Fee's for Degrees?

Radical540 · Mar 26, 2014

When I first joined my lodge I was charged what I assume was a "membership fee" (not to be confused with a "yearly dues"- or so I was told) Then when I was up for my FC, I was told there would be a fee for that degree as well as another fee when I came up for my MM.

Is this all "on the level" as we say?
Secondly, in the name of "brotherly love" why would such requested fee's simply be deduced from our "treasurer's report" that we hear about at every communication meeting?

Thanks!

Zaden · Mar 26, 2014

Yes, it is on the level. The fees, as I understand it, go toward a few things. These include, eventually, your apron. We (I was initiated, passed and raised with jmflores) were also given a certificate at our raising showing that a portion of our degree fees were donated to the Masonic Home and School here in TX.

Brother JC · Mar 26, 2014

You should have been informed of all fees, dues, costs, et cetera during your investigation. In NM it is part of the Investigation Committee report.

Pscyclepath · Mar 26, 2014

You are not charged lodge dues until you are raised as a Master Mason. The initiation, or degree fees. cover a number of items... for example the white leather apron presented to you as an EA, your monitor, a Bible, and a few other items presented at your raising. In my experience, the lambkin aprons run about $60, the Bible (the big tabletop version) around $50, and the monitors are $10. So that's about $120 investment that the lodge puts into a new candidate over the long run...

dfreybur · Mar 26, 2014

On the one hand clandestine groups tend to charge high fees to join. On the other hand we tend to complain that over the decades the degree fees we charge have fallen to the range of a year's dues per degree and are thus too low. If you think this does not make sense, you do in fact understand as well as anyone.

Decades ago during the WWI-WII-Korea war eras there was a burst of petitioners and their degree fees where used to purchase properties and build buildings. The fees were not increased to match inflation and now they are a drop in the bucket of the annual budget of a lodge.

Degree fees are standard and not high.

MarkR · Mar 27, 2014

Ours are about half a year's dues per degree. By the way, not all jurisdictions give the same things at raising; we don't give a Bible. The newly-raised brother gets an apron, a certificate, his Minnesota Masonic Manual and a cipher, and a lapel pin.

Our petition lists all the fees, so there is no misunderstanding if the petitioner actually read the petition.

dfreybur · Mar 27, 2014

MarkR said:
By the way, not all jurisdictions give the same things at raising; we don't give a Bible.

The list of presentations differs by lodge, degree team and brothers in attendance as well.

My mother lodge gives an engraved trowel on raising. In Texas I've seen that by a Sons of Hiram degree team from the Shrine. I've seen Scottish Rite degree teams include an SR petition on raising. One of my Illinois lodges does a Bible presentation separately at the brother's next Stated meeting instead of after his degree. Etc.

Brother_Steve · Mar 27, 2014

New Jersey ...

100 dollars sent in with your petition. This does not get cashed until your voted on.

250 is due at your initiation.

We get our lambskin apron the night we are initiated. Not sure on the cost of these.

We get an Heirloom Family Masonic Bible when we turn in our Master Mason Exam. They run 75ish dollars.

This is my particular lodge. I am not sure what other lodges in my district or state do.

Radical540 · Mar 28, 2014

This is all great information Brothers, thank you.
There was nothing whatsoever on my petition pertaining to ANY fees/costs. However, since I knew it wasn't going to be ridiculous, and I'm not a skin-flint/cheap-skate like that, I didn't care to ask (in the beginning). The petition fee was $75, and I was told that my FC is $75, and I honestly can't remember what the WM told me the MM would be. Yearly dues are $120 (hardly enough to break-the-bank in my opinion).

jjjjjggggg · Mar 28, 2014

We just raised our dues to $100... prorated after raising... $50 per degree... wore the lam skin apron but had to give it back after the ceremony.

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Radical540 · Mar 28, 2014

Speaking of which.... I got my "lambskin" apron after my EA.
But I'm curious, is it supposed to be REAL lambskin? Because it seems more like white vinyl to me.

MarkR · Mar 29, 2014

Radical540 said:
Speaking of which.... I got my "lambskin" apron after my EA.
But I'm curious, is it supposed to be REAL lambskin? Because it seems more like white vinyl to me.

Is it "supposed to be?" Yes. Is it? Probably not. Over my mild objection my lodge stopped buying lambskin and started getting synthetic several years ago, but the other choice was to raise initiation fees to cover the rising cost of real lambskin.

BryanMaloney · Mar 31, 2014

I have resisted, but seeing the title over and over has pushed me to the brink:

MarkR · Apr 2, 2014

BryanMaloney said:
I have resisted, but seeing the title over and over has pushed me to the brink:

When I first saw it, I wondered "why not Fee's for Degree's?" but I didn't say anything because I've been beaten up for being a "grammar Nazi" too many times.

As Dave Barry once said in one of his "Ask Mr. Language Person" columns when asked to explain the proper use of the apostrophe: "That's easy; an apostrophe is merely a warning that an S is coming."

Radical540 · Apr 2, 2014

BryanMaloney said:
I have resisted, but seeing the title over and over has pushed me to the brink:

Really? With all the hacking of the English language, and some of the horrific grammar of other thread titles; we're (properly used there) going to pick on one misplaced apostrophe? Say it isn't (used properly there again) so?
Since we've (used properly there again) gone technical now - the apostrophe is used to supplant other letter(s) (or sometimes words) within a grammatical contraction. For example: "Isn't" = Is Not "Didn't" = Did Not. Now I'll (I will) throw you for a loop: "O'clock" = Of the clock.

Whew....now I feel better.

jjjjjggggg · Apr 2, 2014

ImageUploadedByMy Freemasonry Pro1396479462.377839.jpg

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Brother JC · Apr 2, 2014

The great thing about the internet is that no one can hear me scream when I try to read certain posts.

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Fee's for Degrees?

Radical540

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Zaden

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Brother JC

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Pscyclepath

dfreybur

MarkR

dfreybur

Brother_Steve

Radical540

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jjjjjggggg

Radical540

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MarkR

BryanMaloney

MarkR

Radical540

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jjjjjggggg

Brother JC

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