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Opening in an EA

cacarter

Premium Member
A few years ago, Grand Lodge allowed lodges to open directly into an EA or FC lodge and allow EAs or FCs into meetings. From what I have seen many lodges do just that and will now have stated meetings in the EA degree. To me this seems like a good thing, EAs are involved and they experience the business of the lodge.

However some think having an EA at a meeting is taboo and if an EA or FC lodge is to be opened, it should be done after calling down from a MM lodge. I'm curious to see everyone's thoughts on this.
 
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Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
The GL usually stipulates how it should be done. NM allows the lodge to open in any of the three, depending on Work and membership. Some GLs require opening in the Third and stepping down.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
However some thing having an EA at a meeting is taboo

That's a good opportunity for Masonic education! Give a talk on how Stated meetings in the EA degree has been the world wide standard since the Premier Grand Lodge of England. Talk about the Anti-Masonic movement of the 1840s, the Baltimore Convention and why staying away from the world wide standard has been obsolete since the Civil War. To folks who say "We've always done it that way" point out that the "we" in question is world wide Masonry.

and if an EA or FC lodge is to be opened, it should be done after calling down from a MM lodge. I'm curious to see everyone's thoughts on this.

Each jurisdiction gets to set its own ritual. I don't like it that way and when I was given the choice I didn't do it that way. But at the time I was in a jurisdiction that offered opening 1 or 2 or 3 directly or 123 or opening to 2 or 3 then calling down. Since I had the choice I chose to involve the EAs and FCs as much as I could.

My 2nd year in the east it still took dispensation from the GM to open on the 1st, so I sent a letter asking for that dispensation. Then I wrote an article for the Masonic newspaper about the history of how and why and when the US diverged from the world wide standard. That's they year Illinois voted on restoring the world wide standard. I was asked by the DGM to speak on the floor as a result of that article. What happened is the outgoing MW GM told us how many lodges had requested dispensation. Nearly half. Hearing that was all it took. Everyone lining up walked away from the microphones and the vote passed with almost no votes against.
 

Bro. Stewart P.M.

Lead Moderator Emeritus
Staff Member
The GLoTX leaves it to the Worshipful Master's option as to opening in the EA or FC degrees for meetings.

I choose not to conduct stated meetings in anything less than a Master's lodge.
 

Bro Darren

Premium Member
Here is Australia the meeting is conducted in accordance with the lowest Degree member attending.

Here we can not be passed to FC for a period of no less than 3 months and Master Mason for a period of no less than 12 months.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
The GLoTX leaves it to the Worshipful Master's option as to opening in the EA or FC degrees for meetings.
Not exactly, Worshipful- you might want to review this more carefully:

Art. 331. Stated Meetings.
Except when officially receiving Grand Lodge Officers, all stated meetings of a Lodge may be opened on the Entered Apprentice Degree or Fellowcraft Degree, provided that if no Entered Apprentice or Fellowcraft Mason is present (emphasis mine), it shall be the option of the Worshipful Master to open said meeting on either the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, or Master’s Degree.

As I read this, it appears that if an EA or FC is present for a stated meeting, the WM must open an EA or FC Lodge to accommodate them unless GL officers are being officially received, in which case the MM Lodge is to be called off after the official reception and an EA or FC Lodge opened as appropriate.
 

Bro. Stewart P.M.

Lead Moderator Emeritus
Staff Member
Not exactly, Worshipful- you might want to review this more carefully:

Art. 331. Stated Meetings.
Except when officially receiving Grand Lodge Officers, all stated meetings of a Lodge may be opened on the Entered Apprentice Degree or Fellowcraft Degree, provided that if no Entered Apprentice or Fellowcraft Mason is present (emphasis mine), it shall be the option of the Worshipful Master to open said meeting on either the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, or Master’s Degree.

As I read this, it appears that if an EA or FC is present for a stated meeting, the WM must open an EA or FC Lodge to accommodate them unless GL officers are being officially received, in which case the MM Lodge is to be called off after the official reception and an EA or FC Lodge opened as appropriate.

I still read that the way I said it... my emphasis on the words "may be". Maybe someone "should" have worded that text differently when it was written?? There is a difference between "may" and "must"...
 

Zaden

Registered User
The GLoTX leaves it to the Worshipful Master's option as to opening in the EA or FC degrees for meetings.

