Tonight, I will be attending a historical event at my lodge…... this will be the first stated meeting that my Lodge has opened in the EA in its over 100 yrs of existence. This year is the first time the Grand Lodge has allowed the lodge to open a stated meeting in the EA…...I know this might not be a big deal…but I kinda feel special because of this event. I know this may not set well with some but I am excited…..just hope I dont stand at the wrong time…..
Fireman, I hope you find it interesting. Apparently, the Grand Lodge of MA is doing the same thing the GL of MD did about 10 years ago.
It used to be here that lodge had to be opened in the 3rd degree and eventually closed in the 3rd degree. If there was business that had to be done in the 1st and/or 2nd, the lodge had to be “called off” (suspended) and reopened (in long or short form) in the lower degree. This involved a lot of time-wasting technical ritual. The worst case was when an apprentice was to be passed to the Fellowcraft degree. Lodge would open in the 3rd degree, transact routine business, then it would be called off and an EA lodge opened, usually in short form. The EA would be brought in so he could be examined as to his proficiency, after which the EA lodge was closed, the apprentice left the room, and lodge resumed in the MM degree to vote on his proficiency (the law required all ballots to be done in the MM degree). If favorable, the MM lodge was again called off and a FC lodge opened, usually in short form. The degree was then conferred, after which the FC lodge was closed, the new FC left the room, and the MM lodge resumed and then closed. Most members thought this was silly, but it took several attempts before the GL amended the Constitution to allow lodges to open and transact business, including ballots, in any degree.
There are, however, two stipulations: 1. Lodges can not pass from one degree to a higher one. It is not allowed to “work up”, only down. Now when we are conferring the FC, we open in the FC, then call it off and open in the EA degree to examine the candidate, then close the EA and resume in the FC to vote on proficiency and confer the degree and close lodge. 2. If the lodge starts by opening in the EA or FC degree, it has to be in the long form and closed at the end of the evening in the long form. So after 200 years of having a long form in the 1st and 2nd degrees which was practically never used, it is now finally used regularly. The MM degree has never had a short form opening/closing.
For your Masonic education, I remark that this is the opposite of the way lodges work in England and other jurisdictions that use the Emulation Working or something similar. There they always work up; i.e., lodge is always opened in the EA degree and then proceeds to the FC to confer it, or to the FC and then to the MM if that is to be conferred. When that is finished, they work back down (in a short form) to the EA to close. They don’t work in the FC or MM degrees unless one of them is to be conferred.
Thank you for the information. I dont know if it is GL rule or just my Home Lodge but they dont do any degree work on the night of a Stated meeting.
Last night was really neat to experience being the first EA to set in a stated meeting in my Lodges 100+ yr history. Once it was open, it pretty much seemed like any business meeting like my union meeting or any other organization but with a few slight differences. Bills were voted on, lodge fianances were covered, letters from people were read….and oh yea…they set the date for my FC…2-17-10….
I met some really nice people and got my neighbor, whom I found out just a few days ago is a member of the my Lodge, to go with me….he hadnt been in years due to work and since retiring, he has went because of not being able to see good at night….so I told him he doesnt have any excuse to not go if I am going.
My Lodge is having their inspection next week and I plan to go to the pre-inspection dinner….you have to be a MM to go to the inspection….but I can go and meet a few of the guys that will be there…and get a good meal…sounds good to me…..........
This is an interesting subject. It may be a time to discuss some of the nuances and regional exceptions to one size fits all notion. It is true that some Lodges maintain a certain history of style and protocol. In the case of Massachusetts Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, Three years ago the Grand Master of Mass provided for more liberty in the needs to open, close and maintain degrees during certain activities in a given lodge. In essence,the time involved in changing from one degree to another, can be eliminated. The activities of receiving distinguished masonic guests, the voting on new candidates, business meetings, etc, can be accomplished on other than the Master Mason- Third Degree. Now, it is up to the Master to see fit that the correct protocol is adhered to and rules are not breached.
The ability for a Massachusetts Lodge to have the desire, member and officer quorum present and the lack of conflicts with other bodies, not to mention a request for the GMs dispensation for special communications, is a noble venture. My Blue Lodge may attempt it once or twice per year for overflow candidate degree work, but it’s a lot of extra time. We as others, pack in a lot of work into a regular meeting. That is: business meeting, degree work, presentations, visitations, memorial services, reception of guests, candidate votes, charges, Annual meetings and wordy dissertation from the Past Masters in the NE corner! Whewwwww. And sometimes more. We do look forward to a hardy but usually late dinner and collation. But, we get it done. Your Massachusetts Lodge is unique from my travel. But, all works fine.
This is way too much for a forum designed to answer the question on how to become a Mason, but it shows the many different styles of Lodges that one might see as a Mason.
Ronald Doucette - Forum Moderator
It is nice to learn what other Lodges do, some are very formal in the Lodge attire while others are less. Here in the midwest, I would venture to say we have more “relaxed” attire in Lodge than others. At my Lodge, the unofficial rule is the attire is what you would wear to church. I havent been to any big events so it may be suit and tie for somethings.
