vinceatwork
Registered User
I am searching for information for a Study about the present conditions of Freemasonry in the world, which I have undertaken. I already have the answers for Pennsylvania, Montana, New Brunswick, Cuba, Germany, and Italy.
Masonic Protocol does not permit me to contact Grand Lodges directly, and since such information is rarely or not at all available on the internet, I wonder whether any of you can answer a list of questions I have prepared for this study as pertaining to any Masonic Jurisdiction in any part of the world. Here is the List:
The purpose of this research is to form a snapshot of the Present Conditions of Masonry in the world,as compared to the past, and draw from it lessons that may help us Masons work to address present issues, recognize successes or failures, and find solutions for the better future of our Craft. The sources of the information I may receive will remain completely confidential, and under no circumstance I shall disclose it. At the conclusion of this study I will disclose my findings, but not the sources, to all those who have contributed, and they will be free to use this information as they deem it proper.
Questions:
1. Total number of members in your Grand Jurisdiction - Are the numbers up or down? (As compared to 10 years ago)
2. On the whole, do you feel the lodges in your jurisdiction are prospering or declining?
3. What are the causes of this prosperity, or decline?
4. Which segments of the population/professions constitute the membership in your area?
5. What is the average age now found among the members? Is the age average now changed (up or down) as compared to the past?
6. What is the average membership size of yourLodges?
7. What percentage of the membership is usually present at the lodge meetings?
8. How often do members meet, in lodge or socially, each month?
9. Do your lodges meet in the summer months?
10. With the exception of members who can not attend the meetings, due to illness or distance, what remedies or sanctions are enforced against the defaulting members (e.g. complaint, summons to appear and to justify their absence, expulsion or other ....); how common are these cases?
11. Are the temple’s building generally the property of the lodge, co-owned with other lodges, or rented from others (commercial enterprise)?
12. Are the membership fees sufficient to pay for the maintenance of the Temple, or are some of the Temple facilities rented to the public, to balance income and expenses?
13. What is the average cost of admission (Initiation), and the annual fees (proportionally to the the average daily earning from employment in your country)? Are there additional fees charged for each degree?
14. What are the most common reasons today in your Grand Jurisdiction that entice a petitioner to join a Lodge?
15. Must the Petitioner be known to one or more members of the Lodge?
16. What investigations about the Applicant for membership are conducted by the lodge after receiving an application for membership – how thorough are these investigations?
17. Is it usual for an Applicant to be rejected - What are usually the reasons for rejection?
18. How does an Apprentice qualify for the next level; and the Fellow-craft for the Master's degree? How long does it take for these qualification as a rule?
19. Is a Candidate required to present in lodge one or more Papers (Lectures) to qualify for the next level?
20. Are apprentices permitted to speak in Lodge?
21. Is the belief in a “Creator” an indispensable condition for the admission of an applicant?
22. Are any believers of other (not mainstream) faiths excluded from membership?
23. Is the belief that the Scriptures (of any religion) constitute the will of God - a determining factor for the approval of an applicant?
24. Universality. - for example: Would a just, righteous and reputable North American Indian (true believer in its traditional spirituality) be admitted in a lodge of your Grand Jurisdiction? - such an Indian having no Bible or equivalent Holy Scriptures, but his spirituality and his faithfulness is represented by the Eagle Feather, holding which he swears and feels bound by it. You will find the reasons for this strange question here: http://www.freemasonryresearchforumqsa.com/the-eagle-feather.php
25. Besides the Bible, what other holy writings are permitted to be displayed on the altar of the Lodges in your Grand Jurisdiction?
26. Except for the conferral of degrees (Rituals), what other activities are usually undertaken by the lodge?
27. What public activities for the benefit of the community do the lodges carry on?
28. What is the perception of Freemasonry by the general public in your area? (City, State, Province or Country)
29. Does the assertion: “Masonry is not only the most ancient, but the most moral human institution that ever existed” still sounds true to your members?
30. Does this assertion sound true to the general (profane) public in your area?
31. Is any activity of the lodge made public in the media?
32. Do lodges advertise in their website or in the media, to entice new candidates to join the lodge? (To join Freemasonry.)
33. After a Brother has completed his term as Master of the Lodge, does he keep his W. Bro. title, or is addressed simply as Brother?
34. How common is the resignation of a brother? What are usually the reasons for resigning?
35. Is there any other information about the present practice of Masonry in your Grand Jurisdiction that would render this study more complete and useful?
