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Lodge Officer Duties - Marshal

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
His Jewel is the Crossed Batons. The Marshal is the Lodge's Conductor or Master of Ceremonies.

The Marshal of a Masonic Lodge is an appointed officer of the Lodge. The Marshal is in some jurisdictions the "Director of Ceremonies".

The Marshal's duties and principle role is the organization of processions and ensuring the correct precedence and etiquette in formal proceedings. It is his duty to formally conduct visitors into the lodge and introduce them to the members when the lodge is in session.

The Marshal's position is similar to that of a Supervisor.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
The Marshal's duties and principle role is the organization of processions and ensuring the correct precedence and etiquette in formal proceedings

In marches the Marshal is supposed to lead. One of my lodges does an annual march in a town 4th of July parade. Otherwise apron I've seen few apron marches.

I take it the "correct precedence and etiquette" bit means the intent is the Marshal be the Parliamentarian? I've learned that in company meetings someone should be appointed as scribe to keep notes (secretary) and someone should be assigned Parliamentarian to herd the cats trying to keep to the agenda.

The years I was in the east I appointed a senior PM as Marshal to be a ritual prompter for me and to keep me on agenda. This is in lodges that don't have Marshal as part of the progressive line.
 

Brother_Steve

Premium Member
His Jewel is the Crossed Batons. The Marshal is the Lodge's Conductor or Master of Ceremonies.

The Marshal of a Masonic Lodge is an appointed officer of the Lodge. The Marshal is in some jurisdictions the "Director of Ceremonies".

The Marshal's duties and principle role is the organization of processions and ensuring the correct precedence and etiquette in formal proceedings. It is his duty to formally conduct visitors into the lodge and introduce them to the members when the lodge is in session.

The Marshal's position is similar to that of a Supervisor.
It is not part of the Progressive line.

I am a Marshal in the GLNJ.

I sit to the left of the Chaplin and face West.

My duties that I have done in Lodge this year.

- Give the grand honors.
- Conduct candidates for Initiation, Passing and Raising.
---The Senior Master of Ceremonies conducts them into the lodge.
---Our SD takes care of the pectoral duties.
---I place them in the column and guide them around during circumambulation.
---- The SD "heads" the column.
---I assign assistant marshals to assist me if we have more than one.
-Form funeral procession and head that column.
- I make sure everyone votes during a secret ballot. I'm also supposed to keep decorum but I was never sure how to ask the lodge to be quite. I just looked at the WM with a Cross face and he would gavel if necessary ...heh.
- I escort those to the east when necessary although our DDGM is escorted by the Sr and Jr Deacons on his official visit.
 

Rinesh Hegde

Registered User
As mentioned, in some jurisdictions the Marshal has similar duties as a Director of Ceremony; then, in that case, is there a Director of Ceremony in that lodge and if yes, what are his responsibilities?
 
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Bloke

Premium Member
As mentioned, in some jurisdictions the Marshal has similar duties as a Director of Ceremony; then, in that case, is there a Director of Ceremony in that lodge and if yes, what are his responsibilities?
Lodges working under United Grand Lodge Victoria (UGLV) have a Director of Ceremonies. His duties include:
  • Making sure the tyler has done his job and all equipment (collars, aprons, warrant, VSL, S&C, Squares etc ) required for a ceremony is in place (the DC should train each officer to do this in respect to his office, but the DC has oversight).
  • Under the Master - all oversight of floor work
  • Training all officers and members (including Master)
  • Organising all degree teams, using the installed officers as the base.
  • Allocating all charges, and normally oversight of a study plan of charges - who's learning what.
  • Prompting members during degrees, although that is often delegated to another with a ritual book in front of them. That book should be the only ritual book open in lodge. He will take charge of any instrument used in a charge (this what they might be in the 1st and 3rd degree - it will be obvious) and hand them to there person giving the charge when required.
  • Escorting visiting PMs and announcing them.
  • Lead the escorting deacons when visitors above PM are brought in under wands (rods)
  • Leading Master's escort when the lodge is closed and the Master retires under wands (we do that here)
  • Leading the Deacon(s) during degrees.
  • Checking candidates are properly prepared (although IG is the first to do that).
  • Escorting those giving charges to and from the position the charge is given, when the person not giving the charge is seated in the east
  • Opening the Tools in each degree, checking the TB and VSL
  • Responding when the master refers to him - at any and all times.
  • He's an automatic member of the Committee of General Purposes, the executive of a lodge, and is generally an very experienced and knowledgeable PM able to create and train teams and have them work together
Traditionally here, the DC also had a wand to allow him to move around the lodge room without saluting, this has been replaced by the baton which affords him the same right.​

At the festive board (here called "The South")
  • Running the South, including making sure the kitchen is on track, but he sould delegate that, but reports will always go back to him
  • Controls the timing of the South
  • Announcing toasts and who is giving them- after consulting with the master and organising who is to give what toasts
  • Calling the brethren to order
  • Often runs the raffle, but it is much better when a JW or other do it

A good DC makes a huge difference for a lodge - although the DC is not listed as a compulsory office under our Constitution.

