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Signed off on 3rd Degree

Keith C

Registered User
Last night at District School of Instruction I was examined on the emulation of the Master Mason Degree, had my name entered in the book of those authorized to confer the Sublime Degree of Master Mason and cleared the final hurdle to be approved to Run for Worshipful Master of my Lodge.

The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania has a requirement that to be Worshipful Master you must be approved on Business of the Lodge and either the EA and FC Degrees OR the MM Degree. DDGMs, however are permitted to require all 3 degrees to be approved and this is the case in my District.

I must admit I was very nervous going in. I have been studying the Degree for months with a PM from our Lodge. It was remarkable to me that over the past month I could rattle it off in front of the mirror at home, but when I worked with the PM I would forget words and stumble along. Luckily my brain connected with my mouth fairly well last night and I only struggled with a few words.

That was a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders!
 

Brother_Steve

Premium Member
Congrats! Our journey has been on the same path as far as I can remember posting here.

I have been nominated uncontested. Once elected, I will be installed in early December.

We do not have the strict requirements you have to go through, but the DD and PMs will make sure you know your stuff before being nominated.
 

Scoops

Registered User
Congratulations!

I find it very interesting to see these jurisdictional differences. The only requirement to be WM here is that you've served as a Warden for a year. Of course, your lodge must want you in the chair as well! There are no required proficiencies of the various ceremonies.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk
 

Keith C

Registered User
Congratulations!

I find it very interesting to see these jurisdictional differences. The only requirement to be WM here is that you've served as a Warden for a year. Of course, your lodge must want you in the chair as well! There are no required proficiencies of the various ceremonies.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

It is interesting indeed.

In addition to knowing the Work you also have to have served as a Warden for a year.

In order to stand for election as JW you have to be signed off on the Business of the Lodge and the EA Degree.

In order to stand for election as SW you have to also be signed off on the FC Degree.

The theory is that the WM needs to know the work so that if no one else can confer a Degree, He can.
 

Keith C

Registered User
I don't understand most of this, but Congratulations!

Thanks!

As for an explanation, "Business of the Lodge" is memorization of the opening & closing ritual as well as how to receive the DDGM in whatever way he shows up to the lodge, and how to go through the business and in what order. The rest is memorization of the conferral of each Craft Degree. Here in PA the WM does 95% of the talking in Degree Conferrals.
 

Matt L

Site Benefactor
Congratulations Brother Keith!!! Tennessee only requires that the WM has served as a JW or SW. I was lucky enough to have mentors who pushed the JW to work the EA, SW to work the FC and the WM to work the MM degree. I also took a course on the Tennessee code, which was by mail, it got real deep into written and interpretation.

We can also earn a lecture card by knowing the questions and answers to the 3 catechetical lectures, Tennessee is mouth to ear. You can also get a proficiency card for knowing the first sections to each degree. Each lodge depending on membership size has to have a certain percentage of "card holders" in each category.
 

frehm

Registered User
Thanks!

As for an explanation, "Business of the Lodge" is memorization of the opening & closing ritual as well as how to receive the DDGM in whatever way he shows up to the lodge, and how to go through the business and in what order. The rest is memorization of the conferral of each Craft Degree. Here in PA the WM does 95% of the talking in Degree Conferrals.

Quite cool that you learn so much by heart.
 
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