Some Jurisdictions do One Day Conferrals of the Degrees on a fairly regular basis. In Washington there hasn’t been an event like that for many years as far as I know, but I am aware that we have done them in the past.
There is no provision within our Masonic Law to do them, so in Washington at least they have relied upon the Grand Master’s ancient power to Make A Mason At Sight. As such, they can’t be done without the consent and involvement of the Grand Master.
My hunch is that probably a lot of people have fairly strong opinions about One Day Conferrals, one way or another, focused on their benefits or their drawbacks.
So, let’s chat about it, let’s chat about One Day Conferrals…
I have a fairly strong opinion on this and will refrain from commenting. My questions to any one in favor of would be, what does the retention and activity data show from membership records. We don't do them in NC, however from jurisdictions that do, what does the data show? If you're Grand lodge keeps digital records they could get some analytics done. 1 If i walked up to a 1 day conferral would that member be able to give me the signs, tokens and words? By percentage, how many become officers and memorize their work? By percentage how many stay and contribute? How can you know what you obligated your self to if you don't memorize it? My point being, the data is there, what does it say? We too often make choices in the fraternity with out crunching the numbers.
My knee jerk reaction is it should never be done... however, let us speculate for a moment... imagine a man who is well versed in astronomy, Greek philosophy, biblical studies, pagan ritual, and often leads discussions with masons on these topics showing a knowledge level of the topics of the allegory beyond most masons. Why not confer the Degrees since he would understand them immediately.
I think there should be a distinction between a one day conferral and the Making a Mason on Sight.
First thought is that the ability and privilege of the GM to make a man a Mason on Sight is and should be a rare event. I consider that it would have been a great honor to have that bestowed upon a man.
The one day conferral seems to be a speedy way to allow someone to complete their degrees more for convenience than necessity.
Maybe there should be guidance in our Code to define the requirements of what should, if any, reason for a one day conferral. This need for speed reminds me of having more than one candidate or Brother receiving degrees at the same time. In our Jurisdiction we limit to no more than 3 at a time unless granted approval by the GM. But this seems like a other shortcut. Obligate them separately then instruct them together.
The Washington Masonic Code was revised in 2010 to allow only FC & MM degrees on a single day. All applying must be EAs and then only with the GMs approval (Sec. 20.01 BL) and then only at a Special Communication of GL. Prior to that they were a regular occurrence. Regarding the question about retention verses regular lodge; nationally over a 5-year period there appears to be no difference. Which I find very strange. But, I will take that for what its worth. It all comes down to this...treat the candidates the way we want to be treated and we will make an active Mason for life; if not then we will add a number to our roles.
Do we want to be a gentlemen's supper club? then sure, do it. If we want to develop men ethically, morally, spiritually, intellectually through the use of our symbols, allegories, and rituals? Then NO!...dead set against it, pretty much in all cases. In fact, i would slow the whole process down, for all the reasons i mentioned in other posts. I would even support a change to the code to take away the GMs power to make a mason on sight.
We’ve talked a lot about education and it’s importance. So are we willing to forgo education and proficiency to make a man/men a Mason in one day? I liken it to receiving the SR degrees in one day. The pageantry can be beautiful but the degrees are all in-depth and other than receiving your cap at the end of the day what have you truly learned or received. I agree with VW Mike, that the GM’s ability to make a Mason on sight should be extremely limited. I do think there are occasions when it’s appropriate to bestow that honor on a man, but it’s very rare. For me, it comes down to, how well is the West Gate being guarded?
On the notion of one-day conferrals, my question is this. Why? What’s the purpose?
You can’t “communicate” the teachings of quantum physics or theoretical calculus in one day.
Just as you can’t teach hundreds of years of history, culture, philosophy, and theology in one day.
OK, I can see understanding the universe in a night of tawdriness at the Gridiron Ale House while comparing it to the quality beverages of the Apple Tree Tavern. But the next morning…oh, my aching head!
I have enough trouble deciphering Pike and Mackey in a month’s worth of reading and sleuthing without the help of libations. But in one day? Perhaps there’s a business idea here; creating Cliff’s Notes for Morals & Dogma or Magnum Opus. But Bros. DeHoyos and Morris would have me tarred and feathered if I tried.
