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APPLICANTS' INFO-PAGE click this link to enter GLP site UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE MW GRAND LODGE OF FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS OF THE PHILIPPINES
DIRECTORY OF CONTENTS: CLICK LINKS ↓↓↓ TO ENTER THE DESIRED PAGES ©FREEMASONRY REVIEW MAGAZINE SPTF GOLF TOURNAMENT SanPedro(Benevolent)TempleFoundation * THE COMPASSES * - MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - OF - SAN PEDRO LODGE 292
/freemasons is
a domain of San Pedro- Lodge No.292, Philippines IN
THIS PAGE WE ANSWER FREQUENTLY ASKED GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT FREEMASONRY AND MASONS AND THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT
MEMBERSHIP: 1) WHO CAN BECOME
A MASON (FREEMASON)? 2) HOW
WILL I KNOW IF I AM QUALIFIED TO BECOME A MASON ? 3) WHERE OR TO
WHOM SHALL I APPLY IN ORDER TO BECOME A MASON ? 4) WHY NOBODY HAS EVER ASKED ME TO BECOME A MASON ? 5) SHALL I WAIT TO BE INVITED OR SHALL I BE THE ONE TO APPLY ? 6) ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON MASONS 7) MORE ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON MASONS 8) MASONIC COMPACT 9) LINKS TO RELATED WEBSITES
STATED MEETINGS : FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH at 1.PM |
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1.Q) WHO CAN BECOME A MASON (FREEMASON)? 2.Q)
HOW WILL I KNOW IF I AM QUALIFIED TO BECOME A MASON ? 3.Q) WHERE OR TO WHOM SHALL I APPLY TO
BECOME A MASON ? 2)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FREEMASONRY What’s a Mason? That’s not a surprising question. Even though Masons (Freemasons)
are members of the largest and oldest fraternity in the world, and even though many have a father or grandfather or uncle
or other relative who is or was a Mason, many people aren’t quite certain just who Masons are.The
answer is simple. A Mason (or Freemason) is a member of a fraternity known as Masonry (or Freemasonry). A fraternity is a
group of men (just as a sorority is a group of women) who join together because:
(We’ll look at some of these things later.) What’s Masonry? Masonry (or Freemasonry)
is the oldest fraternity in the world. No one knows just how old it is because the actual origins have been lost in time.
Probably, it arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Possibly, they
were influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making
trips to the Holy Land.In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed. A Grand Lodge is
the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some geographical area. In the United States, there is a Grand Lodge in each
state. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each province. Local organizations of Masons are called lodges. There are lodges
in most towns, and large cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the United States, with over 3.5 million
Members, ABOUT 400 LODGES IN THE PHILIPPINES, DISTRIBUTED ALL OVER THE ARCHIPELAGO AND IN THE MOST PROGRESSIVE AND DEVELOPED
PROVINCES, CITIES AND TOWNS. FREEMASONRY BEING A PROGRESSIVE MORAL SCIENCE
BASED ON TRUTH AND MORALITY, MASONS ARE SYNONIMOUS WITH GODFEARING,
PROGRESSIVE FREEDOM-LOVERS, COMMUNITY ORIENTED GOOD CITIZENS, PROMOTERS OF EDUCATION
FOR ALL AND DEDICATED TO THE COMMON GOOD. If Masonry started in Great Britain, how did it get to America and the Philippines ?
