Yesterday’s conversation about Masonic Funerals got me thinking…
Should we require those seeking to be Lodge Officers demonstrate ritual proficiency in order to become Lodge Officers?
To the best of my memory, in Washington the only Masons who are required by our Code to prove ritual proficiency are our District Deputies to the Grand Master.
Certainly though, a Lodge can, and I think that perhaps some do, require a demonstration of ritual proficiency prior to makings oneself available for one of the three principal Officer positions. This can be done through a Standing Resolution.
Should our Lodges do that?
Is it possible for our smallest of Lodges to do it?
Would doing it (in small Lodges it might mean that some folks would stay in an Office for multiple terms) help to break the bad results caused by the traditional progressive Officer line?
A Lodge could of course also propose that it be mandated by the Grand Lodge via a change to the Masonic Code. Should that be considered?
Let’s chat about it…
As with every Thursday, we will have a Live Open Thread for those with a paid subscription to Emeth. The email opening that thread will go out at 8:00 AM Pacific. It will have a bit of a twist this week.
I think if a concept like this was rolled out in small sections over time it would be possible in my jurisdiction. Unfortunately if this was a constitutional change that took effect immediately, we would have o ly a handful of Brethren that would be able to hold Officer positions and Lodges would have to turn in that charter or request special dispensation.
Prior to sitting in the East, it is an unwritten rule or expectation in Silverdale Lodge that before you have finished your term as SW you will conferred all three degrees, completed your PiLM and represented our Lodge in the Senior Warden Competition.
These unwritten requirements have proven well for Silverdale Lodge, ensuring to the Past Masters and Brethren that you’re worthy and well qualified to assume the duties and responsibilities of Worshipful Master.
In the back of the old monitors used to be a fold out pamphlet that listed what each officer should know. It reminded me of a Navy PQS. I was given a couple of those old monitors from MW Matt Martin and I was surprised at the level of proficiency expected of each seated officer.
I for one think we should bring that back. It is important that we maintain that level of proficiency so that we’re always training our replacements and it makes us a valuable asset in the Lodge.
We are know for two things in 311, good food and outstanding ritual work, and those are long standing traditions that we are proud of.
Yes. A man should be able to demonstrate proficiency in any work expected of his office. My lodge organization proposal includes an understudy program of assistant officers who are interested in the position but may not be perfect on the ritual yet.
Not all lodges have the luxury of performing degrees every year to meet requirements of having conferred each degree before sitting in the east.
In my opinion, it all starts in the beginning. Each brother, as they advance in the degrees, should be required to perform the appropriate posting lecture in open lodge. Before being appointed to any chair, they should have done it for the 3rd degree as well. This lays the foundation of two things. Becoming familiar with the work, and speaking in public. Just learning the ritual is one thing, but saying it in open lodge is another.
If you have learned the posting lectures, you are 2/3rds of the way to actually being able to open and close lodge and confer a degree anyway.
Next, the brother, if being considered for a pillared office, should obtain his PILM before elected. No one should be in a position of an office that they may not be suitable for, as a pillared officer is expected to be able to sit in the east if the other two are not available. And no lodge should ever elect someone who can’t do the work. Period.
And then you run into what I call past master disease. Lets say the lodge suddenly has the SW drop out and can’t move up to the east. The lodge looks around, and one old past master stands up and volunteers to stand for election as WM. The crowd cheers. The PM is elected, and at the very first stated communication, stumbles and bumbles his way through the ritual. And this goes on the entire year. The PM refuses to study, thinking that he still knows the work, hell, he sat in lodge a million times, of course he remembers it. As we’re all finding out, even just a year off has wiped a godly chunk of the ritual from our hard drives.
If you haven’t already, it’s past time to dust off the books and get studying.
In Colorado I believe the three principal officers must have official proficiency cards for all three of those offices before they can be elected to any of those positions, and in our Lodge specifically, we require the secretary to know the funeral, and possibly the three principal officers as well. The proficiency cards must be renewed every 2 or 3 years. I think this is a good system.
Buracracies are a necessary evil, and even with the best of intentsions, they are parasitic by nature. An example comes to mind in the Seattle Police Department. When I had a gallery in Pioneer Square, I met the Watch Commander for Seattle PD. Wanda told me that the operation orders for SeaFair had grown to 75 pages. Imagine, 75 pages that every officer was required to read, understand, and impliment for an event mostly covering just two days a year!
