HONORARY MEMBERSHIPS
by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
"A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry"
"I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either."
- Bro. Jack Benny
Waukegan Lodge No. 78 A.F.& A.M., Waukegan, IL
There are a lot of awards associated with Freemasonry, be it an apron, a
pin, a certificate, or whatever. But there is nothing more cherished than an
Honorary Membership in a Craft Lodge for it ultimately represents a token
of respect and Brotherly love from a Lodge. Holders of such titles cherish
such memberships as they realize their hard work has not gone unnoticed and
is deeply appreciated by the Brotherhood.
I don't know where this custom came from or how long we have been doing it,
but it is a nice touch that endears the Brother to the Lodge. An honor
of this kind represents a tangible symbol signifying approval by the Lodge
so giving it. It means the individual has done something particularly
noteworthy to merit such a reward. I have seen this presented to Brothers
for helping a Lodge in routinely delivering Masonic lectures and helping
with degree work, to District Deputies who have helped a Lodge solve a problem,
to District Instructors who have patiently worked with a Lodge to perfect
their floor work, and to Grand Masters for some act they have performed for
the Lodge.
More recently though, I have seen Honorary Memberships given to Grand Masters
and District Deputies, simply because of their title and nothing else. In other
words, they are being presented an honor for political reasons as opposed to
anything meritorious. To me, this cheapens the concept of the Honorary Membership
which should only be presented for some tangible service the person has
performed for the Lodge.
I've even seen District Deputies compete to see who can get the most Lodge
Honorary Memberships to present to the Grand Master, thereby giving recognition
to the District Deputy for his hustle and allegiance to the Grand Master.
I don't understand this logic, but then again I have never been good in Masonic
politics. Honorary Memberships should be held in higher esteem than a collection of
baseball cards.
Craft Lodges should be more careful in awarding Honorary Memberships; if they
become too easy to get, people will treat them accordingly, and a beautiful
award will be considered worthless.
Brothers, next time you have to ballot on an Honorary Membership, be careful
with your ballot. Has the person honestly performed a service to your Lodge
or is this being done for political motives only? Just remember, once you
give an Honorary Membership to someone, he will forever be a symbol of your Lodge.
Keep the Faith.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not
necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction
or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein,
please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic
web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:
Article reprinted with permission of the author and www.FreemasonInformation.com
Please forward me a copy of the publication when it is produced.
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Copyright © 2007 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
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