In
a time when travel was by horseback and sailing ship, Masonry spread with amazing speed. By 1731, when Benjamin Franklin joined
the fraternity, there were already several lodges in the Colonies, and Masonry spread rapidly as America expanded west. In
addition to Franklin, many of the Founding Fathers — men such as George Washington, Paul Revere, Joseph Warren, and
John Hancock — were Masons. Masons and Masonry played an important part in the Revolutionary War and an even more important
part in the Constitutional Convention and the debates surrounding the ratification of the Bill of Rights. Many of those debates
were held in Masonic lodges. Likewise Philippine Freemasonry flourished
from the 1800s, producing the noblest heroes and personalities of Philippine history. Many of the prominent Filipinos
who dedicated their entire lives to the cause of freedom, and many of those who died for
the freedom of the Fatherland, during the colonial era and during Japanese occupation, were Freemasons. such
as
Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar,
Apolinario Mabini - the Brains
of the Revolution, Andres Bonifacio - The Leader of the KKK, Emilio Aguinaldo the First
President of the first Philippine Republic, the writer, journalist, and famous orator, founder
of “La Solidaridad” Graciano Lopez Jaena, Jose Alejandrino, Antonio and
Juan Luna; Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos (killed by the Japanese army
in WWII), Presidents Manuel L. Quezon, Manuel Roxas, and Jose P. Laurel,
to name a few names of the long name list of Philippine Masons who dedicated their entire lives to Philippine independence, freedom, and progress. A historical reality (conveniently ?) ignored
by school textbooks written by presumably improvised and ignorant textbook writers or anti-mason bigots, is that the
almost totality of the Filipino who fought for the freedom and independence of the Philippines either with guns in the
battlefields, or spreading the powerful IDEALS of freedom, equality and independence for
the Filipino Nation, were Masons (or Freemasons). Also Masons were the Great Presidents of the Philippines (listed here
above). Gen. Douglas McArthur, hero of World War II, was made a Mason in the Philippines. National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, a dedicated Mason, an example of all moral and social Virtues, multifaceted genius, great writer, Godfearing, a
true Philippine Patriot, a man gifted with love for knowledge, love for freedom and equality for all :
the perfect example of Philippine Freemason for all People and all times. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;:::::::::::::::::: What’s
a lodge? The word “lodge” means both a group of Masons meeting in some
place and the room or building in which they meet. Masonic buildings are also sometimes called “temples” because
much of the symbolism Masonry uses to teach its lessons comes from the building of King Solomon’s Temple in the Holy
Land. The term “lodge” itself comes from the structures which the stonemasons built against the sides of the cathedrals
during construction. In winter, when building had to stop, they lived in these lodges and worked at carving stone.While there is some variation
in detail from state to state and country to country, lodge rooms today are set up in similar way all over the world. If you’ve ever watched
C-SPAN’s coverage of the House of Commons in London, you’ll have a good idea of a Lodge layout. Since Masonry
as practiced today in the Philippines arrived from America and in America from England, we still use the English floor plan
and English titles for the officers. The Worshipful Master of the Lodge sits in the East (“Worshipful” is an English
term of respect which means the same thing as “Honorable.”) He is called the Master of the lodge for the same
reason that the leader of an orchestra is called the “Concert Master.” It’s simply an older term for “Leader.”
In other organizations, he would be called “President.” The Senior and Junior Wardens are the First and Second
Vice-Presidents. Every lodge has an altar holding a “Volume of the Sacred Law.” In the Philippines, that
is always the Holy Bible [Additional Holy books are added for member of other faiths] Masonry
Does Things in the World.Masonry teaches that each person has a responsibility to
make things better in the world. Most individuals won’t be the ones to find a cure for cancer, or eliminate poverty,
or help create world peace, but every man and woman and child can do something to help others and to make things a little
better. Masonry is deeply involved with helping people. With projects large or small, the Masons of a lodge try to help make
the world a better place. The lodge gives them a way to combine with others to do even more good. Masonry does
things “inside” the individual Mason.“Grow or die” is a great law
of all nature. Most people feel a need for continued growth and development as individuals. They feel they are not as honest
or as charitable or as compassionate or as loving or as trusting as they ought to be. Masonry reminds its members over and
over again of the importance of these qualities. It lets men associate with other men of honor and integrity who believe that
things like honesty and compassion and love and trust are important. In some ways, Masonry is a support group for men who
are trying to make the right decisions. It’s easier to practice these virtues when you know that those around you think
they are important, too, and won’t laugh at you. That’s a major reason that Masons enjoy being together. Masons enjoy each other’s
company.It’s
good to spend time with people you can trust completely, and most Masons find that in their lodge. While much of lodge activity
is spent in works of charity or in lessons in self-development, much is also spent in fellowship. Lodges have many events
for the whole family. Simply put, a lodge is a place to spend time with friends.For members only, two basic kinds of meetings take place
