The Officers of a lodge :
- Master
- Sr. & Jr. Wardens
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Sr. & Jr. Deacons
- Sr. & Jr. Stewarts
- Chaplin
- Tyler
- Marshal
(please note that due to Freemasonry being
a world-wide organization not all lodges will be set up in the manner as
described below)
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Officers Duties? Worshipful Master: President He is the overall administrator of all acts in and for the Lodge. The Lodge at all times belongs to the Master, and is to be at his Will and Pleasure. He can not be contested or questioned; or placed on trial. He answers only to the Grand Master/Grand Lodge, and his conscience. It is his duty to deal fairly with every infraction of Masonic Law in his domain. This includes visitors and unaffiliated Masons. He is to maintain peace and harmony in his Lodge, and be a good example to the craft. He should establish a process of learning for his craft and demand that each member participates. He should demand that his officers become proficient, and he himself be proficient. He must be a moral and good man He must be a law-abiding man. He must be temperate and meek he must be cautious, courteous, faithful and self-governing. He must possess a love for genuine Masonry. Senior Warden: 1st Vice-President In the presence of the Master, he is the second ranking officer or member of the craft. While the Master is about the business of the Lodge, the Sr. Warden generally is authorized to superintend the behavior of the craft. A responsible and concerned Sr. Warden will attempt to involve himself in all aspects of Lodge movement, and stay abreast of lodge activities. He, like the Secretary, should be in contact with the Master almost daily in order that he might stay informed, and the Master should welcome this type of concern and support. In the absence of the Master, the Sr Warden is to faithfully represent the Master, and govern the Lodge as such. At the earliest time following his tour representation, he should contact and inform the Master of the proceedings during his absence. Junior Warden: 2nd Vice-President His duties are second only to the W.M. in quantity: manager of entertainment; counselor and advisor; supervisor of morals; admonisher to erring members; prosecutor during trials. He is to conduct personal investigation into all charges against a member. Should the charges prove factual, he is to prepare written charges for presentation to the Lodge, in a regular meeting. In the absence of the W. M. and the S.W., the Jr. Warden shall open the meeting. Unlike his two seniors, he can not open the Lodge from the East. He must do so from the South. Once the meeting is opened, it is his choice to preside, or call on a P.M. to do so. Secretary: Like other organizations, someone must take care of the paperwork and handle the "business" of the Lodge. The secretary is also charged to observe and record all Lodge proceedings proper to be written. Treasure: Fourth in line of Lodge Officers, the Treasurer is responsible for the proper management of the Lodge finances. Senior Deacon (SD): Assistant Elder members of a craft most usually recognize this officer as The second most important in the Lodge because of the requirements of the office, duties performed and relation to the W.M. His every act on the floor is representative of the desires of the W.M. and must be accepted by all as such. The W.M. seldom appears on the floor. He is the drawing personality during degree work and is directly assisted by the Stewards and M. of C. He must master certain Masonic dialogue, never being satisfied with the knowledge already digested. Junior Deacon (JD): Attendant His responsibilities to that officer are to perform the duties of attendant. The Sr. Warden, when permitted by the Master, will appoint this officer. It is generally supposed that if the Sr Warden eventually assumes the East, he will take this officer with him to serve as Sr Deacon. The Jr. Deacon, having been appointed to a Line Officer position, would do well to actively improve his ritualistic, talents, and Masonic rhetoric. Where possible, he should assist the Sr. Deacon during the conference of degrees. While being the immediate proxy of the West, he is also employed in the security of the Lodge, keeping the outer room clear and keep in the Tyler informed as to activities and changes in the Lodge. During periods of balloting he should inform the Tyler that the door of the Lodge should not be alarmed. Stewards: Servant As the word Steward means servant, they are in fact servants of the Lodge. Since the year 926, Stewards have been directed to provide refreshment and good cheer to the craft during the hours of refreshment. They are to assist other Lodge officers in the performance of their duties in the Lodge. If there are Masters Of Ceremonies appointed in the Lodge, the Steward are considered to be the higher ranking servitor. Of the Jr Wardens duty to provide entertainment and refreshment, he is merely to establish and provide the means. The physical portion bf that duty is to be carried out by the Stewards. They are to assist the Tyler in the preparation of the Lodge and aid in the care of all furnishings. At meetings and social gatherings, they are to make certain that the Worshipful Master and special guests are adequately provided for. In many Lodges, the business of examining visitors is a duty of the Jr Warden, which he will sometimes relegate to the Stewards. Chaplain: His duty is to perform those priestly duties delegated by the Master. Through ritualistic usages of the Order, the Master possesses all priestly rights necessary to be exercised in the ceremonies of our institution. A Lodge Chaplain should memorize the following: Psalm; Amos; Ecclesiastics; Opening and Closing prayers from the ritual. Some people argue that if we are not a religion, why do we have a
chaplain. We have a Chaplain in our officer core because we open and
close each of our meetings with a secular prayer. The Chaplain is in
charge of that duty. We believe that a religious belief is important
for a man. We do not care what religion a man believes in. Most every
religion is represented somewhere in the Masonic Fraternity. |