About Masonry

What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry is an organized society of men symbolically applying the principles of operative masonry and architecture the science and art of building character. Operative masonry traces back to the Middle Ages and beyond. Builders bound themselves together in guilds in which membership required years of apprenticeship to learn the secrets and skills of the builder’s art.

The transition of masonry from operative guilds into fraternal lodges was gradual. Men who were not stonemasons were accepted into the Craft and taught moral lessons through use of the operative tools as spiritual symbols. Thus, men were taught the principles of morality and brotherly love, and Freemasonry was transformed from operative guilds into speculative lodges.

Masonry isn’t a civic club, although we do a lot of civic projects. It is a Fraternity. We’re dedicated to the growth and development of our members as human beings. A person has be ready to grow, has to suspect that there is something more to life, and wants to know what that is, before he is really ready to become a Mason. The purpose of Freemasonry is the improvement of man by the strengthening of character, development of personal responsibility, the promotion of honesty and integrity, and the practice of the basic tenets of brotherly love, relief and truth.

Is Masonry a Secret Society?

Masonry is not a secret society. Masonic meetings are publicly advertised and meet in well-marked buildings. The Masonic building at 19 Academy Street is well-marked as a Masonic Temple . That’s not very secret.

But the Masonic Fraternity does have some secrets. But so do a lot of other organizations. Businesses commonly have trade secrets that are carefully protected to maintain a competitive advantage, but they are not secret businesses.

The term Freemasonry dates from the Middle Ages when individuals lived in communities controlled by royalty, and were not free to travel from town to town without specific permission from their master, a situation that seems incomprehensible today. But because they possessed the special skills of a stone mason, they were free to travel from building site to building site in search of work. Hence the term Freemason.

On arrival at a building site and seeking work, some method of recognition was required. There were no union membership cards to certify one’s skill. As each apprentice attained a higher level of skill and experience, his initiation into this level included grips and passwords which identified his level of competency. Freemasons have three Degrees or level of knowledge. Each includes the communication of certain grips and words by which one Mason may know another in the dark as well as at noonday. These are the Masonic secrets.

Is Masonry a Religion?

Masonry acknowledges the existence of God. No atheist can become a Mason. But Masonry has no right to approve or disapprove of any man’s belief. Prayer is an important part of the Masonic ritual, and all meetings are opened and closed with prayer. Masonic vows are taken in the name of God, but Masonry never tries to tell a person how he should think about God, or how he should worship God, or why he should believe. We offer no plan of salvation. We teach that man should live a good life, not because that alone will earn him entrance into heaven, but because anything else is destructive, both to himself and to those around him. It is good to be good.

Masonic buildings are often referred to as “ Temples”, not because they are places of religious worship, but as a reference to King Solomon’s Temple which is the setting of the Masonic Degree rituals.

As to whether a man can be a Mason and a Christian, the best answer is that most us are. There are many Free Masons who belong to other faiths, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, but the majority in America are Christian. And we number many, many ministers of many different denominations. As Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, an active Freemason himself, once remarked: “Masonry encourages men to be good and that can never conflict with Christianity”.

What is a Masonic Lodge?

A lodge is both a meeting place for Masons and the Masons who meet there. You could actually say “The Lodge is meeting at the Lodge.” It’s a Middle English word. When the great cathedrals of the Middle Ages were being built, the masons had special, temporary buildings built against the side of the cathedral in which they met, received their pay, planned the work on the cathedral and socialized after work. This building was called a lodge. The term has simply remained down through the ages.

As to the officers, the leader of the Lodge or President, is the “Worshipful Master”. That title doesn't mean we worship him, although some people have thought that is what it means. The titles we use come from Middle English, about the time of Chaucer. Just as mayors in England and Canada are addressed as “Your Worship”, the Master of the Lodge is called “Worshipful Master”, meaning “Greatly Respected”. The First Vice President is the Senior Warden, and the second Vice President is the Junior Warden. We have a Secretary and a Treasurer, just like any other organization. Assisting the Master are the Senior and Junior Deacons. They carry messages and help with the ritual work. The Senior and Junior Stewards help guide the new candidates in the initiation and also traditionally set out refreshments. Finally, the Tyler sits at the door to make sure that the Lodge is not interrupted and to help visitors gain admission to the Lodge Room.

Just What Do Masons Do?

Charity is the most visible Masonic activity. Each year Masons give many millions of dollars to charity. Some are large projects, some are small. Among the hundreds of local projects, we sponsor large programs such as Children in Crisis, and Blindness Prevention programs, testing thousands of school children and senior citizens for vision problems. We have strong commitments to public education. Many Lodges have programs in which they recognize outstanding students. We have essay contests, awards for outstanding teachers and even programs to help teachers get supplies. The Fraternity gives hundreds of college scholarships to students each year. Nationally, throughout the United States, the Masons give an average of $1,500.000.00 (that is one and a half million) EVERY DAY to charitable causes, most of which are not Masonic. A fact never publicized and thus hardly known.