I choose not to conduct stated meetings in anything less than a Master's lodge.
Brother, if I may ask, what lead you to this choice? Pure curiosity, no argument for or against.
 

Bro. Stewart P.M.

Lead Moderator Emeritus
Staff Member
Brother, if I may ask, what lead you to this choice? Pure curiosity, no argument for or against.

For several reasons.

First, Having been initiated in 2007 I was the First EA to be admitted in into a Stated Meeting at my Mother lodge. Although I was honored to participate and found the procedural business interesting, that was an hour and a half that I could have better used studying with the Tiler outside the door. Needless to say, it was my only meeting until after I was Raised as a Master Mason.

Second, Having Stated Meetings in the Lessor degree there is a continual issue with "older" members (especially when voting) giving the incorrect signs. We also ran into similar issues when delivering Masonic History lessons, a lot of what one can use ans read aloud to members is way more advanced than the EA's & FC's in attendance.

Third, Since the changes were implemented to GL Law (speaking directly of my Lodge) the rate of advancement dropped in the years when the Master opted to open in the Lessor Degrees. The newly members were simply not progressing. I take that as, there is nothing to keep their curiosity up and keep them studying in order for them to find out "what's going on behind that closed door".


As seated Master, with the above (personal reasoning) briefly summarized, it is my personal belief that for the betterment of the advancing Brother that his time is better spent with Joining us with our family meal, and spending his time with the Tiler outside the door studying. Of course I realize that this belief automatically makes me a bastard in some people's minds.
 
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Zaden

Registered User
For several reasons.

First, Having been initiated in 2007 I was the First EA to be admitted in into a Stated Meeting at my Mother lodge. Although I was honored to participate and found the procedural business interesting, that was an hour and a half that I could have better used studying with the Tiler outside the door. Needless to say, it was my only meeting until after I was Raised as a Master Mason.

Second, Having Stated Meetings in the Lessor degree there is a continual issue with "older" members (especially when voting) giving the incorrect signs. We also ran into similar issues when delivering Masonic History lessons, a lot of what one can use ans read aloud to members is way more advanced than the EA's & FC's in attendance.

Third, Since the changes were implemented to GL Law (speaking directly of my Lodge) the rate of advancement dropped in the years when the Master opted to open in the Lessor Degrees. The newly members were simply not progressing. I take that as, there is nothing to keep their curiosity up and keep them studying in order for them to find out "what's going on behind that closed door".


As seated Master, with the above (personal reasoning) briefly summarized, it is my personal belief that for the betterment of the advancing Brother that his time is better spent with Joining us with our family meal, and spending his time with the Tiler outside the door studying. Of course I realize that this belief automatically makes me a bastard in some people's minds.

All interesting points. Thank you.
 

crono782

Premium Member
We also ran into similar issues when delivering Masonic History lessons, a lot of what one can use ans read aloud to members is way more advanced than the EA's & FC's in attendance.

This same issue continues to be a thorn in my side. It's really not fun to keep having to write "EA friendly" masonic education every time. Although there is plenty to write on and I'm more than pleased to do it, I'd like to present Master's level topics from time to time.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Second, Having Stated Meetings in the Lessor degree there is a continual issue with "older" members (especially when voting) giving the incorrect signs. We also ran into similar issues when delivering Masonic History lessons, a lot of what one can use ans read aloud to members is way more advanced than the EA's & FC's in attendance.

Of course the longer the world wide standard is in local use the less this will be an issue. I suggest that the way to handle inertia is to get past it not to increase it. But while you are in the east you are in charge and you get to decide unless someone gets legislation passed to change the word in the code from "may" to "will".

Third, Since the changes were implemented to GL Law (speaking directly of my Lodge) the rate of advancement dropped in the years when the Master opted to open in the Lessor Degrees. The newly members were simply not progressing. I take that as, there is nothing to keep their curiosity up and keep them studying in order for them to find out "what's going on behind that closed door".

This one I find strange - It was my experience that advancement improved in all of my lodges when that change passed. New EAs tended to attend right away and as such had a higher chance of staying active than the EAs who had started out excluded.

This same issue continues to be a thorn in my side. It's really not fun to keep having to write "EA friendly" masonic education every time. Although there is plenty to write on and I'm more than pleased to do it, I'd like to present Master's level topics from time to time.

