What is a Mason?

What if you had to briefly summarize the questions: What is a Mason? and What is Masonry? If you had to, could you explain this to the profane -- without boring them with detail, yet with enough information to be meaningful?

Here's my stab at this. Feel free to share yours as well.

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What is a Mason?

A Mason is a good man who wants to be a better man. He has bound himself to other masons by promising to follow certain rules, most importantly the Golden Rule, especially when it comes to fellow Masons. A Mason may have any economic status, faith or color.

What is Masonry?

First and foremost, Masonry exists for the spiritual improvement of its members. Masonry uses rituals, allegories and symbols to convey morality to its members. Masonic teachings include the tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, and the cardinal virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice. Masons believe in equality, democracy and patriotism. Once conveyed, it is up to each Mason to incorporate these teachings into his own life.

Masonry channels a Mason’s desire to give to his community through formal charities, like Shriner’s Hospitals (treating children, http://www.shrinershq.org/ ), 32 Degree Masonic Learning Centers (treating dyslexia http://www.childrenslearningcenters.org/home.html ), and programs like MICHIP (Michigan Child Identification Program http://www.michip.org/).

Masonry also serves as a social outlet for members of the fraternity and their families.

For more about Masons and Masonry, see: http://www.gl-mi.org/masons.htm and http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/www/Masonry/Essays/

Discretion

An important part of being a Mason is keeping one's mouth shut.

Masons are not the only group of people who need to keep confidences: priests, physicians, lawyers are among a few of the professionals who are legally required to keep a secret. In my profession (software consultant) , I am always under Nondisclosure. Nondisclosure means that I can't share information I learn about my customer with people who are not part of the same agreement.

The contents -- sometimes even the existence -- of a Nondisclosure Agreement is part of the agreement; in other words, I would agree not to tell anyone what is covered by the agreement along with everything else.

Adults understand this. When I say, "I can't go into the details, but I've done that at a different customer", the potential customer understands that I must be discreet and can't give them details about another customer, and is reassured that I am not going to share their trade secrets either. It doesn't mean that they are bad people, or that I respect them any less.

In fact, I can't share trade secrets from my customers with my family or my Masonic brethren. Again, it doesn't mean that my family and Masonic brethren are bad people, or that I respect them any less.

Some have said that observing privacy agreements makes the people who are not covered by the agreement "second class brothers". As if everyone I call "brother" has a right to know everything I know. If you're not covered by the same NDA as I am, then, quite literally, it's none of your business.

The process of becoming a Mason involves agreeing to a nondisclosure agreement, the contents of which are covered by the agreement. We call this NDA our obligation. This obligation hasn't changed much over the years, and it's mostly the same from Grand Lodge to Grand Lodge, and the promises it contains are what make us Masons.

Keeping details about our fraternity private does not make those outside the fraternity, like our families and spouses, any less important to us; just as keeping details about our clients private does not mean our masonic brethren who are not privy to this information are any less our brothers.

Remember: A Gentleman never tells.

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Note: the graphics above can be found at this terrific masonic resource.

All Degree Day

I don't like the idea of watching a degree instead of going through the degree as an active candidate. I've done both and nothing -- nothing -- can replace the feeling of intimacy and bonding that I felt when I was brought into my lodge. First, the entire lodge goes to a lot of work, "just for me". Second, it's done in your home lodge, with members from your home lodge. Finally, direct experience is more powerful than vicarious experience.

Doric Lodge, Grand Rapids lodge and the Valley of Grand Rapids Scottish Rite held an all-degree day Saturday. I was the mentor for a Master Mason candidate, James. James' brother Donald drove over from Chicago, and he looked great in his tux, white gloves and PM apron. Three officers from our lodge attended: our WM (who was also the director of the MM degree) our SW and our marshal (who was also the marshal of the MM degree). None of the other officers made the hour drive.

Verne, our current SW, and Donald discussed the differences between F&AM rituals and Prince Hall rituals (Donald is from Prince Hall). I listened when I could, but I ended up becoming very busy. During the second degree, I mentored a candidate whose mentor did not show up.

The Scottish Rite and GR lodges who performed these degrees did a wonderful job. The middle chamber lecture was done in a very interesting way, with 6 or 7 people trading off, and with physical props instead of slides. Ironically, the one prop they didn't have -- a staircase -- is one which my small lodge has.

