Duties of Lodge Officers - May 01, 2007
T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 98 – May 01, 2007
This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
“But because our organization has grown so much and in so many different ways, the delegation process places responsibility and authority on the shoulders of people you can watch grow and watch the way they treat others.” Vince McMahon
A couple of years ago I got a question from a Brother about the offices in a Masonic Lodge. It was a very good question and, as I told this Brother in my response, I had a great time doing the research to provide an answer. I also mentioned to him that as I got into doing the research I thought his question would make a fine theme for an article sometime in the future. I hope you find the information that follows interesting and informative.
The office of Master in a Lodge of Freemasons:
In Minnesota we elect a Mason who has been a Warden to the office of Master. The word Worshipful is not part of the title, it is only a friendly salutation we add to the title to indicate respect and honor to the man who holds the office. Sometimes a Master of a Lodge will refer to himself as being the Worshipful Master of the Lodge, but in Minnesota he should refer to himself as being Master of his Lodge. [I am told that in some jurisdictions the name of this job in the Lodge is actually Worshipful Master, but in the Three jurisdictions I am most familiar with this is not the case, and I wonder why a jurisdiction would have Worshipful as part of the job name.] The Mayor of a town would, most likely, not refer to himself as His Honor the Mayor; the His Honor is how others would refer to him. A Judge would not refer to himself as My Honor, but when others talk to him they will address him as Your Honor.
The word Master, as used in Masonry, comes from Old French and means the one who has authority to control; is the chief or leader; a presiding officer. In olden times the word Master was used for males only, but in more modern times it also is used for females as well. But, of course, Mainstream Freemasonry being a male only organization we use it for males only.
The office of Warden in a Lodge of Freemasons:
Warden is also a word that comes from Old French. And when I look in the Oxford English Dictionary there are many examples of the use of name Warden in Churches, guilds, and Freemasonry. One definition is a guardian, and one example of this use of the job dates from 1543; it refers to the Warden as the ‘guardian of the peace:’ “The iustices assigned shall haue power to delyuer the same iayles of those that shalbe endited before the wardeins of the peace.” I like the reference to the Wardens of the Peace, because I think this fits with the office of Senior Warden in a Masonic Lodge; especially when we think of what he says in the opening and closing ceremonies, when he refers to harmony being the strength and support of all societies – more especially of ours.
The office of the Master and Wardens dates back to at least the revival period, they exist in every country where Freemasonry exists and in every Rite; the words differ according to different languages but the tripartite division of governance of a lodge is the same wherever you might be.
Where the Wardens sit varies; in the American Rite the Senior Warden is in the West and the Junior Warden is in the South, in the French and Scottish Rites both Wardens are in the West, and if you remember the placement of the Wardens in the degrees of the Scottish Rite portrayed in the Scottish Rite Degrees, (as in the 18th degree as an example,) the Senior Warden is in Northwest and the Junior in the Southwest. But when you think of the placement of the Master and these officers in the Scottish Rite or the Blue Lodge they form a triangle; the Master and the Wardens each occupying one of the three points of the triangle, and this triangle is within the oblong square of the Lodge Room.
No one knows for certain when the governing of a Lodge of Operative Masons was divided into more than one presiding officer, but there is a reference to the ‘Mark Book’ of Aberdeen Lodge from December 27, 1670, and this shows that the Master and Wardens were recognized as presiding officers of the Lodge: “And lykwise we all protest, by the oath we have made at our entire, to own the Warden of our Lodge as the next man in power to the Maister, and in the Maister’s absence he is full Maister.”
From the Harleian Manuscript dated also in 1670, which is an English Manuscript, there are ‘new articles’ said to have been agreed upon at the General Assembly in 1663. In it, there is the following passage: “That for the future of sayd Society, Company, and Fraternity of Free Masons shal bee regulated and governed by one Master & Assembly & Wardens as ye said Company shall think fit to choose, at every yearely General Assembly.”
While there is no written evidence of the office of Warden prior to these dates it is generally thought that the office of Warden might have existed for many decades before. This line of thought is because there were Wardens in the English Guilds as early as the 14th century. “In the Charters granted by Edward 3rd in 1354, it is permitted that these companies shall yearly elect for their government ‘a certain number of Wardens.”
