Candidates/Brothers degrees

Hello my fellow brothers, i greet you all well.

Ive been a brother since 2011. I will admit that the last 2-3 years i havent attended lodge regularly. And maybe that’s because ive felt... disenfranchised. I feel that my lodge is more about Quantity over Quality..My question to the brothers here is this...When candidates or brothers are being put through the degrees, does your lodge have them go through the catechism individually or as a class? For instance, when it comes time to recite their obligation. Do the brothers recite the oblogation one by one or do they say it together, breaking up the obligation between them?

 

Individually is the only way IMHO.

The obligation is a personal commitment.

 

I totally agree. It feels that my lodge already has the masonic year planned out with the degrees. And its like no matter what the candidates/brothers will move forward whether they are proficient or not

 

That would be a lodge that I would not be a part of.

 

Indeed. I have poor memory but I studied and got it down (albeit short form).

Q. E. L. Schuetz, M.M.
Shekinah Lodge No. 241 • IL
Murphysboro Lodge No. 498 • IL

 

This was a recent topic actually.

 

I dont want to be that brother, but i feel like this has to stop. I mean would i be in the wrong if i voted to not initiate/pass/raise a candidate/brother becuase, they either didnt say the obligation or broke it up amongst the other?

 

Could I clarify? Are they not saying the obligation during the degree?
Or are you referring to demonstrating proficiency?

 

I'm unclear on your stance actually. The obligation is taken individually during the degree and the time I've seen brothers give it in tandem, they both had to do the ob portion on their own as to not "screw-over" the other one. Yes, you should be voting nay on someone if they don't demonstrate proficiency or for whatever reason you feel they shouldn't progress in Masonry.

 

There have been instances where the brothers are either breaking up the obligation between them as they are being tested or one brother will do the whole obligation for the class during the degree.

 

May I ask the Grand Lodge?

 

FLORIDA

 

Just to confirm, the Grand Lodge of Florida, GM Karroum?

 

I do believe candidates should have to work a little harder to obtain the Sublime degree. Guard the West Gate.

 

That's not allowed in any jurisdiction I've experienced degrees or proficiencies in, so a longer list than where I've ever been a member.

Run this up the chain of command. It's definitely wrong. Either it's being taught and done wrong or somehow wrong ritual was voted in.

 

Its difficult to run it up the “chain of command” when this has been an ongoing thing for many years. It almost feels that it would fall on deaf ears. A good majority of the brothers, i feel are happy, comfortable with the way things are. I guess what i was looking for, and still am, is a lodge that cares about esoteric and decorum. It feels like Masonry has become very lax, at least in my lodge.

 

Another question i had was, when visitors arrive, are they allowed to enter the lodge room? And im not talking about during stated meetings, i mean before the worshpful calls to begin the meeting. Ive been to a lodge in South America, Colombia to be exact, and if you weren’t a brother you were not allowed to enter.

 

I don't think you should be allowed but here it's typically ok. We tend to rent our facilities out or at the very least try to come off as welcoming to anyone, just come right in and we'll show you everything type of deal.