Many of the presentations I have produced are easily modified to account for the presence or EAs and FCs, then again most of them are easily modified to account for non-tiled attendance. But as you report I do want to present on topics that require everyone to be an MM from time to time. When Table Lodge was an option and when I lived in a region where I could attend a couple each year I had at least one chance to do so by signing up for a response during the MM-only portion. But this day/week/month/year it;s not an option and I no longer live in a region where they are regular events.
 

STLamb

Registered User
I belong to two lodges, one of which will only open a stated meeting in a MM degree, the other which will open in the lowest degree available. After working in both situations, I believe that, for stated meetings, opening in the MM degree only has far more advantages than disadvantages. The problems Bro. Stewart has seen is his lodge also occur in mine. Particularly troubling is the EA's who have dropped away, mainly because we've bored them to death in a stated meeting.
I also believe that the quality of the work suffers. It is distressing to me the number of W.M.'s in lodges I have visited who didn't know how to open and close a MM lodge, much less give a Master's charge. At the risk of offending some folks, in my opinion, opening in any other degree than MM is lazy. If there is a need to bring in an EA or FC, say, to turn in their work, then open in a MM and call it down. This should not be a problem, as the W.M. and Wardens are supposed to be proficient, aren't they?
 

crono782

Premium Member
I belong to two lodges, one of which will only open a stated meeting in a MM degree, the other which will open in the lowest degree available. After working in both situations, I believe that, for stated meetings, opening in the MM degree only has far more advantages than disadvantages. The problems Bro. Stewart has seen is his lodge also occur in mine. Particularly troubling is the EA's who have dropped away, mainly because we've bored them to death in a stated meeting.
I also believe that the quality of the work suffers. It is distressing to me the number of W.M.'s in lodges I have visited who didn't know how to open and close a MM lodge, much less give a Master's charge. At the risk of offending some folks, in my opinion, opening in any other degree than MM is lazy. If there is a need to bring in an EA or FC, say, to turn in their work, then open in a MM and call it down. This should not be a problem, as the W.M. and Wardens are supposed to be proficient, aren't they?

I agree. EAs and FCs will eventually get to sit in on the meetings as long as they progress and can still come to floor school nights and the like to learn the work. It's less about "denying" them to right to the meeting and more about the stability of the lodge/meetings. The EA/FC presence doesn't necessarily affect this, but the atrophy that occurs from consistently ignoring conducting MM work and/or receiving MM educational topics cannot be good.

EDIT: to rant further, calling down does not take much effort or time if it is practiced consistently and also I too have seen the look on EA faces when they sit in on meetings only to be met with discussion on bills and minutes. It's downright saddening.
 
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Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
How is opening in a different Degree "lazy?" You still have a full opening ritual to perform.
In NM, the Master is required to be able to open and close in all three degrees.
You say the EAs and FCs are bored in meetings... can you honestly say the MMs aren't? Is a communication in the third that much more exciting? I doubt it.
 

Bro Darren

Premium Member
I have only been to one opening thus far and the reciting from the wardens is something that I try to reflect on each day as it puts me on the right foot to start my day.

As an EA with so much to learn and the fact that we have strict time frames of advancement in Australia, I am appreciative that I can attend stated meetings and there openings.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
How is opening in a different Degree "lazy?"

Jurisdiction to jurisdiction variation.

In 2 of my 3 jurisdictions and in most of the jurisdictions I have visited the officer work in the opening ceremony for the degrees go 1st longest, 2nd middle, 3rd shortest. Opening in the lower degrees is more work for the officers. The total time and effort spent depends on if the jurisdiction gathers the pass from the craft in the 2nd and/or 3rd degrees and how many brothers are present.

Texas bucks that trend by abbreviating the opening ceremony so the effort spent in the opening is reversed for the degrees. Opening on the first in Texas is very fast. Blink and you miss it. The first time I attended a first degree opening I looked around in astonishment that it was over that fast. In Texas the third degree opening is the longest one.
 

crono782

Premium Member
Also consider this, in Texas you can open a "persistent" (I forget the actual wording) Lodge of Sorrow to be used throughout the year rather than having to do it every time it is needed. Boy you should see how bad the senior officers struggle to pull it off sometimes. The excuse is typically that since it is rarely done, it is thus okay that nobody knows it well. >_< Not a far cry to apply that line of thinking to a FC opening/closing.
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
It sounds like the issue isn't with which Degree you open in, but in the Work itself. Having heard how strict GLTX is about many portions of their Work, I find it rather startling that they've let so much become abbreviated or forgotten.
 
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