So we could say with some confidence that the governing of a Lodge of Masons was divided into three officers; the Master and Wardens, in about 1663.
The Senior Warden is the second officer of a Lodge of Freemasons and assists in governing the craft while it is at labor, in the absence of the Master he presides over the Lodge and appoints another qualified brother to occupy the West. The Junior Warden, if present, occupies his office and does not assume the West, at least here in Minnesota. The Junior Warden presides during the hour of Refreshment only. The Senior Warden disposes his column when the Lodge is at Labor, and the Junior Warden disposes his column when the Lodge is at Refreshment. In processions the Senior Warden carries his column as a symbol of his authority, as does the Junior Warden. The Senior Warden’s Column represents the right-hand pillar that stood at the right-hand on the porch of King Solomon’s Temple, and the Junior Warden’s column represents the left-hand pillar. (The Right Hand Pillar is called Jachin, and the Left Hand Pillar is called Boaz.)
The office of Deacon in a Lodge of Freemasons:
The word Deacon comes from a Greek word meaning a servant, messenger or waiting-man. In Freemasonry the Deacon is the servant, a proxy, for another officer. In the Church the title Deacon is the name of an order of ministers or officers in the Christian church, and as such the Deacon is a member of the third order of the ministry, ranking below bishops and priests, and having the functions of assisting the priest in divine service, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, and of visiting the sick etc., in the Catholic and Episcopal Church. In some protestant denominations the Deacon is an appointed church officer who attends to the business affairs of the congregation, or one of a body of Deacons elected to advise the church Pastor, and to distribute the elements at communion, as well as some other duties.
In Symbolic Masonry there are two officers called the Senior and Junior Deacon. In former times there were instances where the Mason performing the duties of the Senior Deacon was appointed by the Master of the Lodge and the Mason performing the duties of the Junior Deacon was appointed by the Senior Warden, (and for information only; the Junior Warden appointed the Senior and Junior Stewards.) But in modern times the Master appoints all appointed officers in a Masonic Lodge.
It is to the Deacons that the introduction of visitors is entrusted, and their duties also include surveilance over the security of the Lodge, and they are the proxies of the Master and the Senior Warden. (As far as the security of the Lodge is concerned the door to the Tyler’s room is the duty of the Junior Deacon, and the door to the preparation room is the duty of the Senior Deacon.) The Deacons attend the Master and the Senior Warden, and that is the reason that the jewels of these officers are the sun inside the Square and Compass for the Senior Deacon and the Moon inside the Square and Compass for the Junior Deacon. The Square and Compass reminds the Deacons of the necessity of justice and circumspection with which he should discharge his duties. The sun within the Square and Compass in the jewel of the Senior Deacon indicates he is the proxy for the Master whose station is in the East, which is the place of the rising sun. the Sun is the emblem of the Master because it shines its own light, as the Master governs his Lodge by virtue of his own power. The Junior Deacon’s jewel has the half moon in the square and compass because the moon derives its light from the sun, so the Senior Warden derives his authority from the Master. The Junior Deacon being the proxy for the Senior Warden, who assists the Master in governing his Lodge therefore has the moon in his jewel.
Reading in First Timothy in the Great Light of Masonry can lead us to draw some conclusions as an implication to Freemasonry. In 1st Timothy 3:1-7 the qualifications of a Bishop are described. In 1st Timothy 3:8-13 the the qualifications of a Decaon are described. A conclusion that can be drawn applying to Masonry is that since the Deacon is a proxy for the Bishop as described in the scripture he should have practically the same qualifications as the Bishop. In Masonry the training should begin early for the new Mason, so that when he is appointed as a Deacon or proxy for the Senior Warden and the Master he also ought to have practically all of the qualifications of the officers he serves. Another conclusion is drawn by me reading these scriptures, and that is that a new Mason should not be put into positions of responsibility prematurely. New Masons should have a place of service, but new knowledge and information needs time to mature. A Mason should not, (in my opinion only,) be placed in leadership positions until they are firmly grounded in Freemasonry; knowing what it is and isn’t, and can teach what they know.
