The March meeting at my Masonic Lodge is always set aside for the ‘Installation’. This is when the new Worshipful Master (WM) is installed in the chair to preside over the Lodge for the next twelve months. It is a very special occasion and the meeting takes much longer than any other meeting so we begin much earlier in the day.
The new WM is known as the Master Elect (ME) as he has to be elected by all of the members of the Lodge present on the night that the election takes place. It is a great honour to ‘take the chair’ and a position of the highest regard. Any Freemason who becomes WM is thereafter known as a Worshipful Brother (W. Bro.) to mark out that he has served at least one year in the chair of a Lodge.
The ‘Installation’ is the highlight of the Lodge year and the members wear dinner suits rather than the normal black suits to point out the importance of the meeting and also that it is a day of celebration. This is also the day when the Officers for the coming year are invested by the WM usually moving up through the progressive offices towards the day that he too will attain the Chair.
This Installation was the first that I had acted as the Director of Ceremonies (DC) and it is my role to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that everything is done correctly – quite a responsibility but very rewarding too. If anything goes wrong it is also up to me to take charge and get everything back on track.
Being the DC has opened up a whole new world of personal and spiritual development for me as the other Brethren look to me for guidance and clarification. This I take very seriously as each learns at their own speeds and I have to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses to ensure they all work as a team. If we were a football team the DC would be the Coach.
I arrived at the Lodge being as prepared as possible but many of the other Brethren approached me with their own concerns which I clarified and answered patiently and with a smile. I spoke to each of the Officers in turn to make sure they all knew what they had to do and were at ease.
The new WM was especially pleased and thanked me in a toast for everything I had done. This was unexpected and a very nice gesture for him to do so. It was good enough for me to see that I had been influential in creating a day of friendship, warmth and celebration for so many of my friends.
This years Installation went very well and everyone had an excellent time. When it was all over I was very tired but content that I had been a key part of ensuring it all flowed and it was good to see that the other Brethren had enjoyed the day.
A day that I personally had given everything of myself for my fellow Freemasons and one that I will remember with very fond memories for the rest of my life. An excellent milestone on my personal journey and another step towards becoming the best person I know I can be.
Freemasonry gives me the opportunity to develop my own personal skills in a very supportive environment but it also helps me reveal my higher purpose by giving unconditionally in the hope of others felling refreshed and assisting the less experienced to develop themselves for the higher good.
The new WM is known as the Master Elect (ME) as he has to be elected by all of the members of the Lodge present on the night that the election takes place. It is a great honour to ‘take the chair’ and a position of the highest regard. Any Freemason who becomes WM is thereafter known as a Worshipful Brother (W. Bro.) to mark out that he has served at least one year in the chair of a Lodge.
The ‘Installation’ is the highlight of the Lodge year and the members wear dinner suits rather than the normal black suits to point out the importance of the meeting and also that it is a day of celebration. This is also the day when the Officers for the coming year are invested by the WM usually moving up through the progressive offices towards the day that he too will attain the Chair.
This Installation was the first that I had acted as the Director of Ceremonies (DC) and it is my role to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that everything is done correctly – quite a responsibility but very rewarding too. If anything goes wrong it is also up to me to take charge and get everything back on track.
Being the DC has opened up a whole new world of personal and spiritual development for me as the other Brethren look to me for guidance and clarification. This I take very seriously as each learns at their own speeds and I have to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses to ensure they all work as a team. If we were a football team the DC would be the Coach.
I arrived at the Lodge being as prepared as possible but many of the other Brethren approached me with their own concerns which I clarified and answered patiently and with a smile. I spoke to each of the Officers in turn to make sure they all knew what they had to do and were at ease.
The new WM was especially pleased and thanked me in a toast for everything I had done. This was unexpected and a very nice gesture for him to do so. It was good enough for me to see that I had been influential in creating a day of friendship, warmth and celebration for so many of my friends.
This years Installation went very well and everyone had an excellent time. When it was all over I was very tired but content that I had been a key part of ensuring it all flowed and it was good to see that the other Brethren had enjoyed the day.
A day that I personally had given everything of myself for my fellow Freemasons and one that I will remember with very fond memories for the rest of my life. An excellent milestone on my personal journey and another step towards becoming the best person I know I can be.
Freemasonry gives me the opportunity to develop my own personal skills in a very supportive environment but it also helps me reveal my higher purpose by giving unconditionally in the hope of others felling refreshed and assisting the less experienced to develop themselves for the higher good.
Take care and look for ways that you can develop yourself by helping others.
Damian
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