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Have you worn your white leather apron?

Have you ever worn your white leather apron?

  • Yes

    Votes: 72 41.4%
  • No

    Votes: 71 40.8%
  • Not untill I die

    Votes: 31 17.8%

  • Total voters
    174

Chaplin the Elder

Registered User
Have you ever deemed an occasion special enough to where your white leahter apron yet?

Yes. Actually, I wore my step-father's (who had passed before this date) when I raised my son in 2003 so there were three generations represented and he wore mine when I was installed by the M:. W:. David Counts as master of Montgomery #25.

For those who have visited the website and looked, no it is not a Texas apron as I was raised in New York.
 

Chaplin the Elder

Registered User
I keep my apron in my tube along with my last wishes written down on piece of paper tucked into the bib so my wife will know what to do when my time comes (eg. Masonic services , SR services and OES service and what she should do with my rings , pins/tie clasps and Masonic books) and who to get in touch with as to have the services set up so it will be one last thing for her to worry about . I have a linen apron that I take with me when out visiting that I throw in the wash with my whites to keep snow white then iron .

If it hasn't been said yet, as suggestion to those who keep their aprons in tubes.

Take it out and lay it flat. I have been to many (unfortunately) funerals where the brothers apron has been stored for years in a tube and will not lie flat on the casket. Kind of looks funny if you know what I mean.
 
B

BrianM

Guest
If it hasn't been said yet, as suggestion to those who keep their aprons in tubes.

Take it out and lay it flat. I have been to many (unfortunately) funerals where the brothers apron has been stored for years in a tube and will not lie flat on the casket. Kind of looks funny if you know what I mean.

To be honest , at all the Masonic funerals I have attend I am yet to see one "not" lie flat coming out of the tube . But , this is because we do not put it on their coffin , we put them on the body ( or the funeral parlor does ) , so the apron forms to the body . Kinda of hard to bury a Mason in his apron if it is on his coffin (if it is his wishes to be buried with it ) and we want the apron on them before the family and friends show up . We have a special apron we use for the funeral service ritual itself that we keep with us for all funerals .

No jurisdictions are the same and the rituals and traditions are different , so please do not take my post as argumentative . Just showing that we do things differently in my lodge (I like to see how different Lodge/jurisdictions do things differently than my own ) , so my lodge members leaving their aprons in their tubes would do no harm . But if you do actually place a Masons apron on the coffin itself , I can see were that would pose a problem .
 
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Chaplin the Elder

Registered User
To be honest , at all the Masonic funerals I have attend I am yet to see one "not" lie flat coming out of the tube . But , this is because we do not put it on their coffin , we put them on the body ( or the funeral parlor does ) , so the apron forms to the body . Kinda of hard to bury a Mason in his apron if it is on his coffin (if it is his wishes to be buried with it ) and we want the apron on them before the family and friends show up . We have a special apron we use for the funeral service ritual itself that we keep with us for all funerals .

No jurisdictions are the same and the rituals and traditions are different , so please do not take my post as argumentative . Just showing that we do things differently in my lodge (I like to see how different Lodge/jurisdictions do things differently than my own ) , so my lodge members leaving their aprons in their tubes would do no harm . But if you do actually place a Masons apron on the coffin itself , I can see were that would pose a problem .


There is no law requiring a brother to be buried with his apron or jewelry. In fact, we now encourage a brother to make his wishes known prior to someone else having to make that decision for him after he is gone. This way he can make sure that his apron and jewelry are passed on if that is his desire.

Having said that, if it is his desire to pass his apron, we remove it from the body just prior to closing the casket and use it at the Graveside ceremony and then present it to his family. Unless the leather has been worked on, this is when it will roll up. Even if we did not use his apron on the coffin when we present it to the family it would still roll up as we present it in a plastic sleeve.

As you pointed out, each jurisdiction is different and each funeral is different. What I have learned from my experience is that if you leave the apron in its tube it will roll, usually when you least want it to.

One of the things we do here is to have an apron night. This is a night when all the brothers wear their original leather apron to lodge. Kind of a nice thing to do, but funny when the aprons roll. ;)
 
B

BrianM

Guest
I wouldn't wear mine because I personally find those JP Luther , buy in bulk leather aprons cheap looking . It's all up to the individual , I have been thinking about it lately and told my wife I want to be buried with my linen apron anyways . It is a better looking apron and means much more to me than the leather one . It was given to me by my Mentor the day I was to be Raised so I could be wearing it when I was taught to wear my apron as a MM , it's the only "white" Apron I have ever worn to every meeting I have ever attended , other than my officer's apron . And it is snow white and not the ever so slightly off white of the leather apron .

Most all our Brothers are buried with theirs , if we present the family with their family members apron it would be placed back in the tube for presentation . In the past few years , the only Brother not to be buried with his is my Father-in-law's , which is now framed and hangs in my library . I hung it in there so it would not yellow because I allow no sunlight in that room so as not to ruin my books .
 
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rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
I have my Grandfathers he did not leave his wishes and my Dad left it up to me so I keep it for the family. I would love to wear it also if the ocassion where proper.
 
