Quarterly Communication

We shall meet again

In his July message, Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes paid his respects to those we have lost in the pandemic and looked forward to better times ahead

Brethren, today feels like a new beginning, and I hope you will agree that it was appropriate to include in our meeting a memorial to all those who have been lost to us over the past 18 months or so. Too many will have left a huge hole in their families and will be much missed by their friends and lodges. We owe it to them to make certain that we now put all our efforts into ensuring a bright future for all. I would again like to thank the Grand Chaplain and all those who contributed to a most suitable tribute.

It is almost inevitable when the world, this country and our organisation have been so badly hit by something largely beyond our control, that some people will add to the gloom and consider that nothing will ever get back to how it was before. I am one of those who suspects that what we have always considered normal is a longish way off, but that does not mean, brethren, that there are not good times around the corner and, hopefully not too long or steep a corner.

If there are changes to many of our lives, and there almost certainly will be, that does not necessitate life being worse – very much to the contrary – and it is up to all of us to ensure that initially we return to the status quo. I want to emphasise the word ‘initially’ as our expectation should and must be to go beyond the status quo –and by some margin.

So much has happened over our closed period that I really believe we can benefit from. Importantly, there also appear to be high quality candidates and from all walks of life. All the surveys that have been carried out to determine how we are viewed by the public have had a positive result compared with the previous survey two years ago which, in itself, was reasonably positive. That must surely mean that we are getting something right and, in my view, a great deal right.

We have talked very openly about all the fantastic work that has been done during the lockdowns and, importantly, we have ensured that the press is aware of what has gone on and how much our members have been involved in their communities. As a result, there has been much more positive comment and, conversely, much less that is negative. I am not going to pretend that the days of Freemasonry being used for cheap shots in TV dramas or being blamed for all the ills in society are gone – they are not – but they are reduced and will reduce further the better we get at explaining what we stand for.

I would like to think that, as a result of the many initiatives such as, but by no means only, First Rising, as well as the considerable efforts of the communications teams, both nationally and locally, the public perception of Freemasonry has improved immeasurably and certainly beyond anything I can recall from the past. The production, for the first time, of our annual report has also been an enormous step forward in this respect.

We must and will ensure that this continues to be the case. Beyond this it is evident that our internal communications from the centre to the Provinces and Districts, from our Provinces and Districts to their lodges and our lodges to their members has also taken a giant step forward, which can only be a tremendous boost for the future.

All the evidence that I have seen points to a large number of candidates waiting in the wings. They have waited long enough, and we must do all we can to ensure that they are admitted to our lodges as soon as is practical. What proves to be practical will vary from lodge to lodge. I would encourage them to consider multiple ceremonies, although, if a lodge is averse to the idea, this must be respected. Indeed, traditions should also be respected but, if for the good of the lodge and for Freemasonry generally, a temporary relaxation of that tradition would be beneficial, consideration should be given to that. It may well be, brethren, that the tradition concerned is not as long standing as some would like to think.

It seems to me that many lodges all across our Constitution are gearing themselves up for a fast start once official guidelines allow meetings to take place in relative normality. This is encouraging and I can’t emphasise strongly enough the importance of ensuring that all lodges embrace this aspect and provide the best possible experience for their members, most particularly their candidates.

I have heard many stories of lodges preparing for emergency meetings to try and catch up on all the deferred ceremonies, and dispensations for this purpose will not be charged for. Indeed, in this building alone, I understand that space is at a premium during the usually quiet month of August. I, personally, am looking forward enormously to seeing ceremonies performed as they were intended and, no doubt, brethren, the ritual will be nearly perfect considering all the time those concerned have had to learn it during lockdown. ‘I didn’t have time to learn it all’ will surely be a pretty lame excuse in the short term, at least.

The Royal Arch has suffered almost more than the Craft during the lockdown periods and what a joy it will be to be able to witness again the exaltation ceremony – surely one of the most impressive ceremonies in masonry. What a good time it will be to encourage all non Royal Arch masons to seriously consider joining an order that they cannot fail to enjoy.

Brethren, during the last year there has been a fortnightly Zoom meeting of European Grand Masters and I have attended many of them. A year ago there was optimism among some that normality was just round the corner. We were not of that view and, sadly, that proved correct. I think it is fair to say that the situation in European Freemasonry is rather more problematic than here. That should not lead to complacency and we must continue to carefully follow all government guidelines as they are laid down and updated. We must also show consideration and understanding towards those brethren who are reluctant to venture forth to meetings for the time being. They will have reasons and we must keep in touch with them and keep them informed of all that is going on in our lodges.

Brethren, one of many things that UGLE is good at is celebrating important milestones. There have been many, many instances of this over the years, recently culminating in our Tercentenary celebrations in 2017. In 2023, we have another very significant event to acknowledge and enjoy, as it was in 1723 that the then ‘Grand Lodge of London and Westminster’, founded only six years before, published and distributed what are sometimes referred to as the Anderson Constitutions.

This document gave the world the Ancient Charges, which were an astonishingly bold, almost revolutionary, proclamation of values for the young Grand Lodge (and which, incidentally, are still the same and quoted in our lodges today) and it also gave a set of organisational principles and rules about how a lodge – and, by extension, any secular society or group of individuals – should conduct itself. We shall celebrate the fact that, starting with the promulgation of the Constitutions, Freemasonry became an important vector for the principles of the European Enlightenment, confidently propagating notions of religious tolerance, meritocracy, self-improvement by education and even democratic elections.

These ideas, new in their day, spread to and were enthusiastically embraced by countries on the Continent of Europe and by our then colonies in America, shaping governance models at every level. 2023 is, therefore, a most important anniversary and our own excitement about the power of the message, ‘Freemasonry: Inventing the Future’, is shared by Grand Lodges around the world.

Our own celebrations will begin with a special meeting of Grand Lodge, to be held on 31 January 2023 and to which we shall invite overseas Grand Lodges. Seminars and conferences are currently scheduled to take place in Cambridge, Paris and at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Virginia during the course of 2023. In the months ahead, we shall also be drawing your attention to a dedicated 2023 website and, in due course, a dedicated museum exhibition. Brethren, we have something to proclaim and be proud of: our own members – and the wider world – will notice.

I have said before that now is a good time to be a Freemason. Of course, it is always a good time to be a Freemason, but, I suggest, none better than now. We have proved during the last impossibly difficult 18 months what an incredibly resilient organisation we are and how wonderfully versatile we are when it comes to helping others, whether they are Freemasons or not. We now, going forward, have the best opportunity we could wish for to bring our brilliant institution back to its former glory. We may not reach the numbers of previous generations, but I am sure we will, and to an extent already have, restore our reputation in society to where it was and most certainly deserves to be.

Brethren, let us go forth and multiply.

‘We have proved during the last impossibly difficult 18 months what an incredibly resilient organisation we are’