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Christopher
Sean Arthur, Sr.
Worshipful
Master- Lodge Officer Duties:
His
Jewel is the Square, which is a stonemason's tool
to ascertain true and correct angles of the cut and
smoothed stone...thus his Jewel symbolizes virtue.
The
Worshipful Master of a Masonic Lodge is the highest
ranking of all Lodge Officers which a Lodge may elect.
The Worshipful
Master sits in the East of the Lodge room and directs
all of the business of the Lodge. Note: Even if the
building faces a different direction, the Master is said
to be "in the East". He also presides over
ritual and ceremonies.
His
position is similar to a President of any other
organization. As Master, his word is final over any and
all actions pertaining to his Lodge.
It
is his duty to
"Set the Craft to work and give them wholesome
instruction for their labor".
While
the Worshipful Master's rank is highest of all members,
his Lodge Officer Duties are the easiest to remember.
The Worshipful
Master is responsible for every single thing within his
lodge during his year as Master. He is ultimately
responsible for every other lodge officer and their
duties, every lodge committee, ritual and degree work,
Masonic education, social functions, fundraisers,
District and Grand Lodge liaison, Trestle Board
communication, etc.
All eyes are
upon the Master. If lodge functions go smoothly, it is
the Master who takes the credit. If lodge functions go
awry, it is the Master who bears the blame. Therefore,
the Master wears many hats.
It
is his duty to preside over business meetings, the
conferral of degrees, and delegation of duties to all
other Lodge Officers.
While
Freemasons call the Master, "Worshipful
Master", they do not, as some people may
erroneously believe, actually worship him.
"Worshipful" is an honorary title which shows
respect for his position. In France, the word
"Worshipful" is replaced with the word
"Venerable".
It is no
different than respecting the office of our President of
the United States. He would be addressed, formally, as
"Mr. President" rather than by his first name.
Likewise, if you go before a judge, you would address
him as "Your Honor", rather than by his first
name, as a measure of respect that you hold for his
office.
Daniel
Dwight DeJarnette, Sr.
Aubrey
Howard Mason, Jr.
Senior
Warden- Lodge Officer Duties:
His
Jewel is the Level...symbolizing that all Masons meet
on the level, without regard to social, political or
religious beliefs or status.
The
Senior Warden of a Masonic Lodge is the second in
command within the Lodge Officers.
In the absence
of the Worshipful Master, the Senior Warden assumes the
Worshipful Master's duties. The Senior Warden of a
Masonic Lodge sits in the West and assists the
Worshipful Master in opening and closing the Lodge.
The Senior
Warden is in charge of the Lodge when it is at labor.
His position is similar to a Vice-President of any
organization.
His
ancient duties were to pay the Craft (the members of the
guild) their wages and to handle disputes among the
workers. It is his duty to support the Master and to
prepare himself for that office during the following
year.
Daniel
Dwight DeJarnette, Sr.
Junior
Warden- Lodge Officer Duties:
His
Jewel of Office is the Plumb,... which is a
stonemason's instrument used for ascertaining the
alignment of a vertical surface.
It symbolizes upright
behavior among Masons.
The
Junior Warden of a Masonic Lodge is the third in command
of the Lodge. The Junior Warden sits in the South and is
responsible for the Brethren while the Lodge is at ease
or refreshment.
His position is
similar to a Second Vice-President. The Junior Warden,
too, may open the lodge if the Master is unable to
attend the meeting.
It
is the Junior Warden's duty to arrange meals for the
lodge, and, typically, the 2 Stewards act as his
assistants in this responsibility.
Symbolically, it
is also his duty to make certain that the members do not
convert their refreshment into intemperance or excess.
This is a holdover from earlier days, which still
remains as part of the Junior Warden's job description,
even though in most U.S. jurisdictions, alcohol is
barred from the lodge.
John
Keith Phillips
Treasurer
- Lodge Officer Duties:
His Jewel is a Pair
of Crossed Keys, signifying he is the Collector
and Distributor of all Lodge Monies as he holds the
keys to the cashbox.
The Treasurer of a
Masonic Lodge is the Chief Financial Officer of the
Lodge. He sits to the right of the Master and behind the
Senior Deacon.
The Treasurer is responsible
for all financial transactions. He receives all money,
pays all debts by order of the Worshipful Master with
the consent of the lodge and renders a report when
requested.
The treasurer does not need to
be in possession of an accounting degree, however
experience with bookkeeping and accounting is an asset.
Financial bookkeeping transactions may be performed
either by hand or by the use of accounting software.
The Treasurer's duties can be
likened to a corporate C.F.O. (Chief Financial Officer).
