Planning Tools
Planning Tools provides information to help you plan a successful year as Master and sets in place a foundation for a stronger lodge. Summarized sections from the Lodge Leadership Manual will appear here monthly. You are encouraged to work on each step in this planning process. This information was developed by Past Masters who saw it work successfully in their lodge. If you want to work ahead, see the Lodge Leadership Manual on this Web site.
Section 5 – Ritual Work
This fifth installment contains ideas and actions for ritual work in your Lodge. If you want to review the previous months’ sections, click here.
The word “proficient” means to be highly competent or skilled. You, as Master, must set the level of acceptance in the performance of our work for your lodge. This requires the commitment of your brothers, your leadership by example as well as a solid plan to achieve proficiency. Performing our Craft’s work builds pride, gives members a feeling of personal accomplishment, leaves candidates with a good impression, and ensures your lodge will be proficient in the future, which is key to your lodge’s growth and ongoing health.
Practicing the Work
One or several years of not practicing ritual work begins the slide toward the loss of proficiency. Set a ritual practice schedule for the officers who will serve during the year you are Master. In addition, schedule practices so others with a part will become proficient. Allow time later in the year for the incoming officers to prepare for proficiency examinations conducted by your Deputy Grand Custodian. If necessary, request a Deputy Grand Custodian assist your members at a practice to improve your lodge’s work.
During practices, refer to both the Cipher and the Floor Work manuals to make certain the ritual and floor work are taught correctly. (These are not to be used in a tyled lodge.) Ask a brother to work with a struggling officer or whisper good counsel in the ear of a brother who needs to work harder on his part.
Consider using the Ceremonies Manual at some point in your practice sessions. Select brethren to practice receiving the Grand Master and encourage some members to learn the Funeral Oration or Chaplain’s part in the Memorial Service.
The Importance of Backups
To ensure your lodge can confer a degree in the event someone becomes ill, is out of town or has other obligations when a degree is scheduled, set goals to have several members proficient in each part so they may be called on when a crisis arises. No one should “own” a part and be the only one to deliver it. Alternate the performance of brothers who know parts so they are well-practiced, can readily prepare to present the part and to increase their interest in your lodge.
Familiarizing Brothers with Our Work
Familiarity can be achieved through presentations of the ritual at all meetings or special meetings that deal with ritual work training. Repetition of degree parts, partially or in full, at stated meetings helps all brothers review the work or familiarizes them with the work and could possibly interest them in learning it. Explaining the meaning of each part eases comprehension and memorization. Keep presentations short even if only a part of a lecture is performed.
Assign parts to brothers best qualified to perform the work and them the date they will perform it. Communicate to your members the subject of the upcoming training session and how long it will last, but no longer than 50 minutes. An excellent approach is to close the lodge and open an informal lodge for instruction.
Plan an orderly approach to the subjects you will cover in special meetings. Start with presenting the opening and closing in each degree, then progress through the degrees. Integrate the Cipher and floor manual for the conferral of the degree up to the lectures, and then start with the announcements for the lectures and all that follows. Do not try to accomplish too much at each session. Select a portion of the ritual and spend enough time on it to be comfortable before progressing to the next phase.
Integrate information contained in the Standard Proficiency manual for each degree.
If you have questions or want specific help in your program of instruction or with practices, call your Deputy Grand Custodian or the Grand Custodian.
Encourage everyone who presents the work, or who aspires to learn the work, to attend Schools of Instruction conducted by the Grand Custodian so they can brush up on their parts.
Ask your officers to join you to visit a lodge that performs excellent work so members can gain better understanding of what is expected of them.
Respect for the Work
Our fraternity espouses high and serious ideals, which should be exemplified in our work. It is important that brothers maintain decorum, eliminate “horseplay,” and be well-studied in our work. Incessant chatting or laughing on the sidelines is a distraction to candidates and the brothers delivering our work. Candidates can’t be impressed with such lack of respect.
Announce at the first meeting of the term that during degree work members will refrain from conversation during degrees. Be prepared to back it up if it occurs with a rap of the gavel or by providing good counsel to offending brothers.
Recognition
Another way to instill pride in your brothers who are learning the work is to list them on the Proficiency Wall Chart (GL115) and mark the parts they learn. Hang the chart in your lodge. It is available from the Grand Lodge Office.
Conferral on More Than One Candidate
The conferral of degrees on more than one candidate at a time requires permission from the Grand Master. The suggested ritual for conferring the degrees on two-five candidates is available from the Grand Lodge Office. The conferral of degrees on six or more is done by using an exemplary candidate. Some modifications in the ritual are required to accommodate the candidates who are on the sidelines.
Other Assistance
The Grand Lodge Office has tools to assist you in achieving and maintaining proficiency in your lodge. They are listed here. For a list of page references for each lodge position, click here.
Trestleboards for each degree are located here.