One day is good for dry cleaning. But not for conferrals.
Seen it in New Mexico and only 1 in 10 sticks. I had to lead the 3rd Degree team and we did a fine job, but we're not giving candidates the full benefit of real Masonry. It's meant to be a timeless tradition not a wave of the hand event. You hain nothing but a title. Enough said.
The ONLY reason I can think of for one-day conferrals is to Raise a Brother (who is already an EA) who is about to be deployed to a combat zone. I live in a "military town," predominately Navy, with a smattering of other branches tossed in for flavor. Deployments happen all the time. I feel that if a man is an Entered Apprentice, and finds out he will be deployed for an extended period, we should make all efforts to ensure he is a Master Mason when he sails/flies away. Otherwise, no one-day conferrals. I think such an event cheapens the experience for the Brother.
I decided to ask this question on Emeth today because I was asked in yesterday's Grand Master's forum if we would be doing One Day Conferrals in the upcoming term.
Afterwards I thought that my answer was kind of short, and I wanted the Brother to be able to ask me follow-ups if he had them, so after the forum I sent him an email.
What I found interesting, perhaps only interesting to me though, was his reply email. He indicated that the had asked the question because he had been hearing rumors that I was scheduling One Day Conferrals. Who knows how rumors get started, but as someone who has been talking about improving the Degree experience to anyone who will listen for quite a few years now, I was just rather surprised that this would be one of the (I imagine that there are quite a few) rumors about my upcoming year.
Rumors are indeed funny things though. I remember hearing a lot of rumors about one of our Grand Masters. My first year as DDGM (to be clear this wasn't either of the GM's who I served as DDGM for) the guy totally terrorized me because of the rumors I'd heard about him. In the years since, I've gotten to know him, extremely well, and consider him one of my greatest friends. As I got to know him I learned that the rumors about him turned out to be just about 100% opposite of the reality of him.
I think that points out the danger of rumor within our Fraternity.
I'll be back later today to explain my own opinion of One Day Conferalls. But for now, I thought that some might like to know this context.
Without having read any comments, a (1) day does not add in my opinion any characteristics needed to train candidates.
Having personally conferred all degrees on (7) candidates the work the it took between my time and theirs produced solid candidates whose proficient was Perfect as i am sure MWB Coffman can attest as he visited North Bank as he observed (3) of my (5) in 2019 do flawless proficiencies.
To me a (1) day is a desperate attempt to fill fill a promise to some one.
If a Candidate has time issue, i personably would not lower the standard to Him, He needs to raise His bar to us.
If you have read this far, as I'm sure you have guessed by now, the Grand Lodge of Washington will not be doing any One Day Conferrals during the 2021-2022 Masonic year.
For all the reasons stated here by others.
We must, in all that we do, strive for excellence in Freemasonry. We must work to improve the Lodge experience, and we must work to improve the Degree experience.
By doing those things, we are doing Freemasonry. Anything less is something different than Freemasonry, for Freemasonry is labor.
One Day Conferrals are the antithesis of everything we should be doing as Freemasons.
As far as recognition goes, the system is fine for now and long-term big gala recognition but...we need to remember that the Greatest management principle ever is,"The stuff that gets rewarded gets done".
Now, "One-day conferrals" are not rewarding for the new Mason as there is way too much going on in each degree and the short-term memory of the average human cannot capture all that stuff and convert it to long-term memory. Anyway, the old mentor system is much better in the long-term, in my own opinion, and is what I recommend. To the brand new Mason, they have nothing to compare what they've just gone through, (one day conferral), and cannot even come up with meaningful questions or thoughts. Everything they've just experienced becomes fugitive information very soon. We, as a Lodge are simply wasting everyone's time with these conferrals and would be time and money ahead using a simple, slow method.
My initial reaction was as many have commented below "no way" (NIMBY) attitude. But, (that pesky word) as Robert asks, "What do the numbers reveal?" Well, here is a video with 2 well respected Masons that are statisticians and have done this "number crunching" and the 2nd 30 minutes segment by Tim is VERY revealing.