= = = = = = = =
For further information on this Study, feel free to contact me: Bro. Vincent Lombardo – P.M. Quinte St. Alban’s Lodge No. 620 G.R.C., Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, +1 905 - 731-0504 vince.lombardo.to@gmail.com
Masonic Protocol does not permit me to contact Grand Lodges directly, and since such information is rarely or not at all available on the internet, I wonder whether any of you can answer a list of questions I have prepared for this study as pertaining to any Masonic Jurisdiction in any part of the world. Here is the List:
The purpose of this research is to form a snapshot of the Present Conditions of Masonry in the world,as compared to the past, and draw from it lessons that may help us Masons work to address present issues, recognize successes or failures, and find solutions for the better future of our Craft. The sources of the information I may receive will remain completely confidential, and under no circumstance I shall disclose it. At the conclusion of this study I will disclose my findings, but not the sources, to all those who have contributed, and they will be free to use this information as they deem it proper.
Questions:
1. Total number of members in your Grand Jurisdiction - Are the numbers up or down? (As compared to 10 years ago)
2. On the whole, do you feel the lodges in your jurisdiction are prospering or declining?
3. What are the causes of this prosperity, or decline?
4. Which segments of the population/professions constitute the membership in your area?
5. What is the average age now found among the members? Is the age average now changed (up or down) as compared to the past?
6. What is the average membership size of yourLodges?
7. What percentage of the membership is usually present at the lodge meetings?
8. How often do members meet, in lodge or socially, each month?
9. Do your lodges meet in the summer months?
10. With the exception of members who can not attend the meetings, due to illness or distance, what remedies or sanctions are enforced against the defaulting members (e.g. complaint, summons to appear and to justify their absence, expulsion or other ....); how common are these cases?
11. Are the temple’s building generally the property of the lodge, co-owned with other lodges, or rented from others (commercial enterprise)?
12. Are the membership fees sufficient to pay for the maintenance of the Temple, or are some of the Temple facilities rented to the public, to balance income and expenses?
13. What is the average cost of admission (Initiation), and the annual fees (proportionally to the the average daily earning from employment in your country)? Are there additional fees charged for each degree?
14. What are the most common reasons today in your Grand Jurisdiction that entice a petitioner to join a Lodge?
15. Must the Petitioner be known to one or more members of the Lodge?
16. What investigations about the Applicant for membership are conducted by the lodge after receiving an application for membership – how thorough are these investigations?
17. Is it usual for an Applicant to be rejected - What are usually the reasons for rejection?
18. How does an Apprentice qualify for the next level; and the Fellow-craft for the Master's degree? How long does it take for these qualification as a rule?
19. Is a Candidate required to present in lodge one or more Papers (Lectures) to qualify for the next level?
20. Are apprentices permitted to speak in Lodge?
21. Is the belief in a “Creator” an indispensable condition for the admission of an applicant?
22. Are any believers of other (not mainstream) faiths excluded from membership?
23. Is the belief that the Scriptures (of any religion) constitute the will of God - a determining factor for the approval of an applicant?
24. Universality. - for example: Would a just, righteous and reputable North American Indian (true believer in its traditional spirituality) be admitted in a lodge of your Grand Jurisdiction? - such an Indian having no Bible or equivalent Holy Scriptures, but his spirituality and his faithfulness is represented by the Eagle Feather, holding which he swears and feels bound by it. You will find the reasons for this strange question here: http://www.freemasonryresearchforumqsa.com/the-eagle-feather.php
25. Besides the Bible, what other holy writings are permitted to be displayed on the altar of the Lodges in your Grand Jurisdiction?
26. Except for the conferral of degrees (Rituals), what other activities are usually undertaken by the lodge?
27. What public activities for the benefit of the community do the lodges carry on?
28. What is the perception of Freemasonry by the general public in your area? (City, State, Province or Country)
29. Does the assertion: “Masonry is not only the most ancient, but the most moral human institution that ever existed” still sounds true to your members?
30. Does this assertion sound true to the general (profane) public in your area?
31. Is any activity of the lodge made public in the media?
32. Do lodges advertise in their website or in the media, to entice new candidates to join the lodge? (To join Freemasonry.)
33. After a Brother has completed his term as Master of the Lodge, does he keep his W. Bro. title, or is addressed simply as Brother?
34. How common is the resignation of a brother? What are usually the reasons for resigning?
35. Is there any other information about the present practice of Masonry in your Grand Jurisdiction that would render this study more complete and useful?
= = = = = = = =
For further information on this Study, feel free to contact me: Bro. Vincent Lombardo – P.M. Quinte St. Alban’s Lodge No. 620 G.R.C., Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, +1 905 - 731-0504 vince.lombardo.to@gmail.com