If I can take a minute to set the backdrop for this “epistle” (as one of my Masonic Mentors dubs my emails to the Lodge and our York Rite), I am thirty-eight years old, married with two children under the age of three and am a public servant by occupation. I was Initiated, Passed, and Raised in September 2017, November 2017, and March 2018 respectively. I sat the remaining portion of the year on the sidelines learning about this new and amazing brotherhood that I had joined. I am a first-generation Freemason in my direct line with some distant great uncles who were (deceased) Masons and Shriners. My working knowledge of Freemasonry was directly from a co-worker of whom I asked, “the question.” From there I was adopted into a smaller circle of passionate younger masons in my Lodge and introduced to my first “salty old dog” Past Master.
The group brought me under their wing with items to read, fellowship after meetings with a few beers and late-night masonic talks. I was hooked. Ready to be involved like they were. Some of them were officers, soon to be officers, lodge educators, catechism coaches, and meal providers for Stated meetings. The fellowship was real and flowing. My wife met their wives. It was a glorious time. Skip a rock and I hear about the York Rite. This group is all apart of something special and big, they refer to planning meetings aka “White Boarding.” I see a dry-erase board with names, roles, and supply lists. So, I ask, what is that? I am informed that they are part of saving our local York Rite body which dates to 1886 for the Chapter (1944 – Council and 1922 -Commandery). “What’s the project and how can I help?” “Well, you need to be a member to help and that’s just it, we are learning all the Degrees and Orders from memory and have a class that is going through them in long form and not at a festival.” Another new mason and I jump on the next festival as we are burning hot and wanting to be apart. I was then admitted and received all Degrees and Orders conferred on me in a large class in April of 2019. Three days later the two of us have non-speaking roles in the Royal Master’s Degree. Excited to give back that fast, I want a speaking role in the Illustrious Order of the Red Cross. Ask and ye shall receive. Every Saturday we practice for weeks learning the floor work and ritual from the old salty dog we will call Boaz. I became involved in fellowship during hours of practice, laughing, telling stories and getting deeper into this fraternity, and learning simultaneously about the Craft lodge.
Insert my first dose of the reality of the Past Master flex. As a new member, I asked to be involved in my blue lodge. The Master elect is filling roles, so I ask to have a position as an appointed officer. Junior Steward it is. I am off to a great start. I want to give an education; I have been reading and studying. The master says yes. I present a research piece on the details of the Entered Apprentice Scripture and why I think it is important. Three or so pages later, there is no discussion, the lodge applauds, and I sit down. A Past Master comes up after the Stated and said for your first education it was pretty good but a little long for this crowd. Shorten your next one. Yes, sir, I am on it. A meeting or so later attendance is down, and a prominent Past Master and former District officer comments in open lodge that if those York Rite guys would show up to the Stated like they did their own York Rite meetings and practices, we wouldn’t be talking about attendance. At which time Boaz, as a Past Master, but not of this Lodge asks the brother which ones aren’t here, as most of the line currently is York Rite and those on the sideline are too. The standoff is over quickly with quiet whispers on the sidelines. While seconds in duration, this felt like a long scene in Tombstone when Doc Holiday has just been introduced to Johnny Ringo in the saloon. I have never seen brotherly behavior like this before. Finger-pointing and maybe a false accusation in open lodge, whew that was weird, I am glad it is over.
The fall is now on us, and Lodge elections are approaching, the Secretary informs the Lodge he is older, wishing to spend more time with his grandkids, and will be stepping down at the end of the year. No one asks to learn or become an assistant to that highly sought-after chair in or after the meeting. I approached him the next month and asked if he would teach me what was needed, that I would be interested in becoming his Assistant Secretary, he smiled and said yes. That is heard by some Past Masters, and I am told by one that I need to be sure that I understand giving up going through the line as this isn’t a two-to-three-year commitment. Hey, the Lodge needs me, and I am ready to serve. At the next meeting, it is announced I am the Assistant Secretary, all knowing full well that means my name will be read aloud in a few months as Secretary…it does haha. About a year or so later, the now Past Secretary passes away.
