Freemasonry

A fraternal organization is defined as a “brotherhood or a type of social organization whose members freely associate for a mutually beneficial purpose such as for social, professional or honorary principles.” The singular purpose of Freemasonry is to make good men better. Freemasonry is open to all men of good character who believe in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry is not a religion. Rather, its members are encouraged to practice their own faith and are taught tolerance of each other’s beliefs. Freemasons are united in their desire to be of service to mankind.

A Mason will meet you on the Level and act upon the Square. Truth is his Compass and he is ever Plumb in his dealings. He is master of himself. In the Lodge of life, he wears unstained the white lambskin of innocence. From his initiation as an Entered Apprentice he travels ever toward the East in search of light and Wisdom until he receives the Final, the divine Password that admits him into the ineffable presence of the Eternal Supreme Grand Master of the Universe.

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest, and most widely known fraternity in the world. There are more than 13,000 lodges in the United States alone. But throughout history, its structure and teachings have remained a mystery to many, and myths and misconceptions about the fraternity have arisen.

Since the middle of the 19th century, Masonic historians have sought the origins of the movement in a series of similar documents known as the Old Charges, dating from the Regius Manuscript (a poem) in about 1425 to the beginning of the 18th century. Alluding to the membership of a lodge of operative masons, they relate a mythologized history of the Craft, the duties of its grades, and the manner in which oaths of fidelity are to be taken on joining. The 15th century also sees the first evidence of ceremonial regalia.

There is no clear mechanism by which these local trade organizations became today’s Masonic Lodges, but the earliest rituals and passwords are known from operative lodges around the turn of the 17th–18th centuries. They show continuity with the rituals developed in the later 18th century by accepted or speculative Masons, as those members who did not practice the physical craft came to be known. The minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) No. 1 in Scotland show a continuity from an operative lodge in 1598 to a modern speculative Lodge. It is reputed to be the oldest Masonic Lodge in the world.

The first Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster, later called the Grand Lodge of England (GLE), was founded on June 24, 1717, when four existing London Lodges met for a joint dinner. Many English Lodges joined the new regulatory body, which itself entered a period of self-publicity and expansion. However, many Lodges could not endorse changes which some Lodges of the GLE made to the ritual (they came to be known as the Moderns), and a few of these formed a rival Grand Lodge on July 17th, 1751, which they called the “Ancient Grand Lodge of England.” These two Grand Lodges vied for supremacy until the Moderns promised to return to the ancient ritual. They united on December 27th, 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).

The Grand Lodge of Ireland and the Grand Lodge of Scotland were formed in 1725 and 1736 respectively, although neither persuaded all of the existing lodges in their countries to join for many years. The earliest known American lodges were in Pennsylvania. The Collector for the port of Pennsylvania, John Moore, wrote of attending lodges there in 1715, two years before the formation of the first Grand Lodge in London. The Premier Grand Lodge of England appointed a Provincial Grand Master for North America in 1731, based in Pennsylvania.

Other lodges in the colony obtained authorizations from the later Ancient Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland, which was particularly well represented in the travelling lodges of the British Army. Many lodges came into existence with no warrant from any Grand Lodge, applying and paying for their authorization only after they were confident of their own survival.

After the American Revolution, independent U.S. Grand Lodges developed within each state. Some thought was briefly given to organizing an overarching “Grand Lodge of the United States,” with George Washington (who was a member of a Virginian Lodge) as the first Grand Master, but the idea was short-lived. The various state Grand Lodges did not wish to diminish their own authority by agreeing to such a body.

Today, Freemasonry is composed of men bound together, not by trade, but by their desire to be fraternal brothers. The tools of those early builders have remained as symbols to help Masons understand and remember the teachings of the fraternity. The organizational unit of Masonry is the Blue Lodge or Craft Lodge. When a man has been accepted for membership, he proceeds through three degrees called Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and finally Master Mason. The Degree of Master Mason is the highest degree a man can achieve by the teachings of Freemasonry.

Lodges organized to form a Grand Lodge, which governs Lodges in specified territory. In most of North America, each state or province is governed by its own Grand Lodge. While the various Grand Lodges are bound together by tradition and customs, each is sovereign and autonomous in its own jurisdiction. There is no central governing body for any group of Grand Lodges or for Masonry as a whole. Today the majority of all Grand Lodges gather for an annual Masonic Conference where they discuss issues of interest to the individual jurisdictions.

The Fraternity utilizes certain rituals, symbols and signs of recognition that are not made public, but Masonry is not a secret society, rather it is a society with secrets. Its only secrets are its methods of recognition and symbolic instructions. It does not hide its existence, and many Masons proudly wear Masonic rings, tie clips, or Lapel pins. Its buildings are known to all, and its meeting times are well published.