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Conferring Degrees

Does your Lodge Confer Degrees?

  • No, we have a district degree team

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Yes, we confer degrees in house

    Votes: 90 98.9%

  • Total voters
    91

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
But why not having the WM and his officers doing the degree? The candidate is the most important person at that moment of initiation, and he should be handled by the most important officer in the temple

Y'know, back when I was progressing through my degrees, I wondered why they weren't conferred by the Master of the Lodge (but I didn't say anything about at the time). In a perfect world (Lodge?) I would agree with you, but our world ain't perfect. As such, I believe it is more impressive to the candidate to receive a properly-conferred degree, regardless of what titles are held by the members of the degree team.

---------- Post added at 09:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:50 PM ----------

Candidates for WM election usually were officers before, but that is not necessary. You just need to be MM in most jurisdiction, or 6th degree in mine, the Swedish Rite in Germany.

Here, unless appointed by the Grand Master to be Master of a newly-constituted Lodge, a Brother must have served as a Warden before he can serve as Master.

"Art. 276. (329, 330). Qualifications.
Any member of a Lodge in good standing, and against whom no charges are pending, and who has previously served as Worshipful Master of a regular Lodge in another Grand Jurisdiction, or as Worshipful Master or Warden of a Lodge in this Grand Jurisdiction, and who preferably has been certified as to his qualifications in accordance with the provisions of Article 276a of these laws, is eligible to be elected Worshipful Master.

Such previous service may be either:
(1) under election;
(2) under appointment by the Grand Master in a Lodge Under Dispensation; or
(3) under designation by the Grand Lodge in a newly chartered Lodge.

The above provisions regarding service do not apply when a Worshipful Master is appointed by the Grand Master or designated by the Grand Lodge under the above circumstances, but previous requirements as enumerated in the following Article 276a should apply to all such circumstances."
 
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tom268

Registered User
As such, I believe it is more impressive to the candidate to receive a properly-conferred degree, regardless of what titles are held by the members of the degree team.

Yes and no. It is not the title, that is important here. But the WM is a symbol himself. He represents a certain power, the power that initiates the new brother. As far as I know, this power is King Solomon in your jurisdiction, it is G-D in mine. Therefore it is most important, that the candidate does not get his initiation from a substitute.
 

Beathard

Premium Member
In my lodges it is critical that it is done by a substitute. Since we cannot read the ritual , and since there are only 2 or three of us that can confer the degree from memory, it becomes necessary for the WM to hand his jewel to one that can best degree.
 

Benton

Premium Member
I can certainly see both sides of the issue. I do think, at the end of the day, a good degree is more important than each officer filling their role therein. It does become more difficult with one year rotations as well, try to learn an entirely new part each time. I would imagine that by the time an officer is truly learning his role in and out, he's about to move to the next chair.

In a perfect world, each officer would know their parts in the degrees implicitly. I know, some day when I move through the chairs, I am going to learn the roles of my office. Not an if and or but. I will, when I'm WM, be able to confer my own degrees. If I can't, I won't move into the East.

But that's personal choice.

As far as I know, this power is King Solomon in your jurisdiction, it is G-D in mine.

It is King Solomon, but I think it also refers to deity. The 'G' is above the Masters head. He sits in the East, where the sun rises, giving wisdom and light to the lodge. (Hopefully.) In the same way, deity is the origin of all wisdom and light, He is there from the beginning (the sun rise), as the GAOTU.

So, while I think technically the Master represents King Solomon, there are obvious overtones to deity.
 

Dave in Waco

Premium Member
I see both sides and in a perfect world the WM would confer their own degrees. I do like the idea that officer should be responsible for learning all their parts. Now having said that, despite not having reached the East yet, I have already conferring 6 degrees, 3 EA & 3 FC. It has been great opportunity for me to gain more confidence in conferring degrees. I still haven't done a MM yet. I still need some work on it, but it's coming along.
 

wwinger

Registered User
Quote Originally Posted by Timothy Fleischer View Post I think for the A, you also have to know the circumabulation and prayers for the degrees, which are not strictly esoteric, as they are written down in full in the monitor. Not so for the certificate, but true in a graded degree.

Bill, what you say may have been true at one time but I don't believe it is now. In recent graded degrees I have participated in, prayers were required to be given from memory, as you have said, but the circumambulations could still be read.