I know this site is designed to answer questions for people interested in becoming a Mason…especially in Mass, but I for one appreciate the chance to talk with others on the topics covered….it has helped me very much on my journey so far….all be it a short journey. I have alot of questions and trust this site to be operating within regular lodge rules and not a site run by or dominated by multiple so called “masonic” organizations.
When I replied to Fireman, I forgot that he’s not in Mass.; he’s in Indiana, if I remember correctly. So it’s Indiana which is getting more modernized. It appears that the way they do things in Indiana is more like Maryland than Mass. is. From what I’m reading in this thread, Mass. sounds more like PA than MD, which is surprising since MA is AF&AM; and PA is F&AM;. Which just reinforces what has been said here, that procedures, rituals, etc. are different in the various Grand Lodges.
Here’s an interesting difference: In Mass, lodges have names but no numbers. With one exception, as far as I know, in all the other jurisdictions lodges have a name and a number. The exception is PA, where most lodges have a name and a number, but some of the oldest lodges have a number but no name. For example, Washington Lodge No. 3 of Maryland was, before the GL of MD was formed, Lodge No. 11 of the GL of Pa.
F&AM; stands for Free and Accepted Masons; AF&AM; is Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons. Lodges in the US are divided roughly 50-50 between the two. Washington DC is FAAM, Free, Ancient and Accepted Masons.
This goes back to the great schism in the Grand Lodge of England which occured in the 1730’s. At that time, the third degree had an additional (optional) section, not practiced by all lodges, which provided an ending to the degree which taught how the lost master mason’s word was recovered. This section was known as the Holy Royal Arch and was not included in the conferral of the MM degree, it was conferred by a Chapter consisting of the members of the lodge who had received it and only on past masters. However, it was possible for a master mason who was not a past master to obtain a dispensation to receive the Royal Arch. The Grand Lodge adopted a regulation forbidding the conferral of the Royal Arch; They also made changes in the officer line of the lodge which many members resented as being too aristocratic and high-falutin’. A large number of members, many of them Irish and Scots, withdrew from their lodges and set up a new Grand Lodge which they called the Antient Grand Lodge of England, and referred to the original Grand Lodge as the “Moderns” because they believed that the premier grand lodge had modernized masonry and the Ancients were the keepers of the ancient traditions. Both of the Grand Lodges granted charters to military lodges, who brought Masonry to the American colonies and the American Lodges they set up were in some cases “Ancient” lodges and in others “Modern” lodges. Other than the fact that the Ancients practiced the Royal Arch and the Moderns did not, there does not seem to have been a great deal of difference between them. In time, the “Ancients” came to see that they had stirred up too much of a hornet’s nest in trying to do away with the Royal Arch, so they allowed it to be practiced in chapters which were a separate organization from the lodge, but still under the control of the Grand Lodge.
After the American Revolution, the lodges here saw the need to set up their own Grand Lodges where there were none (MA, PA and, I think, NY were the only ones). Since there were Ancient and Modern lodges co-existing side by side in all the former colonies, they had to choose one or the other form, not wanting to have two Grand Lodges in the same jurisdiction. So it came about that some chose to be AF&AM;, choosing the Ancient traditions, and others preferring the Modern traditions became F&AM;. I have never been able to discover much logic in the choice. For example, the Grand Lodge of Maryland, established in 1787 as AF&AM;, was a daughter of the Grand Lodge of PA which is F&AM; the first Grand Master of Maryland had served as Deputy GM of PA.
So the answer is that it’s a matter of ancient history applied in ways no one can figure out and as a practical matter there is little difference.
As a footnote, the schism in England was repaired in 1813 when the two rival grand lodges agreed to merge as the United Grand Lodge of England. They agreed to follow the “Modern” disposition of practicing the Royal Arch in a separate Chapter. However, they wrote this provision into the Articles of Union: “Ancient Craft Masonry consists of three degrees; viz., Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason, including the Holy Royal Arch.” This makes it official that in England the Royal Arch is not a separate degree, but an optional part of the Master Mason degree notwithstanding the fact that it is conferred separately. In the US, the Royal Arch is universally considered a separate degree; in fact, a series of degrees.
Wor. Brother Young, in his “Excellent” report/answer, brings up a very clear discussion:
The continuation of the third degree! If we look at history and want to mimic the continuity of the Book of Law, it goes hand in hand that the next step is the Degrees of the Royal Arch. There are four in all. All are beautiful in presentation, meaning and symbolism to the continuity of the allegories. These solemn presentations secure the prior three degrees’ story to the candidate and make for a segway to the council and further to the Scottish Rite.
Those that see the want to advance should consider active participation in those bodies of the York Rite as a meaningful way for further education.
In my humble opinion:
Ronald Doucette - Forum Moderator
Overseas, military traveling lodges, hold their stated meetings on the EA degree, this way, we can have maximum participation. Many Grand Lodges, in the USA permit stated meetings to be held on the EA degree, as well.
