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Worshipful Master

Should Worshipful Masters hold a Certificate?

  • Yes

    Votes: 47 56.0%
  • No

    Votes: 25 29.8%
  • Unsure

    Votes: 12 14.3%

  • Total voters
    84

TCShelton

Founding Member
Premium Member
Templar, I'd be all for that. It would be really simple at this point. Just combine the ritual cert with the LIFE program card.
 

Gerald.Harris

Premium Member
Premium Member
Should Worshipful Masters hold a Certificate?

Brother Blake, I voted yes on this issue for several reasons. The first of which is Article 187 which requires that the three principal officers of a new lodge must be able to collectively confer all three degrees in Due form. I know that there are those who will argue that we are not seeking dispensation to open a lodge. On that point I agree, but I feel that if it is a requirement for a new lodge, why shouldn't it be the same for an established lodge.
Secondly, I have been a District Instructor for going on 8 years. I have seen the lodges all perform their work, both during degree conferral, and during opening and closing ceremonies.The lodges that have Masters or Wardens who have certificates , all do better ritualistic work, hands down then lodges that do not. They also seem to have more confidence in the way that they conduct their business. I feel that if a Master has his ritualistic work memorized, then he does not spend hours worring about if he is right or wrong, and has more time to devote to carrying on the non ritualistic business of the lodge.
Thirdly, I believe that if a brother has the iniative to even consider working the chairs and becoming a Worshipful Master of his lodge, then he should commit himself to learning the work. I find it hard to understand why a brother who does not know his work would want to sit in the East and embarrass himself and his Lodge in front of his own members or visitors. If he does not feel this way, then I would question his reasons for accepting the nomination in the first place. Is he seeking recognition, self satisfaction, or is he doing this simply to make some one else happy?
Fourthly, I feel that he should have it in his heart to conduct the business of a Masonic Lodge in its entirety, without help from an outside source. He should have enough pride in himself and his Lodge to want to be able to do what is required of a Masonic Lodge, What would happen if his was the last Lodge standing after some great disaster that destroyed all surrounding lodges. Who would carry on the work?
Lastly, I want to state that I feel there is a place for all brethren in this great fraternity of ours, the ritualist, the business men, the lawyers, the intellectuals, philosophers, any and all good men who wish to better themselves, their lodge, and the fraternity in general. I know brothers who will never be ritualist who are some of the greatest masons I know and love. I still state that if they want to become a Worshipful Master they should at least learn how to open and close a lodge, teach a candidate the required work of each degree, and listen to a visitor give a trial oath, to determine if they are a mason or not. All of the requirements for a "C" Certificate.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
What about a leadership certificate for those desiring to become WM? The criteria could include a little of both, maybe a lot, or somewhere in between.

Red- that's basically what we're doing, except they only get an actual certificate for completing the LIFE program or for attending a Wardens' Retreat. The esoteric "C" certificate goes way beyond what little amount of ritual at which WM's are currently required to be proficient.
 
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J

JEbeling

Guest
NO.. ! and I think most here know my reasons.. ! The lodge can elect any one they want for WM.. ! and he should NOT have to be blessed by committee on "Hope and Change" or anyone else.. ! if he is a master mason in good standing and the lodge elects him .. ! should be end of story..? if you don't like him and don't think he would be good for your lodge then VOTE... ! if you go to some other lodge and your don't like the WM.. ! Then don't go back.. !
 
J

JEbeling

Guest
I think my reasons are clear... ! don't like Grand Lodge sitting around thinking of things for local lodges to do.. ! and telling them its good for them..? they treat local lodges they are too dumb to handle their own business...? some local lodges require an "A" cert. to run for the south.. and if thats their desire fine...! but the Grand Lodge should NOT tell them how to run their lodge.. ?

And yes I believe Tommy was wrong on this..!!
 

Bigmel

Premium Member
Premium Member
I voted unsure. even though I think that the line officers should meet the proficency requirements listed above. our lodge was chartered in 1888 and for many years it was the lodge instructor/instructors responsiablty to certify that the officers were proficent they signed a lodge form and announced in lodge the status of incoming officers. and this worked very well. in the last few years this requirement stopped working. over the years we have had Excelent WM's, Good and Poor ones, however we have survived and in many cases grown stronger. I think that it is not the GL requirement that bothers most brothers, it is the fact that someone outside our individual lodges are telling them what to do. However, it is our fault as individuals because failed to do (inside our lodges) what we know is right what we should do.
 

Gerald.Harris

Premium Member
Premium Member
I think my reasons are clear... ! don't like Grand Lodge sitting around thinking of things for local lodges to do.. ! and telling them its good for them..? they treat local lodges they are too dumb to handle their own business...? some local lodges require an "A" cert. to run for the south.. and if thats their desire fine...! but the Grand Lodge should NOT tell them how to run their lodge.. ?