I have heard different views on the EA prayer. Some have said that it has to be given from memory as part of the 'B' exam. What say you?
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Bro. Winger, AFAIK, the circumambulations are required to be recited in a graded degree, but I'll double-check that & let you know what I find out. As to your question, no- the EA prayer is not required to be memorized as part of any exam.

---------- Post added at 10:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 PM ----------

Bro. Winger, I stand corrected. Neither the circumambulations in any degree nor the roll of workman in the MM degree are required to be memorized in graded degrees. Thank you for calling this to my attention.
 
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Christopher

Registered User
We had a forum at our lodge in February and I thought I specifically remembered R:.W:. Anthony saying that in a graded degree everything but the circumambulations and the roll of workmen was required to be memorized, including the prayer in the EA degree.
 

wwinger

Registered User
We had a forum at our lodge in February and I thought I specifically remembered R:.W:. Anthony saying that in a graded degree everything but the circumambulations and the roll of workmen was required to be memorized, including the prayer in the EA degree.

I believe you are 100% correct. Bill Lins and I have both consulted information sheets put out by the Committee on Work regarding graded degrees and that is exactly what it says.

Don't forget to add the prayer in the MM degree, the one that is usually read from a piece of paper tucked in the hat, as it is to be done from memory also. The charges in all three degrees and the apron presentation for the MM have to be given from memory as well.
 

tom268

Registered User
Please, what is a graded degree? After a while, I learned, that a "stated meeting" has nothing to do with ritual work, but have you different kinds of degree meetings too?
 

Christopher

Registered User
Graded degrees are when a member of the Committee on Work (a Grand Lodge committee ostensibly devoted to preserving the wording of our ritual and work) comes and watches a degree that a lodge performs and gives a grade after the degree is over. The lodge begins the degree with 1000 points and the grader takes off points for incorrect words, wrong movements, and so forth, arriving at a final grade. At the graded degrees I've seen, the grader also critiques the degree afterwords, explaining to the brothers what he took off points for and giving them advice for future degrees. I'm not totally sure about this, but I also think only members of that specific lodge are allowed to participate in a graded degree. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Hope that makes sense.
 

tom268

Registered User
Interesting concept. Haven't heard of such a thing here. I get the idea, that lodges here are much more souvereign than in the US. The GL has ritual souvereignity here, of course, but a GL officer trying to grade a lodge would experience his last visit there. :) And a GM coming up with this idea would have no chance on the next general meeting.

BTW, grand lodge officers usually have not such a great ritual knowledge here. They are selected and elected for their administration skills, not for ritual knowledge.
 

jwhary

Registered User
We can do EA and FC; however, we use a district degree team for MM. We would like to get to the point where we could put on all 3 degrees.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
I also think only members of that specific lodge are allowed to participate in a graded degree. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Lodges which have a total membership of less than 150 Brethren may have a maximum of 2 non-members on their degree team.
 

JJones

Moderator
I haven't sat in any lodges outside my district, is it pretty common for districts to use degree teams?

We do most of our own degrees down here. Sometimes we get help from nearby lodges and vice versa but we don't have a traveling team or anything such as that.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
I haven't sat in any lodges outside my district, is it pretty common for districts to use degree teams?

In some districts it is. Most of the Lodges in my district confer their own degrees, with help from other Lodges as needed.
 

Beathard

Premium Member
At a graded degree the committee on work representative ususally follows this procedure:
1) Explains when a degree starts and stops.
2) Explains how someone should leave during the degree.
3) Explain how sideliners can cause the team to lose points:
- a) Talking
- b) Not being on step & duguard
4) Explain how grading works:
- a) 1 pt ( one word, movement)
- b) 2 pts (repeats)
- c) 3 pts (prompts, phrases)
5) Inform the lodge that there should only be one prompter
6) Explain that the candidate cannot cause the team to lose points.
7) Inform the lodge that no one is to leave during the degree unless in case of emergency. If you do leave, you must return. Everyone has to stay through the lecture and charge.
8) All prayers MUST BE recited - not read - in all degrees. Only scriptures may be read.
9) All items for the degree must be in the room.
10) The team begins with with 1000 pts, from which the deductions are subtracted.

Note: This was copied, with permission, from a CoW members note card.
 
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tomasball

Premium Member
And, after the graded degree is over, the CoW member proceeds to critique the degree in the presence of the Brother who otherwise was suppose to have just experienced one of the high points of his life. A degree is supposed to be about the candidate. Graded degrees take that focus away from him and communicate the idea that his experience was of secondary importance to the lodge getting a certificate.
 
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