Time Commitment for EA

I have a family with two young children and I was wondering what was expected time-wise in the initial stages of becoming a Mason. Although my time is in short supply these days, I know that this is a lifelong journey and I'd rather start now than wait for the right moment than miss out on that time for growth and brotherhood.

But, if the time commitments are great, then waiting might be the better option... any insight would be appreciated!




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If you can give a couple of hours a week to learning your memory work then you should do fine. I was made a Fellowcraft a couple of weeks ago and I was going to lodge one evening a week after the Christmas holidays.

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My lodge is 2 meetings a month and half the guys go once a month. its up to you how much time you want to dedicate to degree work. i was initiated in october, passed in march and is being raised on Sat, but a brother i was initiated with is still an ea. Its all up to you

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It was also depend on where you are as well. A mouth to ear state eould probably require more time than a book state

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Probably devote a couple hours a week at very least. You could do one hour, but then the overall time is increased, plus more difficult.


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I used to meet with my mentor Twice a week. Then I would run through the Catechism on my own at least once a day. Probably 4 hours a week on average. I learned my EA in 2 months, FC in 2 weeks. once a day is all it takes


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Phew, that sounds perfectly doable. My kids would still remain the predominant time hogs in my life... as it should be!

Thanks for the info!


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Yes, your kids should always be Number one


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I was able to find a couple of guys to do my memory work with during my lunch hour which worked out very well. Many of the instructors will work with your schedule. I went from EA to MM in about 5 months. The EA is the longest by far.. The FC was the shortest... at least for me. Really learn the EA well. Once you find the rhythm and cadence to the work it becomes so much faster. When you start dreaming it you'll know you're on your way!

Good luck!


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How guys doing


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The effort commitment to get through each degree is about the effort to complete a course at junior college. The time it takes varies widely from man to man. Expect a couple of hours every week until you have completed your degrees.

Moving forward after that anywhere from an evening most months to as much involvement as you have time for. That can range from wearing your ring and showing up a couple of times per year to the sky's the limit with some retired brothers.

The commitment will need to be there, this will never change. The choice is there to find time. I live in AZ, made an EA in February with a 20 month old and a newborn in March with heart issues. One of the ways I found to study is to record my self reading the study materials on my lap top, run it through a downloadable (free) converter, send it to iTunes and listen to it on my iPhone or iPod. I do not let it out of my sight and am fully responsible for it. At least once a day read it aloud in the mirror, driving in the car, etc. My thought, join no one wants or expects you to be Worshipful Master in the 1st year. You can be as active or passive. But you and your family will benefit from your experience.


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One thing to keep in mind... While you are learning the questions and answers be sure to try and understand the what and why. Just parroting the answers back is enough to get by but you're not getting the experience, symbolism, etc.

Take your time and immerse yourself in the dialog, use of words and phrases and you'll be ahead of the game in the long run.


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I agree 100%, I listen to several podcast about Masonry and one of them talked about taking each line of prayer and researching and reflecting on each line and discover what it means to you. Then I took on the same with each of the question and responses of the EA work. Very insightful......


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Monsignor said:

...Once you find the rhythm and cadence to the work it becomes so much faster.

Click to expand...

This is in large part the reason that the EA takes so long. Not only are you learning the work, you're learning HOW to learn the work. In this day and age, we all tend to depend heavily on the written or online word. Learning mouth-to-ear harkens back to a time when people learned differently, and requires some "re-wiring" of the mind. In my case, the more I learned, the easier it was to learn and retain.

As for time constraints, I was initiated at a time when I had an eleven month old and a 15 year old, along with a wife, a job, a side business and church requirements. It can be done, and it can be done without leaving anyone out, but it takes some planning on your part. Obviously, the more time you can give it, the faster it will go, but faster isn't always better. Part of the learning has to do with getting to know your teacher and brothers. Friendships are built over time, and shouldn't be rushed. Neither should the memory work be rushed. This isn't a race. If it takes you longer, then it takes you longer. In Texas, you've got a year to learn your EA work. I did mine in something like four months, even with my schedule. Truth be known, I'd have been better off to have taken longer and asked more questions than I did. I've had most of those unasked questions answered since, but it would have been better, I think, for the answers to have come while learning the work, at least, so much as they could have been answered at that time.

So go for it. It was a great decision for me to make. my only regret is that I waited so long to make the request.