Video provided by the Masonic Renewal Committee. It's 2 x 30 min presentations, first one is Brent Morris and second is Tim Wheeland - wow - statistics packed: https://vimeo.com/475886014/c1e981635b
I have a fairly strong opinion on this and will refrain from commenting. My questions to any one in favor of would be, what does the retention and activity data show from membership records. We don't do them in NC, however from jurisdictions that do, what does the data show? If you're Grand lodge keeps digital records they could get some analytics done. 1 If i walked up to a 1 day conferral would that member be able to give me the signs, tokens and words? By percentage, how many become officers and memorize their work? By percentage how many stay and contribute? How can you know what you obligated your self to if you don't memorize it? My point being, the data is there, what does it say? We too often make choices in the fraternity with out crunching the numbers.
My knee jerk reaction is it should never be done... however, let us speculate for a moment... imagine a man who is well versed in astronomy, Greek philosophy, biblical studies, pagan ritual, and often leads discussions with masons on these topics showing a knowledge level of the topics of the allegory beyond most masons. Why not confer the Degrees since he would understand them immediately.
I think there should be a distinction between a one day conferral and the Making a Mason on Sight.
First thought is that the ability and privilege of the GM to make a man a Mason on Sight is and should be a rare event. I consider that it would have been a great honor to have that bestowed upon a man.
The one day conferral seems to be a speedy way to allow someone to complete their degrees more for convenience than necessity.
Maybe there should be guidance in our Code to define the requirements of what should, if any, reason for a one day conferral. This need for speed reminds me of having more than one candidate or Brother receiving degrees at the same time. In our Jurisdiction we limit to no more than 3 at a time unless granted approval by the GM. But this seems like a other shortcut. Obligate them separately then instruct them together.
The Washington Masonic Code was revised in 2010 to allow only FC & MM degrees on a single day. All applying must be EAs and then only with the GMs approval (Sec. 20.01 BL) and then only at a Special Communication of GL. Prior to that they were a regular occurrence. Regarding the question about retention verses regular lodge; nationally over a 5-year period there appears to be no difference. Which I find very strange. But, I will take that for what its worth. It all comes down to this...treat the candidates the way we want to be treated and we will make an active Mason for life; if not then we will add a number to our roles.
Do we want to be a gentlemen's supper club? then sure, do it. If we want to develop men ethically, morally, spiritually, intellectually through the use of our symbols, allegories, and rituals? Then NO!...dead set against it, pretty much in all cases. In fact, i would slow the whole process down, for all the reasons i mentioned in other posts. I would even support a change to the code to take away the GMs power to make a mason on sight.
We’ve talked a lot about education and it’s importance. So are we willing to forgo education and proficiency to make a man/men a Mason in one day? I liken it to receiving the SR degrees in one day. The pageantry can be beautiful but the degrees are all in-depth and other than receiving your cap at the end of the day what have you truly learned or received. I agree with VW Mike, that the GM’s ability to make a Mason on sight should be extremely limited. I do think there are occasions when it’s appropriate to bestow that honor on a man, but it’s very rare. For me, it comes down to, how well is the West Gate being guarded?
On the notion of one-day conferrals, my question is this. Why? What’s the purpose?
You can’t “communicate” the teachings of quantum physics or theoretical calculus in one day.
Just as you can’t teach hundreds of years of history, culture, philosophy, and theology in one day.
OK, I can see understanding the universe in a night of tawdriness at the Gridiron Ale House while comparing it to the quality beverages of the Apple Tree Tavern. But the next morning…oh, my aching head!
I have enough trouble deciphering Pike and Mackey in a month’s worth of reading and sleuthing without the help of libations. But in one day? Perhaps there’s a business idea here; creating Cliff’s Notes for Morals & Dogma or Magnum Opus. But Bros. DeHoyos and Morris would have me tarred and feathered if I tried.
One day is good for dry cleaning. But not for conferrals.