[If you look up these scriptures in the Bible the KJV will be headed ‘Bishops and Deacons,’ the NIV will be headed ‘Overseers and Deacons,’ and other translations will have similar headings; however, whatever translation you use the passages of 1st Timothy 3: 1-13 is a very good set of scripture for anyone to read if they think they would like to strive toward a leadership position.]
One more example in the Holy Bible of choosing someone to serve in a religious sense, although they are not called deacons here, is in Acts 6:1-7. Verses 3-6 in particular. I think these passages are a good example of chooing officers in a Lodge so that the primary officers have proxies they can count on when they delegate duties to them.
The reason for the Master and Senior Warden to have a proxy is because the Master and Wardens occupy ‘stations’ and are not supposed to move about the Lodge Room. The duties as well as the dignity of their position as rulers of the Lodge require them to remain in their stations. Therefore, these officers need proxies in the active duties of the Lodge.
The office of the Deacons appears to have dirived from the usage of Deacons in the early church; in the early Greek church the deacons were always the doorkeepers. In the early rituals of the 1700’s there was no mention of Deacons, but the duties now performed by them were performed by the Senior and Junior Entered Apprentices. (It was the Senior and Junior Entered Apprentices that were appointed by the Master and the Senior Warden.) Deacons were generally included as Lodge officers after the union of the two rival Grand Lodges in 1813.
References:
Oxford English Dictionary
The New Century Dictionary
Mackey’s Encyclopedia volumes 1 & 2 Clegg edition.
Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible
“The first rule of management is delegation. Don't try and do everything yourself because you can't.” Anthea Turner
More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.
“Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice.” Yoda
Aude sapere = [Latin] = Dare to be wise.
From the Great Light of Masonry: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 NIV
To read this paper in PDF format click here: http://www.halpaus.net/TFS98.pdf
With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 98 – May 01, 2007
This publication, while it is printed with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of A.F. & A. M. of Minnesota, contains the writings and opinions of Ed Halpaus and is not in any way the opinion of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
“But because our organization has grown so much and in so many different ways, the delegation process places responsibility and authority on the shoulders of people you can watch grow and watch the way they treat others.” Vince McMahon
A couple of years ago I got a question from a Brother about the offices in a Masonic Lodge. It was a very good question and, as I told this Brother in my response, I had a great time doing the research to provide an answer. I also mentioned to him that as I got into doing the research I thought his question would make a fine theme for an article sometime in the future. I hope you find the information that follows interesting and informative.
The office of Master in a Lodge of Freemasons:
In Minnesota we elect a Mason who has been a Warden to the office of Master. The word Worshipful is not part of the title, it is only a friendly salutation we add to the title to indicate respect and honor to the man who holds the office. Sometimes a Master of a Lodge will refer to himself as being the Worshipful Master of the Lodge, but in Minnesota he should refer to himself as being Master of his Lodge. [I am told that in some jurisdictions the name of this job in the Lodge is actually Worshipful Master, but in the Three jurisdictions I am most familiar with this is not the case, and I wonder why a jurisdiction would have Worshipful as part of the job name.] The Mayor of a town would, most likely, not refer to himself as His Honor the Mayor; the His Honor is how others would refer to him. A Judge would not refer to himself as My Honor, but when others talk to him they will address him as Your Honor.
The word Master, as used in Masonry, comes from Old French and means the one who has authority to control; is the chief or leader; a presiding officer. In olden times the word Master was used for males only, but in more modern times it also is used for females as well. But, of course, Mainstream Freemasonry being a male only organization we use it for males only.
The office of Warden in a Lodge of Freemasons:
Warden is also a word that comes from Old French. And when I look in the Oxford English Dictionary there are many examples of the use of name Warden in Churches, guilds, and Freemasonry. One definition is a guardian, and one example of this use of the job dates from 1543; it refers to the Warden as the ‘guardian of the peace:’ “The iustices assigned shall haue power to delyuer the same iayles of those that shalbe endited before the wardeins of the peace.” I like the reference to the Wardens of the Peace, because I think this fits with the office of Senior Warden in a Masonic Lodge; especially when we think of what he says in the opening and closing ceremonies, when he refers to harmony being the strength and support of all societies – more especially of ours.