in a lodge. The most common is a simple business meeting. To open and close the meeting, there is a ceremony whose purpose
is to remind us of the virtues by which we are supposed to live. Then there is a reading of the minutes; voting on petitions
(applications of men who want to join the fraternity); planning for charitable functions, family events, and other lodge activities;
and sharing information about members (called “Brothers,” as in most fraternities) who are ill or have some sort
of need. The other kind of meeting is one in which people join the fraternity — one at which the “degrees”
are performed.But every lodge serves more than its own members. Frequently, there are meetings
open to the public. Examples are public installations of officers, Cornerstone Laying ceremonies, and other special meetings
supporting community events and dealing with topics of local interest. Masons also sponsor Youth Groups such as the Order
of DeMolay for Boys. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: What’s a degree? A degree is a stage or level of membership. It’s
also the ceremony by which a man attains that level of membership. There are three, called Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft,
and Master Mason. As you can see, the names are taken from the craft guilds. In the Middle Ages, when a person wanted to join
a craft, such as the gold smiths or the carpenters or the stonemasons, he was first apprenticed. As an apprentice, he learned
the tools and skills of the trade. When he had proved his skills, he became a “Fellow of the Craft” (today we
would say “Journeyman”), and when he had exceptional ability, he was known as a Master of the Craft.The degrees are plays in which the
candidate participates. Each degree uses symbols to teach, just as plays did in the Middle Ages and as many theatrical productions
do today. (We’ll talk about symbols a little later.)The Masonic degrees teach the great lessons of life — the importance of
honor and integrity, of being a person on whom others can rely, of being both trusting and trustworthy, of realizing that
you have a spiritual nature as well as a physical or animal nature, of the importance of self-control, of knowing how to love
and be loved, of knowing how to keep confidential what others tell you so that they can “open up” without fear. Why is Masonry so “secretive”? It really isn’t “secretive,” although it sometimes has that
reputation. Masons certainly don’t make a secret of the fact that they are members of the fraternity. We wear rings,
lapel pins and tie tacks with Masonic emblems like the Square and Compasses, the best known of Masonic signs which, logically,
recalls the fraternity’s roots in stonemasonry. Masonic buildings are clearly marked, and are usually listed in the
phone book. Lodge activities are not secret and events are even listed in the newspapers, especially in smaller towns. Many
lodges have websites which give the upcoming lodge activities. But there are some Masonic secrets, and they fall into two
categories.The first are the ways in which a man can identify himself as a Mason —
grips and passwords. We keep those private for obvious reasons. It is not at all unknown for unscrupulous people to try to
pass themselves off as Masons in order to get assistance under false pretenses.The second group
is harder to describe, but they are the ones Masons usually mean if we talk about “Masonic secrets.” They are
secrets because they literally can’t be talked about, can’t be put into words. They are the changes that happen
to a man when he really accepts responsibility for his own life and, at the same time, truly decides that his real happiness
is in helping others.It’s a wonderful feeling, but it’s something you simply
can’t explain to another person. That’s why we sometimes say that Masonic secrets cannot ( rather than “may
not”) be told. Try telling someone exactly what you feel when you see a beautiful sunset, or when you hear music, like
the national anthem, which suddenly stirs old memories, and you’ll understand what we mean.“Secret
societies” became very popular in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were literally hundreds of them,
and most people belonged to two or three. Many of them were modeled on Masonry, and made a great point of having many “secrets.”
And Masonry got ranked with them. But if Masonry is a secret society, it’s the worst-kept secret in town.For
an example see the WABC-TV, Channel 7, New York City news report (streaming video RealPlayer required) that aired in May 1994All
grand Lodges and most Lodges have websites that can be read by everybody, and contain a wealth of information about Freemasonry. Is Masonry a religion? The answer to that question is simple. No.We do use ritual in the meetings,
and because there is always an altar or table with the Volume of the Sacred Law open if a lodge is meeting, some people have
confused Masonry with a religion, but it is not. That does not mean that religion plays no part in Masonry — it plays
a very important part. A person who wants to become a Mason must have a belief in God. No atheist can
ever become a Mason. Meetings open with prayer, and a Mason is taught, as one of the first lessons of Masonry, that
one should pray for divine counsel and guidance before starting an important undertaking. But that does not make Masonry a
“religion.”Sometimes people confuse Masonry with a religion because we call some
Masonic buildings “temples.” But we use the word in the same sense that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes called the
Supreme Court a “Temple of Justice” and because a Masonic lodge is a symbol of the Temple of Solomon. Neither
Masonry nor the Supreme Court is a religion just because its members meet in a “temple.”Masons
believe in the importance of religion. Masonry encourages every Mason to be active in the religion and church of his own choice.