Seen it in New Mexico and only 1 in 10 sticks. I had to lead the 3rd Degree team and we did a fine job, but we're not giving candidates the full benefit of real Masonry. It's meant to be a timeless tradition not a wave of the hand event. You hain nothing but a title. Enough said.
The ONLY reason I can think of for one-day conferrals is to Raise a Brother (who is already an EA) who is about to be deployed to a combat zone. I live in a "military town," predominately Navy, with a smattering of other branches tossed in for flavor. Deployments happen all the time. I feel that if a man is an Entered Apprentice, and finds out he will be deployed for an extended period, we should make all efforts to ensure he is a Master Mason when he sails/flies away. Otherwise, no one-day conferrals. I think such an event cheapens the experience for the Brother.
I decided to ask this question on Emeth today because I was asked in yesterday's Grand Master's forum if we would be doing One Day Conferrals in the upcoming term.
Afterwards I thought that my answer was kind of short, and I wanted the Brother to be able to ask me follow-ups if he had them, so after the forum I sent him an email.
What I found interesting, perhaps only interesting to me though, was his reply email. He indicated that the had asked the question because he had been hearing rumors that I was scheduling One Day Conferrals. Who knows how rumors get started, but as someone who has been talking about improving the Degree experience to anyone who will listen for quite a few years now, I was just rather surprised that this would be one of the (I imagine that there are quite a few) rumors about my upcoming year.
Rumors are indeed funny things though. I remember hearing a lot of rumors about one of our Grand Masters. My first year as DDGM (to be clear this wasn't either of the GM's who I served as DDGM for) the guy totally terrorized me because of the rumors I'd heard about him. In the years since, I've gotten to know him, extremely well, and consider him one of my greatest friends. As I got to know him I learned that the rumors about him turned out to be just about 100% opposite of the reality of him.
I think that points out the danger of rumor within our Fraternity.
I'll be back later today to explain my own opinion of One Day Conferalls. But for now, I thought that some might like to know this context.
Without having read any comments, a (1) day does not add in my opinion any characteristics needed to train candidates.
Having personally conferred all degrees on (7) candidates the work the it took between my time and theirs produced solid candidates whose proficient was Perfect as i am sure MWB Coffman can attest as he visited North Bank as he observed (3) of my (5) in 2019 do flawless proficiencies.
To me a (1) day is a desperate attempt to fill fill a promise to some one.
If a Candidate has time issue, i personably would not lower the standard to Him, He needs to raise His bar to us.
If you have read this far, as I'm sure you have guessed by now, the Grand Lodge of Washington will not be doing any One Day Conferrals during the 2021-2022 Masonic year.
For all the reasons stated here by others.
We must, in all that we do, strive for excellence in Freemasonry. We must work to improve the Lodge experience, and we must work to improve the Degree experience.
By doing those things, we are doing Freemasonry. Anything less is something different than Freemasonry, for Freemasonry is labor.
One Day Conferrals are the antithesis of everything we should be doing as Freemasons.
As far as recognition goes, the system is fine for now and long-term big gala recognition but...we need to remember that the Greatest management principle ever is,"The stuff that gets rewarded gets done".
Now, "One-day conferrals" are not rewarding for the new Mason as there is way too much going on in each degree and the short-term memory of the average human cannot capture all that stuff and convert it to long-term memory. Anyway, the old mentor system is much better in the long-term, in my own opinion, and is what I recommend. To the brand new Mason, they have nothing to compare what they've just gone through, (one day conferral), and cannot even come up with meaningful questions or thoughts. Everything they've just experienced becomes fugitive information very soon. We, as a Lodge are simply wasting everyone's time with these conferrals and would be time and money ahead using a simple, slow method.
My initial reaction was as many have commented below "no way" (NIMBY) attitude. But, (that pesky word) as Robert asks, "What do the numbers reveal?" Well, here is a video with 2 well respected Masons that are statisticians and have done this "number crunching" and the 2nd 30 minutes segment by Tim is VERY revealing.
Video provided by the Masonic Renewal Committee. It's 2 x 30 min presentations, first one is Brent Morris and second is Tim Wheeland - wow - statistics packed: https://vimeo.com/475886014/c1e981635b