B

BrianM

Guest
I took mine out of it's tube yesterday after our discussions here and , sadly , if I want it to lie flat I will have to cut the protective cloth off the back because it is shorter than the leather and sewn evenly to the edges , so it draws the bottom of the apron up . I think I may take it to a family member and have the cloth cut away and a quilted backing put on it and the rope tie taken off (which is tearing away on one side) and a belt put in it's place . My only problem with that is the hap-hazard way the manufacturer had sewn the edges , I do not know how to cover that up . It's supposed to be a plain white , leather apron so I do not know if sewing white , satin piping around the edge would negate that rule .
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
Did you enjoy it as much as I do Brother Blake?

I also have to agree with you Brother Brian we could have a little better apron than the JP Lutheran 12.50 special. Wonder where we could find a top notch apron?
 
B

BrianM

Guest
Could have one made if we could find someone who works in leather . My aunt can , she makes homemade quilts and what not , she has a Masonic quilt and a Shriner quilt that are absolutely beautiful and she stated as long as the leather is soft enough and thin enough she can work with it . If you want designs on the apron , you can send them off to the company that makes her machine and they can load them on a special memory card and she can upload them onto her sewing machine (built in computer) .

I have a question , is the regulation apron in Texas 16 x 16 or is it 13 x 15 ? And if is 16 x 16 , is this the apron you get when Raised ? Or do you get the regular 13 x 15 ?
 
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js4253

Premium Member
Premium Member
I have a question , is the regulation apron in Texas 16 x 16 or is it 13 x 15 ? And if is 16 x 16 , is this the apron you get when Raised ? Or do you get the regular 13 x 15 ?

Texas regulation is 16X16.
 

Bro Mike

Registered User
I wear mine occasionally. I wore it to the Alamo last December. To a funeral and to the Texas Capitol yesterday.

I store mine flat, but yesterday as I was leaving the degree, I rolled it up to keep from dragging the ties on the ground. One of my friends saw me rolling it and reminded me to keep the apron unrolled by telling something along the lines of "...I'll laugh at you when it curls itself up on your coffin.'

If it hasn't been said yet, as suggestion to those who keep their aprons in tubes.

Take it out and lay it flat. I have been to many (unfortunately) funerals where the brothers apron has been stored for years in a tube and will not lie flat on the casket. Kind of looks funny if you know what I mean.
 

HoustonNick

Registered User
Recently I've attended both a Masonic Time Capsule Opening and a Masonic Cornerstone Leveling Ceremony at which I, and many others, wore our Leather Aprons.
 

Skogie

Registered User
I wear mine with White Gloves when presenting the Bible to a newly raised Master Mason. The Bible Presentation is not part of the Arizona Ritual and is done after the completion of the degree and he has signed the bylaws. The same for the Ballot Box Lecture and American Flag Presentation.

Since Arizona does not have an "official" or recognized Bible presentation and there are several available, I chose to put together what I considered the best parts and combine them into one. It is about 10 minutes long when delivered correctly.

Wearing the pure white leathern apron and white gloves of course are symbolic of purity.

This has not escaped the attention of several Brothers over the years and they agree that it is quite appropriate.
 

TMS615

Registered User
Rarely...usually only when conferring degrees or to funerals. I typically get good feedback from other Brothers who think it's a good idea...but because the Craft have made it an acceptable practice to keep it rolled up in the tube and squirrelled away in a closet somewhere, I fear that a number of Brothers go on to that cellestial Lodge above without the benefit of even having their apron adorn their casket because their families don't know anything about it or don't know where it is...very sad.
 

Skogie

Registered User
All too often the Brother who has passed on is a Widower. Whomever is in charge of his Estate all too often is not a Mason and knows nothing about that Apron rolled up in a corner of a closet.

I recently had a call from a person who was handling the Estate of a Brother who had moved to Minnesota, but had maintained his membership in our Lodge. He was a Widower and had not remarried. In his will, he had specified that he be buried with his White Leathern Masonic Apron. The handler of the Estate didn't have a clue as to what a Masonic Apron was.

After several phone calls back and forth, it was found in a old leathern case somewhere in his home. He wishes were granted and he was buried with it.

Our Lodge also carries on the tradition of wearing our White Leathern Aprons to Masonic Funerals. Too many brothers forget theirs, so we bring the inexpensive cloth types with us along with all the other paraphenalia associated with the Service to wherever the funeral is held in order for all the brethren attending may wear one.

We have become quite proficient doing Funeral Services I am sad to say. From the numbers I put together for the last 10 years, we have lost more than we gained in new Master Masons. This is not good.

Richard Skoglund, PM
Secretary
Payson Lodge No.70
Payson, AZ.
 

twobaths

Registered User
I wore mine at an outdoor MM degree at Liendo Plantation Saturday evening

I don't get to wear ot too oftem as I am the Secretary & wear an officers apron

Any time I go visit, I wear my apron

Fred Bath
Secretary
Tomball 1096
Tomball, Tx
 

Douglas Collins

Registered User
I always wear mine at a Masonic funeral. I've been to too many funerals where the aprons provided were not suitable for wiping tables. They had stains or were worn thin and really had nothing to promote dignity.
 
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