The parallel to Masonry is obvious. And the question is this: how far do we want to take these proposed requirements, and to what end? Let's say that Lodge officers should be required to confir every degree, from memory, with a minimum of 90% accuracy. Furthermor they should be pass Lodge Management with a like precentage. That seems a reasonable requirment.
When I became a Master Mason in 1971, I'm reasonabley sure every member of that lodge was able meet these requirments. But let's look deeper. It was not uncommon to see 30 to 50 members at a Stated. Sounds pretty good. Except the Lodge line up did not change. Year after year after year, it was the same 7 to 10 people. They switched chairs, but there was very little advancement, and consequently those few younger Masons that were in the Lodge attended with less and less frequency. Meanwhile these same members of leadership read the minutes and paid the bills and argued over the color of the table cloths for the next dinner. The average age was in the 60 to 70 range, and there were very few younger men. That Lodge, Home #100 no longer exists. The expectation for perfection served to create fifedoms in a Lodge whose command structure never changed.
It's no secret that many Lodges are shrinking, and some are on the brink. For some Lodges it's a struggle to get enough members to open on the EA. Covid aside, some Lodges haven't done a single degree months, or even years. Lodges must, and often do, borrow members to put on degrees.
Yes, a new Mason deserves the best degree we can put on. And yes, our brothers deserve the best ritual we can manage. But let's remember that "Perfection is the enemy of the good". Furthermore, the line up in a Lodge should advance so that new Masons can have an active part, which results in a much needed exposure to Masonic Education.
Lodges in crisis can also be a Lodges of opportunity. The opportunity is for Brothers to put our obligations into actions. This means to assist one another, and for the district Lodges to assist and support both the Brothers and the Lodges in their area. It's an opportunity for mutual support and fellowship. We travel to each other's Lodges to aid and assist, and to offer physical support and encouragement. Ill health has sometimes struck and we assist and support our brothers and our Lodges by sometimes filling in chairs for the officers. Is it perfect? Oh, not by a long shot. But we're having fun, and that bond of brotherly love goes a long ways. That cheerful infection of caring for, and about, one another is an excellent example of what we are as Masons, and is not lost on those looking at the Craft. I've heard from new Masons that they joined because they saw how we cheerfully help and support one another.
Lastly, in relation to Grand Lodge requirements, let us be reminded that "That government which governs least, governs best."
In theory, all the lodge officers should be proficient in the ritual. Each officer in line should know the ritual of at least the officer ahead of him in the event he needs to step up if a brother is absent. But the reality is, I’ve seen Officers who performed the ritual without a hiccup, each and every time but poor leaders, and in contrast, I’ve sat in Lodge with officers who stumbled through the ritual but did great things for the lodge. As far as obtaining the PILM, I attended the classes at the LLR the three years I went to the event. I completed the work and took the online test. For whatever reason, I never received my piece of paper. I’m not pointing a finger at anyone, it just never happened. Again, I don’t think a piece of paper makes a man a leader. The paper more than likely is the first step in creating a bureaucrat. Every lodge, like a family, carries its own dysfunction, and as we know, in the middle of the word dysfunction is the word fun. So, unless GL institutes a new set of rules, each lodge should be left to their own demise. If the brothers aren’t strong enough to remove an inadequate officer, then que sera sera.
There are some who would ask, "Why do we even have Ritual? It's all just mumbo-jumbo, in a language that's hard to understand." To which I reply, Ritual is a way of maintaining the meaning of Freemasonry. It is much the same as a religious service. Our Ritual is a definition of who we are, what we do, and why we do it. For me, the Closing Charge is an encapsulation of everything I love about our Craft.
Should the Grand Lodge *force* everyone to learn and recite Ritual? I say no. Leave that up to the individual Lodges. Yes, your potential officers should be able to demonstrate their Ritual proficiency. In my Lodge, the Senior Deacon confers the First Degree, the Junior Warden confers the Second, and the Senior Warden confers the Third. That way, a Master of the Lodge has conferred all three Degrees, and is truly a "Master" of his craft.