Masonry teaches that, without religion, a man is alone and lost, and that without religion, he can never reach his full potential.But Freemasonry does not tell a
person which religion he should practice or how he should practice it. That is between the individual and God. That is the
function of his house of worship, not his fraternity. And Masonry is a fraternity, not a religion. What is a Masonic Bible? Bibles are popular gifts among Masons, frequently given
to a man when he joins the lodge or at other special events. A Masonic Bible is the same book anyone thinks of as a Bible
(it’s usually the King James translation) with a special page in the front on which to write the name of the person
who is receiving it and the occasion on which it is given. Sometimes there is a special index or information section which
shows the person where in the Bible to find the passages which are quoted in the Masonic ritual.If Masonry isn’t a religion,
why does it use ritual?Many of us may think of religion when we think of ritual, but ritual
is used in every aspect of life. It’s so much a part of us that we just don’t notice it. Ritual simply means that
some things are done more or less the same way each time.Almost all school assemblies, for example, start with the principal or some other
official calling for the attention of the group. Then the group is led in the Pledge of Allegiance. A school choir or the
entire group may sing the school song. That’s a ritual.Almost all business meetings of every sort
call the group to order, have a reading of the minutes of the last meeting, deal with old business, then with new business.
That’s a ritual. Most groups use Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct a meeting. That’s probably the best-known
book of ritual in the world.There are social rituals which tell us how to meet people (we shake hands), how to join a conversation (we wait for
a pause, and then speak), how to buy tickets to a concert (we wait in line and don’t push in ahead of those who were
there first). There are literally hundreds of examples, and they are all rituals.Masonry uses
a ritual because it’s an effective way to teach important ideas — the values we’ve talked about earlier.
And it reminds us where we are, just as the ritual of a business meeting reminds people where they are and what they are supposed
to be doing.Masonry’s ritual is very rich because it is so old. It has developed over
centuries to contain some beautiful language and ideas expressed in symbols. But there’s nothing unusual in using ritual.
All of us do it every day. Why does Masonry use symbols? Everyone uses symbols every day, just as we
do ritual. We use them because they communicate quickly. When you see a stop sign , you know what it means, even if you can’t
read the word “stop.” The circle and line mean “don’t” or “not allowed.” In fact,
using symbols is probably the oldest way of communication and the oldest way of teaching.Masonry uses
symbols for the same reason. Some form of the “Square and Compasses” is the most widely used and known symbol
of Masonry. In one way, this symbol is a kind of trademark for the fraternity, as the “golden arches” are for
McDonald’s. When you see the Square and Compasses on a building, you know that Masons meet there.And like all symbols, they have
a meaning.The Square symbolizes things of the earth, and it also symbolizes honor, integrity,
truthfulness, and the other ways we should relate to this world and the people in it. The Compasses symbolize things of the
spirit, and the importance of a well-developed spiritual life, and also the importance of self-control — of keeping
ourselves within bounds. The G stands for Geometry, the science which the ancients believed most revealed the glory of God
and His works in the heavens, and it also stands for God, Who must be at the center of all our thoughts and of all our efforts.The meanings of most of the other
Masonic symbols are obvious. The gavel teaches the importance of self-control and self-discipline. The hourglass teaches us
that time is always passing, and we should not put off important decisions. So,
is Masonry education? Yes. In a very real sense, education is at the center of Masonry.
We have stressed its importance for a very long time. Back in the Middle Ages, schools were held in the lodges of stonemasons.
You have to know a lot to build a cathedral — geometry, and structural engineering, and mathematics, just for a start.