The office of the Master and Wardens dates back to at least the revival period, they exist in every country where Freemasonry exists and in every Rite; the words differ according to different languages but the tripartite division of governance of a lodge is the same wherever you might be.
Where the Wardens sit varies; in the American Rite the Senior Warden is in the West and the Junior Warden is in the South, in the French and Scottish Rites both Wardens are in the West, and if you remember the placement of the Wardens in the degrees of the Scottish Rite portrayed in the Scottish Rite Degrees, (as in the 18th degree as an example,) the Senior Warden is in Northwest and the Junior in the Southwest. But when you think of the placement of the Master and these officers in the Scottish Rite or the Blue Lodge they form a triangle; the Master and the Wardens each occupying one of the three points of the triangle, and this triangle is within the oblong square of the Lodge Room.
No one knows for certain when the governing of a Lodge of Operative Masons was divided into more than one presiding officer, but there is a reference to the ‘Mark Book’ of Aberdeen Lodge from December 27, 1670, and this shows that the Master and Wardens were recognized as presiding officers of the Lodge: “And lykwise we all protest, by the oath we have made at our entire, to own the Warden of our Lodge as the next man in power to the Maister, and in the Maister’s absence he is full Maister.”
From the Harleian Manuscript dated also in 1670, which is an English Manuscript, there are ‘new articles’ said to have been agreed upon at the General Assembly in 1663. In it, there is the following passage: “That for the future of sayd Society, Company, and Fraternity of Free Masons shal bee regulated and governed by one Master & Assembly & Wardens as ye said Company shall think fit to choose, at every yearely General Assembly.”
While there is no written evidence of the office of Warden prior to these dates it is generally thought that the office of Warden might have existed for many decades before. This line of thought is because there were Wardens in the English Guilds as early as the 14th century. “In the Charters granted by Edward 3rd in 1354, it is permitted that these companies shall yearly elect for their government ‘a certain number of Wardens.”
So we could say with some confidence that the governing of a Lodge of Masons was divided into three officers; the Master and Wardens, in about 1663.
The Senior Warden is the second officer of a Lodge of Freemasons and assists in governing the craft while it is at labor, in the absence of the Master he presides over the Lodge and appoints another qualified brother to occupy the West. The Junior Warden, if present, occupies his office and does not assume the West, at least here in Minnesota. The Junior Warden presides during the hour of Refreshment only. The Senior Warden disposes his column when the Lodge is at Labor, and the Junior Warden disposes his column when the Lodge is at Refreshment. In processions the Senior Warden carries his column as a symbol of his authority, as does the Junior Warden. The Senior Warden’s Column represents the right-hand pillar that stood at the right-hand on the porch of King Solomon’s Temple, and the Junior Warden’s column represents the left-hand pillar. (The Right Hand Pillar is called Jachin, and the Left Hand Pillar is called Boaz.)
The office of Deacon in a Lodge of Freemasons:
The word Deacon comes from a Greek word meaning a servant, messenger or waiting-man. In Freemasonry the Deacon is the servant, a proxy, for another officer. In the Church the title Deacon is the name of an order of ministers or officers in the Christian church, and as such the Deacon is a member of the third order of the ministry, ranking below bishops and priests, and having the functions of assisting the priest in divine service, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, and of visiting the sick etc., in the Catholic and Episcopal Church. In some protestant denominations the Deacon is an appointed church officer who attends to the business affairs of the congregation, or one of a body of Deacons elected to advise the church Pastor, and to distribute the elements at communion, as well as some other duties.
In Symbolic Masonry there are two officers called the Senior and Junior Deacon. In former times there were instances where the Mason performing the duties of the Senior Deacon was appointed by the Master of the Lodge and the Mason performing the duties of the Junior Deacon was appointed by the Senior Warden, (and for information only; the Junior Warden appointed the Senior and Junior Stewards.) But in modern times the Master appoints all appointed officers in a Masonic Lodge.