All those things are external, and they are important. But the real things the Masons do are far more difficult to describe. In essence, we try to build ourselves into better men, better fathers, better husbands and better citizens. We strive for self development and self improvement. We try to learn more about what it means to be human and what it takes to become better men.

How Does a Man Become a Mason?

No one will ever twist your arm to join the Masons. A person needs to come to Masonry because he really wants to, not because he’s been talked into it. Masonry is a real commitment. If you are a Mason and you need help, every Mason in the world MUST help you if he possibly can. By the same token, you must be willing to help any Mason who needs it.

If you decide you want more information, we’ll be happy to provide it. If you want to join our Fraternity it works this way: Ask any Mason for a petition (to join). Fill it out and return it to him. He'll take it to his Lodge and turn it in. A committee (of about three) will be appointed to talk with you and with people you may list as references. Its purpose is to ascertain that you are a man of good character and that you believe in God. Atheism and Freemasonry are not compatible. The committee will report its recommendation back to the Lodge. The Lodge will then vote. If your petition is accepted, the Secretary will contact you about a date for the first of the three Degrees. There is some study and a bit of memory work required with which your Lodge Brothers will always help you. After the Third Degree you will be a full-fledged Master Mason and will have joined the oldest global brotherhood in the world!

What Goes On at a Masonic Meeting?

There are two parts to a Masonic meeting. The first is like the business meeting of any other organization. It takes us just a bit longer to call the meeting to order, because we use a longer opening ceremony or ritual than most civic clubs do. But, it reminds us of some of the most important lessons in Masonry.

Then, when the Lodge is “open”, we have a Business Meeting to hear the reading of the minutes, ballot on applications for membership, vote to pay bills, take care of old and new business, and plan projects just like everyone else.

The other part of the meeting is one in which new members are received and instructed. This is done with a beautiful ritual, centuries old, which is designed to teach some important moral lessons and to start the person thinking about his own nature as a spiritual being.

The Ceremonies of Masonic Initiation are meaningful and historic using the setting of the building of King Solomon’s Temple. Nothing humorous or embarrassing is permitted. In fact, it is a very serious Masonic offense to allow anything to happen during an initiation which is undignified or humorous.

Our Masonic Forefathers

Masons were active in Massachusetts even before 1733 when the first Provincial Grand Lodge of Masons was formally organized by Henry Price. Today the Grand Lodge in Boston remains the oldest continuously operating Masonic organization in the Western Hemisphere.

In its early years, Masonry numbered among its members some of our nation's most influential citizens - among them George Washington, Henry Knox, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock and Paul Revere.

In Massachusetts, many of those who participated in the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill were Masons. Dr. Joseph Warren, who was then Grand Master of Masons, gave his life leading the colonists at Bunker Hill, and King Solomon’s Lodge of Charlestown built the first Bunker Hill Monument.

One of the Charter Members of Mystic Valley Lodge was Johnathan Harrington, a fifer at the Battle of Lexington in 1775 and the last survivor of that historic event. His apron hangs in our Temple as a reminder of our link to our country’s founders.

The values that were important then - loyalty, patriotism, liberty, courage and faith - are just as important to Masons today. The principles upon which this country was founded are deeply embedded in Masonry.

Who Becomes A Mason?

Who becomes a Mason? Masons come from all walks of life: accountants, businessmen, teachers, contractors, professional men and laborers, and from all levels of income. They represent every race, creed and culture. In Masonry, it doesn't matter whether a man is a bricklayer or a physician, a waiter or the city mayor. All are on an equal footing in the Lodge room.

The ceremonies and practices of Masons have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. No matter where a Lodge is located, its members share the common bond of having passed through the same degree work, rites and rituals.

Because of this, members can find brother Masons wherever they go. In Massachusetts alone, there are 300 lodges with nearly 60,000 members. Across the country and around the world, there are Lodges in every city as well as in many smaller communities. A Mason is always welcome in a Lodge in an unfamiliar city.

It's a good feeling to know that, wherever a man's travels may take him, he has friends he can depend upon and trust. Visiting a Lodge and sharing their friendship and fellowship is a heartwarming experience, and a great contrast to spending an evening alone in a strange hotel room.

Masons Give Freely

Of all the cardinal virtues, none is more valued in Masonry than selfless giving. Examples of Masonic charity are legion.

Nationally, Masons contribute over $2 million every day to relieve suffering and for the enrichment of mankind. Masons are the founding sponsors and supporters of the Shriners Burns Institutes and the Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children, both of which offer their services free of charge. They don’t even accept insurance payments! And every Shriner is a Mason.

Masons are responsible for the Scottish Rite National Heritage Museum in Lexington, the Masonic Retirement Home in Charlton, the Knights' Templar Eye Foundation, and the 32° Masonic Learning Centers for Children in addition to supporting Childrens Identification Program, Angel Funds for the needy, DeMolay for Boys, Rainbow for Girls, scholarships, and hundreds of other programs nationally and locally.

Satisfaction derived from these endeavors cannot be measured in ordinary terms. We will say, however, that it is through helping others that man most helps himself.

For more information about Mystic Valley Lodge or Masonry in Arlington, email us at info@mysticvalleylodge.org.