He will also sometimes have an assistant DC (ADC)- who is generally acts as the DC in training - and an ADC will have tasks delegated to him by the DC according to his abilities, or be an ex-DC supporting the current DC.
 

Keith C

Registered User
Very interesting!

We do not have Officers defined as "Marshalls" here in PA, but we do have ad hoc Marshals to conduct various guests or anyone who needs to be conducted about the lodge (Officers Elect on the way to the Altar to take the obligation of office is one example.) The WM simple asks a couple brothers to act in this capacity as needed.

The various duties described here for the Marshall are divided here between the SD, JMC, SMC and Senior Warden here in PA. Candidates here are conducted through the ritual by an appointed "Guide" not a Lodge Officer.
 

Canadian Paul

Registered User
As the GL of Scotland has a 'Grand Marshall', any Scottish lodge could also have a Marshall, but none of the lodges in in my District Grand Lodge does. The District Grand Lodge, however has a District Grand Marshall. As I understand it, he would be in charge of arranging any procession of brethren outside the lodge. The duties a arshallM seems to have in some jurisdictions in the US is filled in scottish lodges by a Director of Ceremonies
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
As the GL of Scotland has a 'Grand Marshall', any Scottish lodge could also have a Marshall, but none of the lodges in in my District Grand Lodge does. The District Grand Lodge, however has a District Grand Marshall. As I understand it, he would be in charge of arranging any procession of brethren outside the lodge. The duties a arshallM seems to have in some jurisdictions in the US is filled in scottish lodges by a Director of Ceremonies

I take it to mean the Marshal is the leader for events outside of the tiled spaces. In an opened meeting the Worshipful Master presides. Outside the Marshal leads.

To me this suggests the Marshal is the shift leader among the cooks at the BBQ social and fund raiser event. Herding the usual cast of characters who show up every yearf for that particular event. For any annual event not just for a BBQ..
 

Canadian Paul

Registered User
I take it to mean the Marshal is the leader for events outside of the tiled spaces. In an opened meeting the Worshipful Master presides. Outside the Marshal leads.

To me this suggests the Marshal is the shift leader among the cooks at the BBQ social and fund raiser event. Herding the usual cast of characters who show up every yearf for that particular event. For any annual event not just for a BBQ..

Actually, that function here falls to the Junior Warden, the 'obsensible Steward of the lodge'. As in practice, lodges don't have Marshalls, they obviously have no duties! In District Grand Lodge the office seems, like others such as DG Architect, strictly nominal - a way of giving senior brethren the opportunity to wear DG regalia, which is identical to that of Grand Lodge. Inside the Lodge the Director of Ceremonies, as the title suggests, directs and guides the brethren in all ritual matters. He is the only brother who may address the brethren directly without first having the instruction or permission of the Master to do so.
 

Bro Day

Registered User
So are these the duties of the Marshall up to date, as one day I may be selected to become the Marshall of my lodge. Please elaborate and thank you very much

Bro Day
 

Keith C

Registered User
So are these the duties of the Marshall up to date, as one day I may be selected to become the Marshall of my lodge. Please elaborate and thank you very much

Bro Day

As with most things Masonic, the specific duties of each office vary from Jurisdiction to Jurisdiction. To be sure of what you are signing up for I suggest you ask your WM, or Wardens or consult your Jurisdiction's Constitution and Lodge By-Laws to know for sure for your Lodge.

For instance, here in PA there is no such office as "Marshall" and we have an office caller "Pursuivant" that no other jurisdiction has.
 

Keith C

Registered User
Does your jurisdiction have a "Grand Pursuivant"? GLoTX does.

Yes every Lodge office is repeated as a Grand Office, Plus some others that aren't in the Blue Lodges such as a Deputy Grand Master, a Grand Sword Bearer, A Grand Marshall, etc. The Grand Pursuivant in Grand Lodge performs the same duties as the Pursuivent in Blue Lodge, i.e. answering alarms at the outer door.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
In our Grand Lodge, the Grand Junior Deacon attends to alarms @ the outer door. Much like warrant officers, no one really seems to know what the Grand Pursuivant does. ;-)
 
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