When I was raised, I had trouble hearing and seeing things during the degree (not quite as much trouble as the exemplar...). This time, during each degree, I could see and hear everything.

I had never seen the first two degrees from the sidelines; I have only seen them from the candidate's perspective. When you see all three degrees performed one after the other, you see how they build on each other, evolving to and culminating with the Master Mason degree. And I can see how performing a degree will give you even more insight into it. Whatever you think of all degree days, watching the degrees this way is a wonderful experience.

I made sure James understood the things he needed to learn during his raising.

For myself, I watched the SD during each degree closely. The SD is so important to a candidate during the degree that he can make -- or break -- a candidate's experience. No pressure or anything.

Afterwards there was a festive board, and as always, it was a wonderful time. Decent food, decent wine, outstanding fellowship. Donald was quite proud of his brother and promised to visit our lodge as soon as he could.

As I drove home, I realized how strongly I feel bound to the craft, and especially the brothers I have come to know this year. It's surprising knowing how different I am from many of these men when it comes to business, politics and religion, yet we truly share a common bond that transcends these things.

Happy to meet, sorry to part...


(A note on Prince Hall visitation: visitation between Prince Hall and FA&M in Michigan is allowed: the master of the host lodge must extend a written invitation to the visitor).

Raising James

James

James joined our lodge this year. He’s been a fellowcraft since June 19^th and has been waiting for a chance to be raised since July 1. I am frustrated that we have not been able to put together a MM degree for him ourselves; but having just been raised myself, I don’t know what the issues are. He shouldn’t have to wait this long to be a full member of the lodge. I know that other area lodges have banded together to do a third degree for their candidates; I would like to understand why we’re out of the loop.

We have a new candidate coming in next year, and during a cribbage match with a neighboring lodge, several members who know him offered to help raise him. And I’m sitting there with James thinking… we need help for James, NOW. Last Tuesday I was looking around the room and counted nine of us at the meeting. I know we can put on a MM degree with nine people – if we had to. Why aren’t we? But organizing a MM degree isn’t the sort of thing I can do during the first year of my Masonic journey; instead, I’m going to harness this frustration, and make sure this doesn’t happen when I CAN do something about it.

Of course there’s a problem with ME asking this question. I wasn’t present at the initiation of any of our EAs this year, nor was I present at James’ passing to FC. I’m a consultant and often have to travel, so I can rarely commit to a date more than a week in advance. I was traveling every time we performed a ritual.

James has helped out whenever he could, and he’s attended every meeting he could (we will open on the EA or FC degree if there is a brother of that degree present). In fact, he’s been elected Jr. Steward for next year.

James will be raised Saturday at an all-degree day, similar to the way I was raised, with 60! other MM candidates. I volunteered immediately to be his mentor – supporting his decision even if I didn’t agree with it. I do understand it, though, and frankly it will be a relief to raise him. I hope that as a mentor I can give him some of the intimacy that is lost by the exemplar ritual. He deserves better, but I’ll give him the best I can.

The master of the lodge holding the all-degree day wrote a letter to James’ brother, who is a PHA mason from Chicago. With this letter, he will be able to join us for the day.

I’m looking forward to observing the three degrees – I’ve never actually seen the first two. And I’ll be Senior Deacon the next time we initiate, pass or raise a candidate, so I’ll be paying particular attention all day.

Public Officer Installation

We decided to have a public installation, like last year, even though this year we are not combining our installation with another lodge.

I would like to put a notice in the paper. It's tricky because we are having a dinner for friends and family before the installation, in our lodge, and that part isn't open to the general public. And I wonder how comfortable most of the members would be to having the general public there.

But! We have advance notice. It is a public ceremony. And what better way to show potential members what we do?

Something like:

Historic South Haven Masonic Temple is opening its doors to the public on Tuesday, December 11, 7:00 PM. The temple was built in 1913 and well worth seeing on it's own. The "Installation of Officers" is the only ritual which the general public is allowed to see, so if you are curious about Masons and Masonry, don't miss this rare, FREE, event.

The Masons are the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world -- a worldwide social and community service organization, emphasizing personal study, self-improvement, and social betterment via individual involvement and philanthropy.

The Masonic Temple is located at 212 Center street, above Murphy's. Space is limited so please contact Russel Campbell at... if you wish to attend.

I'll run it up the proverbial flagpole. Is it normal to publicize this event?