In Washington, we have two separate and distinct options when it comes to Lodge Installations. Open, by which I mean that non Masons can attend, and Closed in which only Masons can attend.
Most chose Open installations, but not all.
Let’s chat about the benefits and drawbacks of each…
Why did you, or would you, choose one over the other?
We seem to always go with the open installation. The vibe it has in my experience is like a "college graduation". Really the reason it's open is because some brothers have worked really hard to achieve certain chairs or positions, and they want to share it generally with family and friends.
So that's a good thing, and open installations contribute to community transparency for lodges.
I think the bad thing is that for us it typically eats an entire stated and tends to make other business / programs / topics perfunctory.
All the Installations I have been a part of have been open. I see it as a time to celebrate our Craft. A time to honor the outgoing Master and our families and invite non-Masons into the Lodge room. Our Installations are held on a Saturday and we have a meal following the installations. It’s always been a lot of fun.
I'm a big fan of open installations. They're among the very few ceremonies where we can welcome non-Masons. Whether its family, friends, or prospects, we shouldn't miss the opportunity to share what we do. If the non-Masons in the audience are provided a brief introduction before the ceremony begins to provide some context about what they're about to see it makes for a much more interesting experience. (And no, the installing Master shouldn't just stand up front and say, "Let me show you how the gavel works, and let's get started", as I've actually seen a few installing Masters do.) To top it all off I think it's great when we can invite the non-Masons to stand with the Masons during the Closing Charge, which is probably my favorite part of our ritual.
As others have said, open installations are a celebration, especially for first time masters of their lodge. It's a (hopefully) long road up the line to get to the east, and at least for me, I wanted to share my day with my family and friends. Personally, I only wished my dad had lived long enough to see it.
But closed installations I've been to are usually held by a brother that's been in the east before, maybe several times, and it's no longer a big deal. That's generally the case from my personal experience. Also, typically open installations are somewhat expensive, with all of the food and drink, flowers, decorations, gifts, etc. Some lodges just can't afford that kind of spending.
Finally, time can be a consideration as well. I've been to installations that felt more like an eastern star meeting, with an hours worth of introductions and speeches. At one installation, the same person was afforded the public grand honors four separate times. I get it that you want to have a wonderful experience, especially for the first time, but you should really consider your audience as well.
I like parts of a Closed Installation such as the parade of recognition of the new Master. However with Freemasonry trying to better connect and be more open with their community I think an Open Installation is better.
I do indeed agree with the preference of the open installation over the closed ones for the reasons cited. But I’d like to also clarify one of the facets of the closed installation that cannot be done in the open installation.
In the closed installation, when the Installing Master invites the Brethren to join with him in the Grand Honors, the Standard Work allows for the Brethren to give the newly installed Worshipful Master the Private Grand Honors, in a specific manner described in the book, and also allows for an ode to be sung while the Brethren, one at a time, give the honors. There are only three situations that a Master Mason can receive the Private Grand Honors. This is one of them. (The other two are if he’s the Grand Master, and at his funeral in the Tyled Lodge ceremony, which is also in the Standard Work.) The chief drawback is it’s tedious. I’ve seen this ceremony twice, and afterwards, the Brethren are thankful they experienced it, but didn’t really want to go through it again.
On the note of installations, most Lodges hold their installations around this time of the year. Mainly because new year, new officers. Makes sense. But the Code was amended a while ago to allow installations to be held from the Monday after the Annual Communication until the end of January. That’s a wide window to hold installations, and my District has taken advantage of that and spread their installations out, to avoid overlapping. I remember situations 20 years ago where some Saturdays in December had 3 installations of Lodges on the same day who are less than 30 miles away from each other! There are some lodges that have By-laws that specify a specific date for their Installation, such as December 27th (St. John the Evangelist day.) Spreading out the installations in the district allow the other Lodges to have their installations earlier, so Brothers can enjoy the 12/27 installation better, rather than suffer “Installation burnout.” And yes, I’ve heard that term more than once. Bottom line: if your district has half of its Lodges hold their installation on the 2nd Saturday in December because of “tradition,” maybe it’s time for those Lodges to reconsider that “tradition.”
I prefer Open Installation mainly because we need to show our family and friends, even total strangers, how cool we are. We must use the open method whenever we can. I've had many comments from audience members about what else is offered by Freemasonry. What a great opportunity for us.
I will confess that prior to tonight, I'd never actually seen a closed Installation. Tonight though, I had the opportunity to Install the new Master of Sultan-Monroe Lodge using the closed ceremony. It was cool seeing him receive the Private Grand Honors.
When I became Master of my Lodge, one of the 'old timers' suggested to me that I have a closed installation for precisely that reason, so that I could receive the Private Grand Honors. Alas though, I chose an open installation, and I was glad that I did, for we were able to completely pack Centralia's large Lodge Room. That was great to see, and as others have mentioned, great exposure for Masonry.