Stanley
Wayne Helmintoller
Secretary
- Lodge Officer Duties:
His
Jewel is the Crossed Quill Pens. The Secretary is
the Lodge's Recorder.
The Secretary's Lodge Officer Duties require a high
degree of lodge experience, Masonic knowledge, diplomacy
and, above all, detailed paperwork skills. The Lodge
Secretary is the backbone of any Masonic Lodge and he
holds a position of great responsibility. He sits to the
left of the Master.
His duties
require him to handle all correspondence to the members,
minutes of Lodge meetings, petitions of new candidates,
continuous lodge member count, and many other
administrative duties. He compiles an ongoing list of
each new candidate and which degrees that candidate has
undertaken. From his member list, he sends out the
annual dues notices and receives dues payments.
He communicates
with other Lodges and the Grand Lodge, types letters,
retrieves the mail as well as handles many other
details.
The
Secretary's Lodge Officer duties are many, not the least
of which is that he must be well versed in Grand
Lodge By-Laws for his jurisdiction and his Lodge
By-Laws. He keeps the list of Lodge members and
helps the Master organize his meetings.
A very
experienced member usually resides in this
chair...many times he is a Past Master of the Lodge.
While it is not a prerequisite, due to the number of
hours that this position requires, most (not all) Lodge
Secretaries are retired and therefore able to devote the
many hours required which are necessary to this
position.
The Secretary's
position is similar to a corporate C.O.O., (Chief
Operation Officer).
Frank
Malcolm Merryman
Senior
Deacon- Lodge Officer Duties:
His
Jewel is the Square and Compass with the Sun in the
middle. The sun signifies that his position is on
the lower level, to the right of the Worshipful Master
in the east.
His duty is as messenger
of the Worshipful Master, hence he does a lot of
walking.
The
Senior Deacon of a Masonic Lodge is an assistant officer
of the Lodge. The Senior Deacon's principle roles are to
welcome and escort both visitors and candidates into the
lodge and introduce distinguished visitors.
It is his duty
to assist the Worshipful Master and carry orders between
the Worshipful Master and the Senior Warden. During
degree rituals, he guides the new candidate and conducts
him around the lodge room.
During
the opening and closing ceremonies, the Senior Deacon
opens the Holy Scriptures to the correct passage of the
degree being worked and closes it after the lodge is
adjourned. He also lights and extinguishes the candles
at the altar.
In some lodges,
he carries the ballot box around the lodge when new
members are being voted upon.
The Senior
Deacon's position is similar to a Manager. The Senior
Deacon (and the Junior Deacon) both carry long staffs
(or rods), because as messengers of the Worshipful
Master, the staffs are symbolic of the caduceus (or
wand) that the Roman winged god and messenger Mercury
carried during their duties. Atop the rods are the
jewels of their offices.
William
David Webb
Junior
Deacon- Lodge Officer Duties:
Like
his senior counterpart, the Senior Deacon, the Jewel of
his office is the Square and Compass, however the Junior
Deacon's Square and Compass has a moon in the center,
which signifies that he is in the West.
The Junior
Deacon of a Masonic Lodge is an assistant officer of the
Lodge. He sits to the lower right of the Senior Warden.
The Junior Deacon's principle
roles are to assist the Senior Warden by carrying
messages from the Senior Warden in the West to the
Junior Warden in the South and to guard the inner door
of the Lodge.
It is his duty to ascertain at
all times whether the Tiler is guarding the door and
only allowing visitors to enter after they have been
properly vouched for.
Some jurisdictions split this
position into 2 positions...that of the Junior Deacon
and the Inner Guard.
The Junior Warden's position is
similar to a Manager.
Ray
Allen Dooley
Chaplain
- Lodge Officer Duties:
His
Jewel of office is an opened book, symbolizing the
Volume of Sacred Law (the Christian Bible, Hebrew
Torah or Tanach, the Muslim Qur'an, the Hindu Vedas or
other Holy Books).
The
Chaplain of a Masonic Lodge is an appointed officer of
the Lodge. He sits to the left of the Master.
The Chaplain is
the spiritual leader of the Lodge. While he may or
may not be a real-world Minister, Priest, Rabbi or
Imam,... in the lodge, the Chaplain is responsible for
non-denominational prayers at both the opening and
closing of meetings, during degree ritual ceremonies and
before meals. Most Chaplains have no
religious training and prayers are non-denominational.
The Chaplain's position is similar to that of a
Supervisor.
