character. There are 51 different Grand Lodges in the USA, one for each state, and Washington DC. Each grand Lodge is autonomous, and sets its own requirements. Depending on your state of residence, a felony conviction in your past may not necessarily bar you from admission permanently.  I suggest that you contact the lodge in your neighborhood, as well as your Grand Lodge. (I can help you locate them). You should make inquiries, and state your case.  Once a determination is made, then you can proceed with your application.

Please PM me with your name/address/telephone/email,etc and I will assist you in locating your lodge and Grand Lodge.

Good luck.

Hi, Cole ---

Your question is actually a lot more common than you might think.  While we cannot speak authoritatively for any other Masonic jurisdiction (and as Charles pointed out in the previous post - it does vary from Lodge to Lodge in ANY jurisdiction...) we can offer some generic guidelines.  While having a conviction on your record may not be viewed as a positive, it does not necessaily mean you will be rejected, either.  It may depend on:

* What type of conviction.
* How old you were at the time of the conviction.
* How long ago the conviction was.
* What type of man you have been since serving your sentence.

I think the best advice is to find a local Lodge, discuss it with the Master of that Lodge and take it from there.

The Grand Lodge of Oregon’s Website is: http://www.masonic-oregon.com/content/home/index.php then click on “Find a local Lodge” on the left hand collumn.

Good luck!