Lodge Meeting in EA not MM

D. W. Brown · 01-20-2008, 05:41 PM

What do you all think about most lodges opening in EA instead of MM like most do?

prezac · 01-20-2008, 06:33 PM

I think this may be a good idea. When I was going trough the steps I missed out on some meetings just because I wasn't a MM. I have read some articles where they do have EA's and FC's allowed to attend meetings. This could get new brothers more interested right away and more involved instead of having to wait for the next step. I'm for it, as of right now until my mind changes.

cookslc · 01-20-2008, 09:10 PM

I'm not sure the premise that "most Lodges" open on the MM is correct. Sixteen do so in the US at last count, England & Wales do, other European GLs do.
Glen Cook
F&AM of Utah
UGLE
(both do)

cemab4y · 01-22-2008, 07:48 AM

I have visited lodges in 11 states and Washington DC. Every USA lodge I have ever visited (for a business meeting) opened on the MM degree.

Military traveling lodges, conduct their business meetings on the EA degree. This is to permit maximum participation by all of the masons on the mililtary post. Also, some of the troops may have completed the EA/FC in the USA, and they may not the opportunity to proceed and complete the MM while deployed.

Many (but not all) European lodges conduct their business meetings on the EA, because it can take up to a year or longer, to pass between the symbolic degrees. By meeting on the EA, they can have maximum participation.

cookslc · 01-22-2008, 09:09 AM

To which military travelling Lodges do you refer?
While the Lodges you visited opened on the MM on that occasion, i.e., it may be that they can open on the EA, such as D.C, but had no need to do so on that occasion. See, http://bessel.org/firstdeg.htm
English Lodges may also conduct business on the EA.

Glen Cook
F&AM of Utah
UGLE
Both of which do

cemab4y · 01-22-2008, 09:59 AM

I lived in Saudi Arabia in 1991. At that time, there were three (3) military traveling lodges. ALL did their business meetings on the EA degree. I work in Iraq (I am in the USA for a training conference for a couple of weeks).

I am working with the GL of New York, to re-establish a military traveling lodge in Iraq. Although we have had no meetings since August 2005, all of our meetings (except degree work), are on the EA degree. This is to permit maximum participation.

For more info about our lodge in Iraq:

http://www.cemab4y.blogspot.com

http://www.esmason.com Fall 2005 issue page 32

http://www.dcmetronet.com/landseaandairlodge1iraq

grandsecretary · 01-22-2008, 01:03 PM

Just to aid discussion, and it may help.

As we know, there were originally two steps to becoming a Freemason. An Apprentice, and a Fellow of the Craft (used in the same context as Fellow of The Royal Society). Once a Fellow of the Craft, an apprentice was considered to be a Freemason.

That makes a great deal of sense, and is how it is done in The Grand Lodge of All England. We are all Fellows of Craft, meet on the level, and call each other Brother.

Our Lodges are all opened in the degree of Fellow of Craft. We do not have an opening for Apprentice Freemasons who are not allowed into the lodge unless to be passed to the degree of Fellow of the Craft.

This has to take place at the very next meeting of a lodge within reasonable travelling distance, but certainly no later than the very next meeting at his normal lodge meeting place.

There is work to be done, and a paper to be researched and presented to the Lodge before he is balloted for once more. We ballot in all degrees after the initiate has proven his proficiency in the former degrees. If he cannot, then the ballot is postponed to a future occasion.

I hope that this helps.

mharrell · 01-22-2008, 05:40 PM

i am currently an EA. so please take this from that perspective.

our lodge always opens on the lowest mans degree. their feeling is it helps bring us into the workings of the lodge and makes us closer with the other members.

I tend to agree with this. I was told in the older days you were basically turned away until you wereready to give your leassons. i can see this driving away a lot of good people. i have also learned a LOT about the way a lodge functions, and about masonry in general by being allowed to attend lodge.

i was told a motion was made at the grand lodge this year to stop this. Ours and a few other local lodges fought it hard, and personally i am glad they did. I have made some great freinds in our lodge and it would be a pitty to be shunned.

as i was told in my ea lesson, As an EA i AM a brother mason. Not aa master but a brother none the less. being allowed to attend lodge is a driving motivation to get my lessons done and achieve my master degree.

please don't take it away from us lower guys.

grandsecretary · 01-22-2008, 06:06 PM

Brother, IMHO your lodge has the right approach, with a slightly different solution.

In our constitution you would only remain an Apprentice for a very short time and, provided you completed your work (not too easy, but then again not too onerous), you would not miss a single minute of a meeting of a lodge in your locality, except the opening.

The only difference is that we take the words Apprentice Freemason to mean what they say, an Apprentice.

The advantage is that as soon as you would become a Fellow of the Craft you would attain the same qualification as everybody else in the Grand Lodge including the Grand-Master Mason, who is a Fellow of Craft.

It is a different system, the ancient system, but with a similar aim in mind.

You may not know, but the third or Master Mason's degree was structured and written from scratch in 1720 by John Theophilus Desaguliers for use by the Grand Lodge of London, now known as The United Grand Lodge of England.

mharrell · 01-23-2008, 07:39 AM

thats interesting stuff.

i am finding the history of masonry fascinating. the subtle difference in lodges here in the USA was something i never expected. As i learn more about the fraternity it only seems to raise more questions. i have pretty much been driving my local brother nuts with questions. some they answer, some they tell to ask agian later.