FAQ's

What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry is one of the world’s oldest secular fraternal societies. The following information is intended to explain Freemasonry as it is practised under the United Grand Lodge of England, which administers Lodges of Freemasons in England and Wales and in many places overseas.

Freemasonry is a society of men concerned with moral and spiritual values. Its members are taught its precepts (moral lessons and self-knowledge) by a series of ritual dramas - a progression of allegorical two-part plays which are learnt by heart and performed within each Lodge - which follow ancient forms, and use stonemasons’ customs and tools as allegorical guides.

Freemasonry instils in its members a moral and ethical approach to life: it seeks to reinforce thoughtfulness for others, kindness in the community, honesty in business, courtesy in society and fairness in all things. Members are urged to regard the interests of the family as paramount but, importantly, Freemasonry also teaches and practices concern for people, care for the less fortunate and help for those in need.

Is Freemasonry a Religion?

Freemasonary is emphatically not a religion. Freemasonary requires a belief in God and its principles are common to many of the world's great religions. Freemasonry does not try to replace religion or substitute for it. Every candidate is exhorted to practise his religion and to regard its holy book as the unerring standard of truth. Freemasonry does not instruct its members in what religious beliefs should be, nor does it offer sacraments. Thus Freemasonry brings men of different faiths together in a unique way to share a happy and rewarding fellowship with one another.

Does Freemasonry donate money to Charity?

From its earliest days, Freemasonry has been involved in charitable activities, and since its inception it has provided support for many widows and orphans of Freemasons as well as others in the community. All monies raised for charity are drawn from amongst Freemasons, their families and friends, while grants and donations are made to Masonic and Non-masonic charities alike. Over the past five years Freemasonry has raised more than £75m for a wide range of charitable purposes including those involved in medical research, community care, education and work with young people.

Is Freemasonry a secret society?

Freemasonry is not a secret society. members are perfectly free to acknowledge their membership and will do so in answer to any reasonable enquiry. There is no secret about the aims and principles of the Order. The constitutions and rules are freely available. the local Public Library holds many fully descriptive Masonic books, available on inquiry. The internet has hundreds of web pages of information from all over the world. Lodge meetings, like meetings of many social and professional associations, are private occasions open only to members. Freemasons are encouraged to speak openly about their membership while remembering that they undertake not to use their membership for their own or anyone else's advancement.

What is the Royal Arch Masonry?

The Royal arch is the continuation of Craft Freemasonry. Its members, called Companions, meet in Chapters under a Grand Chapter. Chapters are ruled over by three Principals, who rule conjointly, and the Grand Chapter is ruled over by three Grand Principals, with a Pro First Grand Principal when the First Grand Principal is a Royal Prince.

In England the Royal Arch has four ceremonies: the exaltation ceremony to bring in new members and an installation ceremony for each of the three Principals. The exaltation ceremony is in two parts: a rather dramatic presentation of the principles of the Order followed by three Lectures in which the history, symbolism and principles of the Royal Arch are further explained. Like Craft Freemasonry, the Royal Arch is open to men of all faiths.

The allegory of the exaltation ceremony is based on the Old Testament telling of the return to Jerusalem from the Babylonish captivity to rebuild the city and temple. In clearing the ground of the original temple for the foundations of the second temple, the candidate makes a number of discoveries which emphasise the centrality of God to man's life and existence and, without transgressing the bounds of religion, lead the candidate to a consideration of the nature of God and his personal relationship with Him, whatever his religion might be.

In England, the Royal Arch is considered to be the completion of "pure ancient Masonry". In the Craft the candidate is presented with a series of eminently practical principles and tenets which if he practises them he may hope to live a life pleasing to his God, however he worships him, and of service to his fellow man. But man is not simply a practical being, he has an essential spiritual aspect to his nature. That spiritual aspect is introduced in the Third Degree, in which the candidate is led to a contemplation of man's inevitable destiny, and becomes the central message of the Royal Arch. In that sense, "pure ancient Masonry" can be seen as a journey of self - knowledge and discovery with the Royal Arch completing the practical lessons of the Craft by a contemplation of man's spiritual nature, not replacing but reinforcing and supporting what he has learned from his religion.

Why Join the Royal Arch ?

The Royal Arch is the culmination of "pure ancient masonry".

The Craft gives its members eminently practical rules by which they can live their lives in the service of both God, however they worship Him, and the community as a whole.

