Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the Fraternity.
Freemasonry has in all ages insisted that men shall come to its doors entirely of their own free will, not from feelings of curiosity, but from a favorable opinion of the Institution and a desire to be numbered among its members.
Freemasonry is a fraternity that teaches ethics and morality. Although it is not in any sense a religion or a substitute for religion, we do require that men who join believe in a Supreme Being and the brotherhood of man. No atheist can become a Mason. Although we require that a member believes in a Supreme Being, we never try to tell a man how he should conceive of God, as he understands Him, what faith he should practice or what worship he should follow. Those are questions of individual conscience, and the member must find those answers within his own faith. Freemasonry has for its foundation the great principles of the Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man.
Freemasonry distinguishes between patriotism and partisanship. While patriotism is encouraged as an essential virtue, both within and without the Lodge, no partisan or political discussion is allowed within the Lodge.
The essential purpose of Freemasonry is the further development of the individual Mason as an honest, ethical, moral, sincere, caring and charitable man, learning more about his own potential as a human being and developing his intellectual and spiritual character. A man should never enter the Fraternity in the hope of making business connections or for any other sort of professional or monetary gain. If he does, he will be disappointed, for they will not be found there. What he will find is a group of like-minded men, who are willing to treat him as a Brother and to share in a deep and rewarding fellowship with him. He will find true friends and life-long companions.
We expect men who petition for the Degrees (Membership) to be good men, but not to be perfect. We know that all men have limitations and weaknesses. Our questions are: Does he care about others? Does he feel a responsibility to improve his character and to make the lives of others better as best he can? Is he willing to be open and honest with us and with himself? Your character is the most important factor in consideration of membership.
While members are encouraged to support charitable works to the best of their ability, membership does not guarantee assistance to any Mason. If you are accepted for membership, you will be expected to meet the financial obligation to the Lodge which are set forth our By-Laws. We trust you are aware of these responsibilities and that they are not an undue burden to you and your family.
While an online presence cannot replace an in-person conversation, we hope that the information presented here can help answer any questions you have about our lodge or Masonry in general. Of course, if you seek further enlightenment, you may always contact us directly.
What is a Mason?
One of the hardest questions to answer is what is a Mason, and receive a satisfying answer that is from a reasonable source. There are a lot of books and websites available that give an abundant amount of answers, but not all of them are correct. This makes the quest for a proper answer very frustrating. One can ask a Mason, what it is to be a Mason, but not all Masons feel comfortable explaining Freemasonry while some people pose questions that are too complicated to answer properly. The goal here is to provide some sources to help answer questions. We have relied heavily upon the writer Christopher Hodapp, who wrote Freemasonry for Dummies.
Probably the best method to answer these questions is to become a Freemason, but the potential candidate needs to know more before asking to become a member. So read the books provided on our suggested reading list, read through our FAQ page, talk with people who are Masons, and browse through the links to the related Masonic groups. This will give you a broader sense of what a Mason is and does in our present-day society.
We have selected the following paragraphs from Freemasonry for Dummies to help answer some of the very basic questions of who and what.
“Masonry is as diverse as its members, and so it can seem like something very different depending on whom you talk to or the lodge you visit or join.
Some Masons concentrate on the many charities the fraternity participates in. Some are consumed by the history or philosophy or the symbolism of the fraternity. Others consider it to be primarily a place to go to play cards or cook a monthly breakfast, in order to be with old friends and make new ones. Still, others enjoy performing the ritual ceremonies and make a lifelong passion for taking dramatic parts in it.
For men who become lodge officers or members of committees, Masonry is a personal development course, where they learn leadership skills, public speaking, and more. men from every walk of life have the opportunity to do things in a lodge, often things that their job or their social or economic status would rarely have offered them. And then some men just like high-sounding titles, badges, ribbons, tuxedos, and spiffy accouterments. The point is that there is something in Freemasonry for every man, whatever his interests may be.”
Want to learn more?
Use our Contact Us page and a Brother will reach out to you.