It is to the Deacons that the introduction of visitors is entrusted, and their duties also include surveilance over the security of the Lodge, and they are the proxies of the Master and the Senior Warden. (As far as the security of the Lodge is concerned the door to the Tyler’s room is the duty of the Junior Deacon, and the door to the preparation room is the duty of the Senior Deacon.) The Deacons attend the Master and the Senior Warden, and that is the reason that the jewels of these officers are the sun inside the Square and Compass for the Senior Deacon and the Moon inside the Square and Compass for the Junior Deacon. The Square and Compass reminds the Deacons of the necessity of justice and circumspection with which he should discharge his duties. The sun within the Square and Compass in the jewel of the Senior Deacon indicates he is the proxy for the Master whose station is in the East, which is the place of the rising sun. the Sun is the emblem of the Master because it shines its own light, as the Master governs his Lodge by virtue of his own power. The Junior Deacon’s jewel has the half moon in the square and compass because the moon derives its light from the sun, so the Senior Warden derives his authority from the Master. The Junior Deacon being the proxy for the Senior Warden, who assists the Master in governing his Lodge therefore has the moon in his jewel.
Reading in First Timothy in the Great Light of Masonry can lead us to draw some conclusions as an implication to Freemasonry. In 1st Timothy 3:1-7 the qualifications of a Bishop are described. In 1st Timothy 3:8-13 the the qualifications of a Decaon are described. A conclusion that can be drawn applying to Masonry is that since the Deacon is a proxy for the Bishop as described in the scripture he should have practically the same qualifications as the Bishop. In Masonry the training should begin early for the new Mason, so that when he is appointed as a Deacon or proxy for the Senior Warden and the Master he also ought to have practically all of the qualifications of the officers he serves. Another conclusion is drawn by me reading these scriptures, and that is that a new Mason should not be put into positions of responsibility prematurely. New Masons should have a place of service, but new knowledge and information needs time to mature. A Mason should not, (in my opinion only,) be placed in leadership positions until they are firmly grounded in Freemasonry; knowing what it is and isn’t, and can teach what they know.
[If you look up these scriptures in the Bible the KJV will be headed ‘Bishops and Deacons,’ the NIV will be headed ‘Overseers and Deacons,’ and other translations will have similar headings; however, whatever translation you use the passages of 1st Timothy 3: 1-13 is a very good set of scripture for anyone to read if they think they would like to strive toward a leadership position.]
One more example in the Holy Bible of choosing someone to serve in a religious sense, although they are not called deacons here, is in Acts 6:1-7. Verses 3-6 in particular. I think these passages are a good example of chooing officers in a Lodge so that the primary officers have proxies they can count on when they delegate duties to them.
The reason for the Master and Senior Warden to have a proxy is because the Master and Wardens occupy ‘stations’ and are not supposed to move about the Lodge Room. The duties as well as the dignity of their position as rulers of the Lodge require them to remain in their stations. Therefore, these officers need proxies in the active duties of the Lodge.
The office of the Deacons appears to have dirived from the usage of Deacons in the early church; in the early Greek church the deacons were always the doorkeepers. In the early rituals of the 1700’s there was no mention of Deacons, but the duties now performed by them were performed by the Senior and Junior Entered Apprentices. (It was the Senior and Junior Entered Apprentices that were appointed by the Master and the Senior Warden.) Deacons were generally included as Lodge officers after the union of the two rival Grand Lodges in 1813.
References:
Oxford English Dictionary
The New Century Dictionary
Mackey’s Encyclopedia volumes 1 & 2 Clegg edition.
Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible
“The first rule of management is delegation. Don't try and do everything yourself because you can't.” Anthea Turner
More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3,’ in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.
“Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice.” Yoda
Aude sapere = [Latin] = Dare to be wise.
From the Great Light of Masonry: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 NIV
To read this paper in PDF format click here: http://www.halpaus.net/TFS98.pdf
With “Brotherly Love”,
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer
Labels: Lodge Information