And yes I believe Tommy was wrong on this..!!

It would appear that you were in the minority on this issue my Brother, since the members of the Grand Lodge of Texas ( who do run Masonry in Texas) voted to pass the recomendation. I for one do not believe that this issue says that the GLOT thinks the lodges are dumb, it simply states that if we are to continue on with masonry in this state in a manner that is recognizable with the rest of the craft across the nation, then the proper ritual of opening and closing should be folowed. This is not something personal, or directed towards one lodge. It is for all lodges in Texas.
 
J

JEbeling

Guest
Brother you are right.. ! it did pass.. ! but it doesn't change my view on Local Lodge Control... !
 

owls84

Moderator
Premium Member
Brother you are right.. ! it did pass.. ! but it doesn't change my view on Local Lodge Control... !

Then change it...! Pass a resolution and get people to back you...! There is another resolution to pull it back to the Local Lodges..! It to will more than likly go down in flames...! This is something OUR local Lodges passed...! And overwhemlingly support...! I for one feel if a Lodge can't open or close then there is no way Masonry can be taught by the officers...! Just because you are doing fundraisers and scholarships don't make you a Masonic Lodge...! Not everyone should get a turn in the East, it is an Honor not a right...!
 

js4253

Premium Member
Premium Member
!!!...--I remember back when I was Worshipful Master....!!!???...I thought it was MY DUTY to be able to open and close Lodge...!!!...???----???...Even though I couldn't confer all the degrees....!!!???...IT WAS MY DUTY, RIGHT????????
 

Gerald.Harris

Premium Member
Premium Member
Brother you are right.. ! it did pass.. ! but it doesn't change my view on Local Lodge Control... !

My brother , your views may never change regarding local lodge control,I for one hope that they never change I don't think anyone is pushing that issue and it is not the issue we were discussing in this thread.
The question was should a WM hold a Certificate before he is installed in the East ? The question was not Should it be a requirement of the Grand Lodge to force a WM to hold a certificate before he is installed.
I personally believe that the wording in article 276 A - should have NEVER been changed several years ago , then there would not be all the controversy over the subject today. For many years, it was a requirement that the WM shall be certified to open and close all of the lodges, and it was the duty of the installing officer to sign a Form, that attested to the fact that this was so. Most Installing officers had no idea whether a brother was certified or not and had a great problem signing the form. So the form was done away with and the wording was changed from shall to should. Once it became a recomendation instead of a requirement, many brothers just quit trying to learn how to perform the ritual properly.
 
J

JEbeling

Guest
Well there are a couple of question with this.. ! who has the wisdom of Solomon to dictate to ALL lodges in the state of Texas should be done..? there are a lot of small lodges who are just hanging on..? others in far west Texas that are miles for each other, traveling miles to install brethern.. ! what do you do when you get there with a crowd waiting for installation and you tell him he is not ready..? don't think so...? This is a big state with all different types of lodges.. ! think we should understand that we are ALL brethern and they will do whats best for Masonary.. !

The other part is the Committee on "hope and change" .. ! when you talking about opening and closing a lodge.. ! then why the Lodge of Sorrow..? something they sat around and made up.. ! was a mason for years and never opened a lodge of sorrow... ! our lodge open and closed every lodge the day of the service.. ! and this still can be done.. ! by the funeral master.. ! doesn't have to be done by the sitting master.. ! why the opening and closing of the EA and FC... ! something else they sat around made up.. if you can open a MM lodge and call off..? you don't have to open the EA or FC lodge by itself..?
 

Wingnut

Premium Member
Im pretty sure that at one time in some place all our rituals came about because someone sat around and made them up. Id much rather open an EA lodge or a FC than to open a MM and call it off if I was going to be doing business in EA as most stated meetings are done in. Or in the case of degrees just open up in that degree and get er done.

Why would an incoming WM wait until the day of installation to get certified? At most of the lodges Im a member of a person knows a few years in advance when he is heading to the East. I would think if person were serious about being the WM (and assume he did the LIFE or Wardens Retreat) he would do a little planning well ahead of installation day...!
 

scottmh59

Registered User
Im pretty sure that at one time in some place all our rituals came about because someone sat around and made them up. Id much rather open an EA lodge or a FC than to open a MM and call it off if I was going to be doing business in EA as most stated meetings are done in. Or in the case of degrees just open up in that degree and get er done.

Why would an incoming WM wait until the day of installation to get certified? At most of the lodges Im a member of a person knows a few years in advance when he is heading to the East. I would think if person were serious about being the WM (and assume he did the LIFE or Wardens Retreat) he would do a little planning well ahead of installation day...!

well put...!
 
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