Christopher
Bradley Phillips
Senior
Steward - Lodge Officer Duties:
His Jewel is the
Cornucopia, which is an exact duplicate of the Junior
Steward's Cornucopia. The Cornucopia signifies
the "Horn of Plenty". It is a goat horn
filled with the fresh fruits and vegetables to denote
the "fruits of your labors" and
represents a job well done.
The Senior Steward
of a Masonic Lodge is an appointed officer of the Lodge.
The Senior Steward is tasked to
understudy the Junior Deacon's position and fill in for
the Junior Deacon when absent.
The Junior Deacon's principle
role is to prepare the candidates during ritual and
escort them to the lodge room and assist the Senior
Deacon. In their entry Officer positions, both the
Senior and Junior Stewards typically handle kitchen
duties and wait staff for the members.
The Senior Steward's position
is similar to that of a Supervisor.
Daniel
Keith Phillips
Junior
Steward - Lodge Officer Duties:
His
Jewel is the Cornucopia, which is an exact duplicate to
the Senior Steward's Cornucopia. The Cornucopia signifies
the "Horn of Plenty".
It is a goat
horn filled with the "fruits of your labors"
and represents a job well done.
The
Junior Steward of a Masonic Lodge is an appointed
officer of the Lodge.
The Junior
Steward is tasked to understudy the Senior Steward
position and fill in for the Senior Steward in his
absence. The Junior Steward's principle role is to
assist the Senior Steward and the Senior Deacon in the
preparation of the Candidates.
Both
the Senior and Junior Stewards carry rods, atop which
are the jewels of their offices. The rods represent
England's Lord High Steward's rod in the House of Lords.
The
Junior Steward position is similar to that of a
Supervisor.
Alonza
Willard "Buck" Arthur
Tiler
- Lodge Officer Duties:
His
Jewel is the Sword, by which he symbolically refuses
entrance to anyone who is uninitiated in the Craft.
The sword has no scabbard, as it is his symbolic duty to
always have his sword drawn, ready for the defense of
his post.
The
Tiler (or Tyler) of a Masonic Lodge is an appointed
officer of the Lodge and is sometimes known as the
"Outer Guard". He sits outside the closed door
of the lodge room, armed with a sword.
The Tiler's
duties and principle role is to ensure that only those
who are duly qualified are allowed to enter the Lodge
Room. He guards against cowans and eavesdroppers. During
the Middle Ages, a cowan was a man who built stone walls
of poor quality. He was an uninitiated or
non-apprenticed stonemason...a "jackleg", if
you will.
While the Tiler
is sometimes called upon to assist in the preparation of
candidates, his chief duty is to (symbolically) keep
unskilled workmen from overhearing the conversation
within the Lodge Room.
After
the lodge members are inside the Lodge Room, the door
closes and it is the Tiler's duty to decide whether late
arrivals may enter. It is also his duty to make sure
that each visitor is "properly clothed", which
means they must be wearing their Masonic apron.
To be fully and
properly dressed before entrance into the Lodge Room,
the visitor must be wearing their apron over the top (or
on the outside) of their suit coat (never under their
coat) and the apron strings must be fully tied before
the Tiler will allow the visitor entrance. Some
jurisdictions call this position the Outer Guard.
The Tiler's
position is similar to that of a Supervisor.
Albert
James Callahan
Lodge
Educational Officers- Lodge Officers Duties:
The
Worshipful Master of his Lodge appoints Lodge
Educational Officers. His duties include, but are not
limited to, acting as Lodge representative for all
matters relating to Masonic education. His
primary duty is the training of the Brethren in all
areas of Masonic education, except for ritual. The
training should include teaching the Brethren how to
discuss Freemasonry with non-Masons.
Stanley
Wayne Helmintoller
Lodge
Instructor of Work - Lodge Officer Duties:
The
Worshipful Master of his Lodge appoints Lodge
Instructors of Work. His duties include, but are not
limited to, acting as Lodge representative for all
matters relating to Masonic ritual.
William
David Webb
Lodge
Blood Coordinator
- Lodge Officer
Duties:
The
Worshipful Master of his Lodge appoints Lodge Blood
Coordinator. His duties include, but are not limited to,
acting as Lodge representative for all matters relating
to the Grand Lodge blood program; scheduling blood
drives; maintaining Lodge records on all donations and
rosters of all Lodge donors, both Masons and others.
Charles
Lee Creasy
Lodge
Masonic Home Ambassador
- Lodge Officer Duties:
The
Lodge Masonic Home Ambassadors tasks include conducting
conferences and seminars promoting the Masonic Home.
They shall offer assistance to those Brethren, wives,
and widows who may need the services of the Masonic
Home. The Chairman will call meetings as necessary
to ensure the continuity of effort and support.
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