DDGM Official
Visit
Friendship
Lodge No.691
Wednesday May
10, 2017
Brethren:
This is an Official Visit of the
DDGM, but in our district this is predominantly the season of
Installations….where the leadership of the lodge is passed from the now
experienced Worshipful Master to the incoming, and if things are working
correctly, to the NEW, never-before Master of the lodge.
I’d like to talk to you tonight
about what it takes to become a Master of a Lodge, what is expected of the Master
himself and more importantly, what WE need and can do to support the Master, to
help make his year, and thereby the lodges year, successful.
Firstly, I’d like to read some parts
from an address given at the Third Annual Communication of Grand Lodge held in Toronto,
on July 14, 1858 by M.W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson
To become the model Master of a Lodge, should be the
ambition of every brother; and to discharge with efficiency and zeal the duties
of that important office, should be his most anxious desire. Those duties are not confined to the mere
repetition of a few phrases, learned by rote, but he should be enabled to
instruct the craft, not only as to the meaning and origin of our ceremonies,
but also to explain to them the philosophy which is veiled in its allegories
and illustrated by its symbols.
The Master of a Lodge should also, in his life and in his
conversation, be a model for his brethren to admire and imitate, and should
himself practice, out of the Lodge, those great moral doctrines and virtues
which he inculcates within its walls. He
should be punctual and methodical in all things, and, both by his character and
conduct, command the respect, the esteem, and good will of all men; for, as the
Master is supreme in his Lodge, and distinguished by his position in the craft,
so should he also be distinguished as the possessor of an irreproachable
character, a dignified demeanor, an expanded intellect, and a liberal education. Happy and prosperous must those Lodges be
which are governed by such men! – Their
time of meeting is looked forward to by the brethren with the most pleasing
anticipation. Prompt at the hour, every
brother is at his station, and the work is carried on with pleasure and
profit. The Worshipful Master who
presides over his Lodge with ability, firmness and decision; (for without force
of character there can be no force of impression); whose manner is courteous
yet dignified; whose decisions are consonant with reason and Masonic law; and
who dispenses light and information among the craft, will ever be regarded by
his brethren as one who is entitled to their highest respect and their most
fraternal regard.
Brethren, this
is a part of an address by a famous and respect Mason, and it illustrates that
the requirements thought necessary of a Master of a lodge, applies as much today
as they did in 1858.
I would say
that everyone here would agree that the traits listed are among those required
of the Master of the Lodge. So, it is
also safe to say that we are all to some degree aware of the targets. BUT there is a related sub-topic that we
sometimes do not touch on as much as we should; that being how WE can assist
the Master in taking his skills and knowledge and applying them to a successful
outcome in his term.
Words such as
SUPPORT, RESPECT, PATIENCE, UNDERSTANDING, PROTOCOL, LEADERSHIP all come to
mind.
I could go on
for quite some time, discussing each of these, but the time reasonably
available would not do them justice…..so I will provide a cursory overview,
which I hope will still convey the message.
The Worshipful Master IS the leader
of the Lodge for the ensuing year, he through the office of Worshipful Master
is deserving of our respect and support.
The management of the lodge, the
delivery of the ritual is all under the superintendence of the Worshipful
Master. He is the leader, BUT he cannot
do it without the brethren. If he is a tyrant, the lodge may become somewhat
empty on meeting nights. He needs to
lead in the spirit of brotherly love and benevolence. The TEAM approach will work, the
dictatorship will not.
The Master NEEDS the support of the
brethren to assist in the running of the lodge, and it is in this manner we can
offer the most help. We need to be
active, we need to “play” for the team, for the common good, the delivery of
what our beloved craft stands for. This
SUPPORT to the Master cannot be understated for without it, the Master will not
be successful.
Also important is that we follow
protocol within the lodge. The Masonic
Manual defines Protocol
as in an observance of official formality and of etiquette. In simple terms, it is the established rules of behaviour for formal
occasions.
We need to follow this
established protocol within the lodge and in particular in our intercourse between
the brethren. The examples are many and
I will not list them here, but I reiterate the importance of adhering to them, and
I will say that this is very applicable to the interaction between the brethren
and the Master. We must respect the
chair and the authority that goes with it.
Simply put the Master governs the lodge and Masonic rules and protocol
provide both authority to the office and defines the appropriate protocol. WE can and should support the Master by
adhering to this long-established way of acting.
In
closing I just want to repeat a short passage I encountered during my journey
through the College of Freemasonry courses….
As the Worshipful Master the government of
the Lodge is in his hands. The
well-being and the happiness of the Lodge and the brethren is his
responsibility. He must be prepared to
have an interesting and informative year making the meetings interesting such
that the brethren look forward to attending.
As the Lodge’s main representative to the District,
he should be prepared to attend District meetings and the Official visits of
the DDGM. He should be prepared to bring
fraternal greetings from the Lodge when called upon. It is also the Worshipful Master’s
responsibility to encourage the brethren, and in particular the Officers, to
accompany him to those meetings. As the
Worshipful Master he should be prepared to attend Grand Lodge.
As the representative of his Lodge in the District,
he will have a busy but exciting year.
It will be imperative that he exhibits proper leadership within the
District in general and within the Lodge in particular. By and large, most of the duties and
responsibilities are defined and delineated within the Constitution of the
Grand Lodge and the By-laws of each lodge.
He should become thoroughly
familiar with both of them.
Worshipful
Master, I fully believe, with the support of the brethren, You have and will continue
to meet these targets…. and continue to have an enjoyable and rewarding year.
Worshipful
Master, I thank you for your indulgencies this evening and my Brethren I thank
each and every one of you for your kind attention.
And in
closing……. I would like to again remind you all of the Masonic Service for R.W.
Bro. Jason Ashley tomorrow evening when we will have a final opportunity to pay
our respects to departed merit and to please keep the Ashley family in your
thoughts and prayers.
R.W.
Bro. Clive D. Stephenson FCF
District
Deputy Grand Master
Sudbury-Manitoulin
District
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