Man,however, is not simply a practical being but has an essential spritual aspect to his nature. This is taken up in the Royal Arch, in which the candidate, without trespassing on the bounds of religion, is led to contemplate the nature of God and his personal relationship with Him.

Thus the Royal Arch leads the candidate from the practical to the spiritual and completes "pure ancient masonry", a fascinating journey of self- knowledge and self - discovery beginning with the Entered Apprentice degree and culminating in the First Principal's chair of the Chapter.

How do I Join the Royal Arch?

The prime qualification for admission into the Royal Arch is to be a Master Mason, of at least four weeks standing, in a Lodge under the United Grand Lodge of England, or a Lodge under a Grand Lodge recognised by it.

As in all other Masonic Orders you will need a proposer and seconder who are members of the Chapter in which you seek to be exalted. If your Lodge does not have a Royal Arch Chapter attached to it it will probably have an arrangement with a local Chapter. Check your Lodge summons which may give details of either the Chapter attached to it, a Chapter to which it supplies candidates or a member of the Lodge who is a Royal Arch Mason who will assist members interested in joining the RoyalArch.

If there are no details on your Lodge summons you can usually identify the members of your Lodge who are Royal Arch Masons as they will normally wear the jewel of the Order with their Craft regalia. They will be delighted to be approached about membership.

If all that fails, please contact the Group Vice Chairman E.Comp. Dave Anderton who has responsibility for Royal Arch Masonry within the Liverpool Sandon Group.

Are You Thinking of Becoming a Freemason?

Please see the item on the Group News Page of this Website to view the new publication from the United Grand Lodge of England

What are the Three Great Principles of Freemasonry?

For many years Freemasons have followed three great principles:

Brotherly Love
Every true Freemason will show tolerance and respect for the opinions of others and behave with kindness and understanding to his fellow creatures.

Relief
Freemasons are taught to practise charity and to care - not only for their own - but also for the community as a whole, both by charitable giving and by voluntary efforts and works as individuals.

Truth
Freemasons strive for truth, requiring high moral standards and aiming to achieve them in their own lives. Freemasons believe that these principles represent a way of achieving higher standards in life.

What Happens at a Lodge Meeting?

The meeting, which like those of other groups, are open only to members, is normally in two parts.

First, there are normal administrative procedures such as:

• Minutes of the previous meeting
• Proposing and balloting for new members
• Discussing and voting on the annual accounts
• Masonic news and correspondence
• News about charitable work

Second, there are the ceremonies for:

• Admitting new members
• The annual installation of the Master of the Lodge and his officers

Are Freemasons expected to give preference to fellow members?

Certainly not. This would be unacceptable and may lead to action being taken against those involved. On joining, each new member states that he expects no material gain from membership.

How many Freemasons are there?

Under the United Grand Lodge of England, there are approximately 330,000 Freemasons. There are Grand Lodges in Ireland, which covers both the North and the South, and Scotland which combined total 150,000 members. Worldwide there are probably five million members.

How many degrees are there in Freemasonry?

Basic Freemasonry consists of three degrees:

• Entered Apprentice
• Fellow Craft
• Master Mason

Can University Students become Freemasons?

In simple terms yes you can.

Freemasonry runs a Universities' Scheme

Tradition and continuity are two of the values which characterise the relationship between Freemasonry and universities. It was nearly 200 years ago that the first university Lodge, Apollo University Lodge, was founded at Oxford, with Isaac Newton University Lodge following soon afterwards at Cambridge. Since then many thousands of young men have been introduced to Freemasonry through these two Lodges, and they provided the inspiration for the Universities Scheme. This was set up at the beginning of 2005 with the objective: ‘To establish and/or enhance arrangements and opportunities for undergraduates and other university members to enjoy Freemasonry’.

There are now 29 other Lodges pursuing a similar, yet distinct, course. Their membership consists of undergraduates, postgraduates, senior members of the university and alumni, ranging in age from 18 upwards. All under-25s benefit from the recent decision by Grand Lodge to halve their dues in order to make Freemasonry as accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

The Scheme is headed by the Assistant Grand Master, David Williamson, who explains: “We know from these long-established university lodges that students - whether undergraduates or postgraduates - enjoy Freemasonry to the full.”

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Freemason through the Universities’ Scheme, please contact the Liverpool Sandon group Secretary for further information using the 'contact us' link on this website