BUT... All too often, I have seen Lodge Masters in the East, with an open Standard Work, mumbling and stumbling over the Ritual that they cannot read. I have also witnessed Masters who delegate Opening and Closing to others because they themselves are unable to do it. Shameful!
How to cure this ill? No proficiency, no advancement. Period. But leave that up to the individual Lodges.
Yes, yes and yes!!!
I think if a concept like this was rolled out in small sections over time it would be possible in my jurisdiction. Unfortunately if this was a constitutional change that took effect immediately, we would have o ly a handful of Brethren that would be able to hold Officer positions and Lodges would have to turn in that charter or request special dispensation.
Fraternal greetings, RW and Brethren.
Prior to sitting in the East, it is an unwritten rule or expectation in Silverdale Lodge that before you have finished your term as SW you will conferred all three degrees, completed your PiLM and represented our Lodge in the Senior Warden Competition.
These unwritten requirements have proven well for Silverdale Lodge, ensuring to the Past Masters and Brethren that you’re worthy and well qualified to assume the duties and responsibilities of Worshipful Master.
In the back of the old monitors used to be a fold out pamphlet that listed what each officer should know. It reminded me of a Navy PQS. I was given a couple of those old monitors from MW Matt Martin and I was surprised at the level of proficiency expected of each seated officer.
I for one think we should bring that back. It is important that we maintain that level of proficiency so that we’re always training our replacements and it makes us a valuable asset in the Lodge.
We are know for two things in 311, good food and outstanding ritual work, and those are long standing traditions that we are proud of.
Have a blessed day Brethren.
Fraternally and V/r,
Todd
Yes. A man should be able to demonstrate proficiency in any work expected of his office. My lodge organization proposal includes an understudy program of assistant officers who are interested in the position but may not be perfect on the ritual yet.
Not all lodges have the luxury of performing degrees every year to meet requirements of having conferred each degree before sitting in the east.
In my opinion, it all starts in the beginning. Each brother, as they advance in the degrees, should be required to perform the appropriate posting lecture in open lodge. Before being appointed to any chair, they should have done it for the 3rd degree as well. This lays the foundation of two things. Becoming familiar with the work, and speaking in public. Just learning the ritual is one thing, but saying it in open lodge is another.
If you have learned the posting lectures, you are 2/3rds of the way to actually being able to open and close lodge and confer a degree anyway.
Next, the brother, if being considered for a pillared office, should obtain his PILM before elected. No one should be in a position of an office that they may not be suitable for, as a pillared officer is expected to be able to sit in the east if the other two are not available. And no lodge should ever elect someone who can’t do the work. Period.
And then you run into what I call past master disease. Lets say the lodge suddenly has the SW drop out and can’t move up to the east. The lodge looks around, and one old past master stands up and volunteers to stand for election as WM. The crowd cheers. The PM is elected, and at the very first stated communication, stumbles and bumbles his way through the ritual. And this goes on the entire year. The PM refuses to study, thinking that he still knows the work, hell, he sat in lodge a million times, of course he remembers it. As we’re all finding out, even just a year off has wiped a godly chunk of the ritual from our hard drives.
If you haven’t already, it’s past time to dust off the books and get studying.
Christian Bordenjust now
In Colorado I believe the three principal officers must have official proficiency cards for all three of those offices before they can be elected to any of those positions, and in our Lodge specifically, we require the secretary to know the funeral, and possibly the three principal officers as well. The proficiency cards must be renewed every 2 or 3 years. I think this is a good system.
Great ideas, brethren, but my Lodge would have to work toward that over time, perhaps as we gain new members.
Here’s another challenge: I’d like my Lodge to be able to re-earn its charter. That would also be a years-long project for us.
In a word, No!
Buracracies are a necessary evil, and even with the best of intentsions, they are parasitic by nature. An example comes to mind in the Seattle Police Department. When I had a gallery in Pioneer Square, I met the Watch Commander for Seattle PD. Wanda told me that the operation orders for SeaFair had grown to 75 pages. Imagine, 75 pages that every officer was required to read, understand, and impliment for an event mostly covering just two days a year!
