by Midnight Freemason Emeritus Contributor
RWB:. Robert H. Johnson
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Petitions for Masonic Lodges come in all the time. I can only imagine how many people in a month’s time hand in petitions that the Grand Lodge then has to work through-- especially a larger Grand Lodge like the Grand Lodge of Illinois, where we have over 400 Lodges around the state.
States like Texas are undoubtedly even more inundated. Most of those petitions move through the process, and men join the Craft. Whether by traditional means or even one-day classes. But that’s not what this piece is about. You might be thinking, “He’s going to go on a diatribe about the “West Gate,” and how we should guard it--and you’d be a little bit right, but not completely.
Sometimes the “West Gate” guards itself. What do I mean by that? Well, every so often a petition comes in, and that person pays their fees to petition the Lodge. They turn everything in and think that their journey is well underway. To be fair, it usually is well underway. Usually, someone from the Lodge receives the petition, I ask them a few questions to ensure that this is something they want to do and tell them about the process of joining, and how long it might take. Such was the case about five years ago.
About five years ago, one of my Lodges received a petition. At this particular Lodge, we required a background check to be submitted with every petition. The background check is acquired by the petitioner and he then prints out the results and turns it in with his petition and fees.
Among other things on the petition, are the standard-type questions you might find. Our lodge in particular, however, has some extra pieces of information that we like to check over. Those pieces of information include all of the petitioner’s social media profiles. These are investigated to ensure that there is compatibility within the Masonic Fraternity and that nothing is out of the ordinary.
Back to our petitioner, he was very interested, he filled out his petition and had his money set aside, but when he received his investigation background report, he decided he would rather withdraw his petition than hand it in to us. I can’t tell you what was on that background report, but I can’t tell you, I suspect something he didn’t want us to know about was there and so, he withdrew his petition. Is that the end of the story? Not a chance!
About three years had passed by when this same man decided to petition our lodge again—or so he thought. He had reached out to our Lodge once more and mentioned that he had previously petitioned our Lodge, but for personal reasons, needed to withdrawal his petition. I informed him that I had remembered him and that if he wished to proceed, the process is the same as it was last time. Petition, fees, and a background check.
He never replied to me again.
Fast forward to the present day and to a different Lodge. This time, my Mother Lodge. Several weeks ago, a nice man started coming down to our Lodge and having dinner with us. He was getting to know the members and vice versa. All was on track for him to eventually petition our Lodge.
A couple of weeks ago, he decided it was time. He received his three recommendation signatures and had his fees in cash. (My mother Lodge doesn’t do background checks.) When he handed it in, I asked if I could ask him a few questions. He agreed and we retired to the library, where we spoke candidly, and I got a feel for who he was and why he wanted to join. Everything seemed to be fine.
One week later, he came down to the Lodge to meet and share fellowship and it was at this time, he perhaps experienced something that put him on edge. I couldn’t tell you what it was. Perhaps it was that Freemasonry’s Brotherhood “…goes to 11.” Maybe he wasn’t used to this kind of kindness? This kind of acceptance? This kind of real connection?
The result was that he rescinded his petition. It was strange, but it happened. Some who’ve heard this story ask why we didn’t press him on joining or changing his mind. The Lodge felt that this would be a mistake. If a man isn’t ready, well—then he just isn’t ready.
Yes, guarding the “West Gate” is important. It’s a primary concern. And it also bears mentioning that sometime…once in a blue moon, the West Gate, guards itself.
~RHJ
RWB Johnson is an Emeritus managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the 2nd N.E. District of Illinois. He currently serves as the Secretary of Spes Novum Lodge No. 1183. He is a Past Master of Waukegan Lodge 78 and a Past District Deputy Grand Master for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois. He is the current V:. Sovereign Grand Inspector for AMD in IL. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatre which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four, works full time in the executive medical industry. He is the co-author of "It's Business Time - Adapting a Corporate Path for Freemasonry", “The Master’s Word: A Short Treatise on the Word, the Light, and the Self – Annotated Edition” and author of "How to Charter a Lodge: A No-Nonsense, Unsanctioned Guide. More books are on the way