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York Rite Sovereign College of North America

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
Yesterday evening I attended my first meeting at North Central York Rite College #116 since being inducted. It was officer election and installation night. It was an open installation so the families were there. We had a great catered meal with good fellowship. We then opened and held elections. After that we called in the families and proceeded with the installation. We have quite a few members so there was a good crowd attending. A good time was had by all. It was a great experience!
 
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chrmc

Registered User
I'm glad you had a good time, but almost feel compelled to ask, what made it a great experience? Was there anything of actual Masonic content at the meeting?
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
I'm glad you had a good time, but almost feel compelled to ask, what made it a great experience? Was there anything of actual Masonic content at the meeting?
Not at this particular meeting as it was an officer election and installation. I just enjoyed the new experience and being with my fellow York Rite Brothers. Plus it was only the second time in my life that I wore a tuxedo, lol.
 

chrmc

Registered User
Not at this particular meeting as it was an officer election and installation. I just enjoyed the new experience and being with my fellow York Rite Brothers. Plus it was only the second time in my life that I wore a tuxedo, lol.

Ok. That's fair. It's interesting to hear what people find to be a great evening in the Craft. If I had to go to an installation and election and there was no education, I'd consider that a terrible event, but that's just how people are different...
 

SørenSweR(I)

Registered User
Not at this particular meeting as it was an officer election and installation. I just enjoyed the new experience and being with my fellow York Rite Brothers. Plus it was only the second time in my life that I wore a tuxedo, lol.

Please help me, as a Swedish Rite brother, understand. How do you open a lodge to hold both election and installation without first completing ritual?
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
Please help me, as a Swedish Rite brother, understand. How do you open a lodge to hold both election and installation without first completing ritual?
I'm not understanding your question. All present were members of the York Rite College. We opened the college and held our elections. We then invited in the guests and then installed the officers. We then excused the visitors and closed the college.
 

SørenSweR(I)

Registered User
I'm not understanding your question. All present were members of the York Rite College. We opened the college and held our elections. We then invited in the guests and then installed the officers. We then excused the visitors and closed the college.

It's probably a rite difference. Here, an officer installation, and election for that matter, is part of masonic ritual and as such not accessible to the uninitiated. Not family or friend - unless they're also freemasons. Which then automatically cuts out female family members and male members under 21
 

Glen Cook

G A Cook
Site Benefactor
It's probably a rite difference. Here, an officer installation, and election for that matter, is part of masonic ritual and as such not accessible to the uninitiated. Not family or friend - unless they're also freemasons. Which then automatically cuts out female family members and male members under 21
In the US it is very common for appendant bodies, particularly national, to have public installations. United Grand Imperial Council of the Red Cross of Constantine for United States, Mexico, and the Philippines, did so today. In many rituals, no secrets are conferred at the installation of the presiding officer. You will even find women investing their husbands as national officers.
 
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Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
It's probably a rite difference. Here, an officer installation, and election for that matter, is part of masonic ritual and as such not accessible to the uninitiated. Not family or friend - unless they're also freemasons. Which then automatically cuts out female family members and male members under 21
Oh...now I understand.
In the US it is very common for appendant bodies, particularly national, to have public installations. United Grand Imperial Council of the Red Cross of Constantine for United States, Mexico, and the Philippines, did so today. Craft Lodges. In many rituals, no secrets are conferred at the installation of the presiding officer. You will even find women investing their husbands as national officers.
Precisely!
 

chrmc

Registered User
Please help me, as a Swedish Rite brother, understand. How do you open a lodge to hold both election and installation without first completing ritual?

What you would usually do specifically is to open lodge with the proper rituals, and then call it to refreshment, i.e. sort of put it in "pause mode" and then have the actual installation with any visitors that are there. Once that is done, the lodge would be resumed with only the members and then closed.
Some places you can hold events without actually having a ritual opening, but it's not as common.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
What you would usually do specifically is to open lodge with the proper rituals, and then call it to refreshment, i.e. sort of put it in "pause mode" and then have the actual installation with any visitors that are there. Once that is done, the lodge would be resumed with only the members and then closed.
Exactly.
 

SørenSweR(I)

Registered User
What you would usually do specifically is to open lodge with the proper rituals, and then call it to refreshment, i.e. sort of put it in "pause mode" and then have the actual installation with any visitors that are there. Once that is done, the lodge would be resumed with only the members and then closed.
Some places you can hold events without actually having a ritual opening, but it's not as common.

Wait, so uninitiated people can just wander around the lodge and Hall? Seems a bit open to my cross-Atlantic tastes
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
Remember, we may have youth groups, women’s groups, outside rentals, open days.
Exactly. For example the meeting being discussed as well as the meetings of two of the three lodges that I belong to are held in the local Knights Templar Commandery.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Wait, so uninitiated people can just wander around the lodge and Hall? Seems a bit open to my cross-Atlantic tastes

Our buildings have public and private spaces. The tiled room of a lodge is only private when tiled. So interested members of the general public can gather in the other rooms of the building while the lodge is opened. Then the lodge is called to refreshment at which time certain visual secrets are changed to a position that shown on the sign outside the building and the guests are allowed into a room which no longer shows secrets. Later the process is reversed to close the lodge.

But yes, having rooms that are open to the public would seem a bit open to some. We are very open about our Masonry in the US. Having a sign on the outside of the building is similarly open.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
Our buildings have public and private spaces. The tiled room of a lodge is only private when tiled. So interested members of the general public can gather in the other rooms of the building while the lodge is opened. Then the lodge is called to refreshment at which time certain visual secrets are changed to a position that shown on the sign outside the building and the guests are allowed into a room which no longer shows secrets. Later the process is reversed to close the lodge.
True.
But yes, having rooms that are open to the public would seem a bit open to some. We are very open about our Masonry in the US. Having a sign on the outside of the building is similarly open.
Yes, we are.
 
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