Meeting after meeting I find myself having to refer to the Code (governing document of rules/regulations/constitution in my jurisdiction) to answer questions, Past Masters and Masters look to me in meetings to have the answer. I was not prepared for this part. I begin reading the Code and do so cover to cover. I dog ear pages, email the Grand Lodge questions not covered, ask Past Masters. On the later group, I begin to get differing answers locally in my Lodge. Coming to degree practices, I see disagreement after disagreement from Past Masters who are coaching the new officers on their roles. It’s the left foot, right foot, the versus thee, should, and shall. I begin to question teachers and get “tradition” as my answer. I asked for items of lighting in degree, I get told the Code by one, the ritual by another, and tradition by a third. Degree after degree men are correcting officers on the ritual in the degree, after the degree, prompting words of all types during a freeze up or pause by officers. Past Masters and Past Masters only are allowed (or condoned) to do this. Officers don’t question them and don’t know from practice to practice how it may go. Bad mouthing current officers’ ability to lead, confer degrees, spending lodge funds for meals being catered, floor work, coaching, all begin to come to light in my eyes in groups of Past Masters after meetings, practices, and degrees. I’ve now lost count of how many strikes just were thrown there. My apologies. Now my lodge is no different than yours, the Shrine, the York, the Scottish Rite, etc. take the new brothers you hear from Past Masters. I get it, but wait, do they? Do men seek what they aren’t getting in their Lodge elsewhere? My answer is yes. But it is also they are looking to be treated like a brother, and not a kid brother who is beaten up by the older sibling to make you tough. Love does hurt but we try to minimize it right?
So, you think I am done with this little article or are saying to yourself “ok stop complaining, let me tell you how to fix it” …but I am not done just yet. Fast forward a few months and new men don’t return to Lodge and begin to step out of line for verbal treatment and constant correction. Fact, I asked via phone calls and a survey to the members why they don’t attend. District combined degrees begin to be set by a few Past Masters and not the sitting Master of my Lodge. Code violations galore begin to be seen across the District, as Past Masters flex and claim unity of District Lodges. My eyes are opened once again as I come to light to the drama of Masonry. Past Masters guide sitting Master’s to incorrect actions in Lodge meetings. “Tradition” is repeated a lot. “For the good of Masonry” at other times. Insert sister Lodge bashing now, “in you know Lodge name, they are the way they are.” Or “that’s insert Past Master who runs that Lodge, they have always been that way.” “But our lodge is better than that we don’t do that.” In opening meetings, we allow visiting Past Masters to sing the praise for degree work of my Lodge and thinking ours is superior to others in the district in front of members from those Lodges. Yes, that means the multiple visiting Past Masters put down their own Lodges in the process. We are on the level, yes? Or the Lodge who votes on petitions with only the criminal background check but no subordinate Lodge Committee of Investigation. We also have a sitting Past Master who is told by a District officer, at a District degree, that he can open an Emergent communication without notice to their membership due to them having a quorum, of a lodge he isn’t a member of. Why some may ask, so that a catechism of a brother can be heard, so he can join the 3rd Degree that was planned for the Stated in about thirty minutes. Due and timely notice for an Emergent anyone? Do we have membership requirements to open Lodges? Wow, I am glad I am not in that lodge you say, I have just covered over half of my district in Past Master behavior in front of me or after the fact through complaints of others to me, like I can do something about it as Secretary of the one and only Lodge I am a member. Masonic charges do come to mind for some of the issues, but who would be left? Notify the District officers you say, done and done and several have in my short time also contributed to this problem being a bit of a good ole boy nomination club, not to mention are direct stories past and present mentioned above.Let me be clear on one very important topic, this epistle was not meant to bash my Lodge, my District, or my Grand Jurisdiction. I know you all have your story of that group, clique, or whatever of Past Masters that run the lodge you are a member of. But my thought is this when I decline the role one day as Secretary, do I want to get in line. Do I want to be a Past Master who is a Worshipful Brother and not just a Brother? Do I want to sign the registry and put PM behind my name, so all know who sign in after me that I am a Past Master? Do I want to wear a non-approved Past Master apron and violate the Code in an open lodge after an education was given, as to needing to replace them with a legal and Grand Lodge/Code-approved Past Master apron? I do not know. And to that core I mentioned earlier, well they aren’t all here anymore in my lodge. A small few are in my York Rite body that is still thriving and loving and friendly. I am currently on my second term in the East there, and while the York has a thousand titles, I am just the man in the East trying to keep education at the forefront of the body and the studying of the ritual and connection to and through craft masonry. On my Lodge, District and the Craft, we shall see what the future holds. I hope this piece helps some who read it learn what not to do. If some are reading it and you are doing some of the above things, I hope this helps aid your reformation to do good unto all, more especially to the household of the faithful…and you learn the definition of Brother. I will close this by saying, that I know there are a ton of good Masters, Past Masters, and Past Grand Masters out there. I am not bashing you for leading and doing the right thing. I want to pass the chairs in my heart and honor that role and title. I believe in doing things the right way. Maybe it will be in my mother lodge, or maybe I will honor the “traveling man” and journey to a new Lodge one day or help charter the “Change” Lodge where all are equal, welcome, and live the tenants of Masonry.
~MW
Matthew Walters resides in North Carolina with his wife and two children. Raised a Master Mason in 2018, he is currently the Secretary of his Lodge and has been since 2020, as well as serving on the Lodge Education Committee. Other fraternal memberships include the York Rite where he has served as HP, IM, and EC (2023-present). He is also a member of the Allied Masonic Degrees, Knight Masons, and York Rite Sovereign College.