The parallel to Masonry is obvious. And the question is this: how far do we want to take these proposed requirements, and to what end? Let's say that Lodge officers should be required to confir every degree, from memory, with a minimum of 90% accuracy. Furthermor they should be pass Lodge Management with a like precentage. That seems a reasonable requirment.
When I became a Master Mason in 1971, I'm reasonabley sure every member of that lodge was able meet these requirments. But let's look deeper. It was not uncommon to see 30 to 50 members at a Stated. Sounds pretty good. Except the Lodge line up did not change. Year after year after year, it was the same 7 to 10 people. They switched chairs, but there was very little advancement, and consequently those few younger Masons that were in the Lodge attended with less and less frequency. Meanwhile these same members of leadership read the minutes and paid the bills and argued over the color of the table cloths for the next dinner. The average age was in the 60 to 70 range, and there were very few younger men. That Lodge, Home #100 no longer exists. The expectation for perfection served to create fifedoms in a Lodge whose command structure never changed.
It's no secret that many Lodges are shrinking, and some are on the brink. For some Lodges it's a struggle to get enough members to open on the EA. Covid aside, some Lodges haven't done a single degree months, or even years. Lodges must, and often do, borrow members to put on degrees.
Yes, a new Mason deserves the best degree we can put on. And yes, our brothers deserve the best ritual we can manage. But let's remember that "Perfection is the enemy of the good". Furthermore, the line up in a Lodge should advance so that new Masons can have an active part, which results in a much needed exposure to Masonic Education.
Lodges in crisis can also be a Lodges of opportunity. The opportunity is for Brothers to put our obligations into actions. This means to assist one another, and for the district Lodges to assist and support both the Brothers and the Lodges in their area. It's an opportunity for mutual support and fellowship. We travel to each other's Lodges to aid and assist, and to offer physical support and encouragement. Ill health has sometimes struck and we assist and support our brothers and our Lodges by sometimes filling in chairs for the officers. Is it perfect? Oh, not by a long shot. But we're having fun, and that bond of brotherly love goes a long ways. That cheerful infection of caring for, and about, one another is an excellent example of what we are as Masons, and is not lost on those looking at the Craft. I've heard from new Masons that they joined because they saw how we cheerfully help and support one another.
Lastly, in relation to Grand Lodge requirements, let us be reminded that "That government which governs least, governs best."
In theory, all the lodge officers should be proficient in the ritual. Each officer in line should know the ritual of at least the officer ahead of him in the event he needs to step up if a brother is absent. But the reality is, I’ve seen Officers who performed the ritual without a hiccup, each and every time but poor leaders, and in contrast, I’ve sat in Lodge with officers who stumbled through the ritual but did great things for the lodge. As far as obtaining the PILM, I attended the classes at the LLR the three years I went to the event. I completed the work and took the online test. For whatever reason, I never received my piece of paper. I’m not pointing a finger at anyone, it just never happened. Again, I don’t think a piece of paper makes a man a leader. The paper more than likely is the first step in creating a bureaucrat. Every lodge, like a family, carries its own dysfunction, and as we know, in the middle of the word dysfunction is the word fun. So, unless GL institutes a new set of rules, each lodge should be left to their own demise. If the brothers aren’t strong enough to remove an inadequate officer, then que sera sera.
There are some who would ask, "Why do we even have Ritual? It's all just mumbo-jumbo, in a language that's hard to understand." To which I reply, Ritual is a way of maintaining the meaning of Freemasonry. It is much the same as a religious service. Our Ritual is a definition of who we are, what we do, and why we do it. For me, the Closing Charge is an encapsulation of everything I love about our Craft.
Should the Grand Lodge *force* everyone to learn and recite Ritual? I say no. Leave that up to the individual Lodges. Yes, your potential officers should be able to demonstrate their Ritual proficiency. In my Lodge, the Senior Deacon confers the First Degree, the Junior Warden confers the Second, and the Senior Warden confers the Third. That way, a Master of the Lodge has conferred all three Degrees, and is truly a "Master" of his craft.
BUT... All too often, I have seen Lodge Masters in the East, with an open Standard Work, mumbling and stumbling over the Ritual that they cannot read. I have also witnessed Masters who delegate Opening and Closing to others because they themselves are unable to do it. Shameful!
How to cure this ill? No proficiency, no advancement. Period. But leave that up to the individual Lodges.