We seem to always go with the open installation. The vibe it has in my experience is like a "college graduation". Really the reason it's open is because some brothers have worked really hard to achieve certain chairs or positions, and they want to share it generally with family and friends.
So that's a good thing, and open installations contribute to community transparency for lodges.
I think the bad thing is that for us it typically eats an entire stated and tends to make other business / programs / topics perfunctory.
All the Installations I have been a part of have been open. I see it as a time to celebrate our Craft. A time to honor the outgoing Master and our families and invite non-Masons into the Lodge room. Our Installations are held on a Saturday and we have a meal following the installations. It’s always been a lot of fun.
I'm a big fan of open installations. They're among the very few ceremonies where we can welcome non-Masons. Whether its family, friends, or prospects, we shouldn't miss the opportunity to share what we do. If the non-Masons in the audience are provided a brief introduction before the ceremony begins to provide some context about what they're about to see it makes for a much more interesting experience. (And no, the installing Master shouldn't just stand up front and say, "Let me show you how the gavel works, and let's get started", as I've actually seen a few installing Masters do.) To top it all off I think it's great when we can invite the non-Masons to stand with the Masons during the Closing Charge, which is probably my favorite part of our ritual.
As others have said, open installations are a celebration, especially for first time masters of their lodge. It's a (hopefully) long road up the line to get to the east, and at least for me, I wanted to share my day with my family and friends. Personally, I only wished my dad had lived long enough to see it.
But closed installations I've been to are usually held by a brother that's been in the east before, maybe several times, and it's no longer a big deal. That's generally the case from my personal experience. Also, typically open installations are somewhat expensive, with all of the food and drink, flowers, decorations, gifts, etc. Some lodges just can't afford that kind of spending.
Finally, time can be a consideration as well. I've been to installations that felt more like an eastern star meeting, with an hours worth of introductions and speeches. At one installation, the same person was afforded the public grand honors four separate times. I get it that you want to have a wonderful experience, especially for the first time, but you should really consider your audience as well.
I like parts of a Closed Installation such as the parade of recognition of the new Master. However with Freemasonry trying to better connect and be more open with their community I think an Open Installation is better.
I do indeed agree with the preference of the open installation over the closed ones for the reasons cited. But I’d like to also clarify one of the facets of the closed installation that cannot be done in the open installation.
In the closed installation, when the Installing Master invites the Brethren to join with him in the Grand Honors, the Standard Work allows for the Brethren to give the newly installed Worshipful Master the Private Grand Honors, in a specific manner described in the book, and also allows for an ode to be sung while the Brethren, one at a time, give the honors. There are only three situations that a Master Mason can receive the Private Grand Honors. This is one of them. (The other two are if he’s the Grand Master, and at his funeral in the Tyled Lodge ceremony, which is also in the Standard Work.) The chief drawback is it’s tedious. I’ve seen this ceremony twice, and afterwards, the Brethren are thankful they experienced it, but didn’t really want to go through it again.
On the note of installations, most Lodges hold their installations around this time of the year. Mainly because new year, new officers. Makes sense. But the Code was amended a while ago to allow installations to be held from the Monday after the Annual Communication until the end of January. That’s a wide window to hold installations, and my District has taken advantage of that and spread their installations out, to avoid overlapping. I remember situations 20 years ago where some Saturdays in December had 3 installations of Lodges on the same day who are less than 30 miles away from each other! There are some lodges that have By-laws that specify a specific date for their Installation, such as December 27th (St. John the Evangelist day.) Spreading out the installations in the district allow the other Lodges to have their installations earlier, so Brothers can enjoy the 12/27 installation better, rather than suffer “Installation burnout.” And yes, I’ve heard that term more than once. Bottom line: if your district has half of its Lodges hold their installation on the 2nd Saturday in December because of “tradition,” maybe it’s time for those Lodges to reconsider that “tradition.”
I prefer Open Installation mainly because we need to show our family and friends, even total strangers, how cool we are. We must use the open method whenever we can. I've had many comments from audience members about what else is offered by Freemasonry. What a great opportunity for us.
I will confess that prior to tonight, I'd never actually seen a closed Installation. Tonight though, I had the opportunity to Install the new Master of Sultan-Monroe Lodge using the closed ceremony. It was cool seeing him receive the Private Grand Honors.
When I became Master of my Lodge, one of the 'old timers' suggested to me that I have a closed installation for precisely that reason, so that I could receive the Private Grand Honors. Alas though, I chose an open installation, and I was glad that I did, for we were able to completely pack Centralia's large Lodge Room. That was great to see, and as others have mentioned, great exposure for Masonry.