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Ardingly College Lodge No 4410
What
we do
The Lodge meets four times a year. For details follow the when and where link.
Freemasonry went through a very retiring phase in the twentieth
century, and we are not sure why. Before that, Masonry was much
more in the public view. Local papers would carry notices of
lodge meetings and reports of public Masonic activities. Today,
we understand that keeping quiet about Masonry doesn't help our image,
and openness is the order of the day, though our meetings remain
private.
So why are they private? First, because a Masonic lodge meeting
is a meeting of a private society, and as a private society we are a
members-only organisation. Second, because we have many guest
visitors from other lodges and there are formal signs of recognition
that we would like to keep private among Masons (although it is easy
enought to look them up). Third, because much of our work is
charitable and we may discuss cases of need which are very private
matters for the persons concerned. And fourth, because Masonry is
concerned with living a moral life, and in many of our meetings
we conduct our members progressively through lessons in the form of set
speeches and demonstrations, and we believe that these have most impact
if they are not trailed publicly in advance, but come fresh to each
recipient.
At our meetings, we cover that ground briefly touched on above, with
much traditional formal ceremony; and deal with routine lodge
business. At our Installation meeting in September, we install
the new Master for the ensuing year, and he appoints his
officers. At the other meetings we may take candidates through
the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason, or
engage in a talk or presentation or discussion on a subject in some way
relevant to
Freemasonry. And after every meeting we
dine together and enjoy the good company of our lodge members and our
guests.
At its core Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation based on three
traditional principles: brotherly love, relief (charity), and
truth. These govern all we do. We will only accept a new
member if we believe that he will strive to live up to these
principles; if he will not, he will not make a good Mason.
Besides the conduct of our regular meetings, we:
- Give to charities
- Visit other
lodges, both among the public schools lodges and elsewhere
- Enjoy membership of other lodges
and Masonic orders
- Maintain links
with Ardingly College in particular
You can find out more
about Freemasonry by following the external
links. |