And that education was not very widely available. All the formal schools and colleges trained people for careers in the church,
or in law or medicine. And you had to be a member of the social upper classes to go to those schools. Stonemasons did not
come from the aristocracy. And so the lodges had to teach the necessary skills and information. Freemasonry’s dedication
to education started there.It has continued. Masons started some of the first public schools
in both Europe and America. We supported legislation to make education universal. In the 1800s Masons as a group lobbied for
the establishment of state supported education and land grant colleges. Today we give millions in scholarships each
year. We encourage our members to give volunteer time to their local schools, buy classroom supplies for teachers, help with
literacy programs, and do everything they can to help assure that each person, adult or child, has the best educational opportunities
possible.And Masonry supports continuing education and intellectual growth for its members,
insisting that learning more about many things is important for anyone who wants to keep mentally alert and young. What does Masonry teach? Masonry teaches some important principles. There’s nothing very surprising
in the list. Masonry teaches that:Since God is the Creator, all men and women are the children of God. Because of that, all men
and women are brothers and sisters, entitled to dignity, respect for their opinions, and consideration of their feelings.Each person must take responsibility
for his/her own life and actions. Neither wealth nor poverty, education nor ignorance, health nor sickness excuses any person
from doing the best he or she can do or being the best person possible under the circumstances.No
one has the right to tell another person what he or she must think or believe. Each man and woman has an absolute right to
intellectual, spiritual, economic, and political freedom. This is a right given by God, not by man. All tyranny, in every
form, is illegitimate.Each person must learn and practice self-control. Each person must
make sure his spiritual nature triumphs over his animal nature. Another way to say the same thing is that even when we are
tempted to anger, we must not be violent. Even when we are tempted to selfishness, we must be charitable. Even when we want
to “write someone off,” we must remember that he or she is a human and entitled to our respect. Even when we want
to give up, we must go on. Even when we are hated, we must return love, or, at a minimum, we must not hate back. It isn’t
easy!Faith must be in the center of our lives. We find that
faith in our houses of worship, not in Freemasonry, but Masonry constantly teaches that a person’s faith, whatever it
may be, is central to a good life.Each person has a responsibly to be a good citizen, obeying
the law. That doesn’t mean we can’t try to change things, but change must take place in legal ways.It
is important to work to make this world better for all who live in it. Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because
it assures a person’s entrance into heaven — that’s a question for a religion, not a fraternity —
but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their lives as fulfilling as they can be.Honor
and integrity are essential to life. Life, without honor and integrity, is without meaning. What are the requirements
for membership? The person who wants to join Masonry must be a man (it’s a fraternity), sound in body
and mind, who believes in God, is at least 21 years old, and has a good reputation. (Incidentally, the “sound in body”
requirement — which comes from the stonemasons of the Middle Ages — doesn’t mean that a physically challenged
man cannot be a Mason; many are).Those are the only “formal” requirements. But
there are others, not so formal. He should believe in helping others. He should believe there is more to life than pleasure
and money. He should be willing to respect the opinions of others. And he should want to grow and develop as a human being. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: How does a man become a Mason? Some men are surprised that no one has ever asked them to become a Mason. They
may even feel that the Masons in their town don’t think they are “good enough” to join. But it doesn’t
work that way. For hundreds of years, Masons have been forbidden to ask others to join the fraternity. We can talk to friends
about Masonry, we can tell them about what Masonry does. We can tell them why we enjoy it. But we can’t ask, much less
pressure anyone to join.There’s a good reason for that. It isn’t that we’re
trying to be exclusive. But becoming a Mason is a very serious thing. Joining Masonry is making a permanent life commitment
to live in certain ways. We’ve listed most of them above — to live with honor and integrity, to be willing to
share and care about others, to trust each other, and to place ultimate trust in God. No one should be “talked into”
making such a decision.So, when a man decides he wants to be a Mason, he asks a Mason for
a petition or application. He fills it out and gives it to the Mason, and that Mason takes it to the local lodge. The Master
of the lodge will appoint a committee to visit with the man and his family, find out a little about him and why he wants to
be a Mason, tell him and his family about Masonry, and answer their questions. The committee reports to the lodge, and the
lodge votes on the petition. If the vote is affirmative — and it usually is — the lodge will contact the man to
set the date for the Entered Apprentice Degree. When the person has completed all three degrees, he is a Master Mason and
a full member of the fraternity. So, what’s a Mason? A Mason is a man who has decided that he likes
to feel good about himself and others. He cares about the future as well as the past, and does what he can, both alone and
with others, to make the future good for everyone.Many men over many generations have answered
the question, “What is a Mason?” One of the most eloquent was written by the Reverend Joseph Fort Newton, an internationally
honored minister of the first half of the 20th Century. When is a man a Mason? When he can look out over the rivers, the
hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope,
and courage which is the root of every virtue.When he knows that down in his heart every man
is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow
man.When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows,
yea, even in their sins knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds.When he has learned how to make friends and to
keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself When he loves flowers, can hunt birds without a gun, and feels the
thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child.When he can be happy
and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life.When star-crowned trees and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him
like the thought of one much loved and long dead.When no voice of distress reaches his ears
in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response.When he finds good in every faith that
helps any man to lay hold of divine things and sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be.When
he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see
something beyond sin.When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope.When
he has kept faith with himself with his fellow man, and with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of
a song — glad to live, but not afraid to die!Such a man has found the only real secret
of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the world.[Merits:
GL F&AM of NY website] |
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