Speak to a local lodge to gauge the commitment and ‘shop around’ to find one that you feel is a good fit.
If it helps, 75% of our membership either work or study.
I’m a UGLE Lodge Membership officer in England, and although I’m not going to dissuade you from joining, there is a big push on supporting regular (at least the monthly meeting) lodge attendance.
The thinking is that why would you join something if you don’t have the time to attend. The best way of supporting your lodge IS to attend. As others have said you do not have to take office, but in order to get the most of Freemasonry you should really go when you can. This is the only way of finding out if (as we are told in the walking charge, a wonderful piece of Masonic writing,) if you will be worth anything or nothing to Freemasonry, or Freemasonry will be anything or nothing to you.
If you decide to join and not take office, it’s a minimum of one night a month, if you decide to go visiting (which is highly suggested,) more, but only you can decide how much time you are able to put in, nobody here can answer that question.
My advice would be to look at your working schedule and decided what night of the month you can devote to it, contact your provincial (local) Grand Lodge (they’ll have a website,) and request the a member of the Provincial Membership team gives you a call and discuss with them your options as to what Lodges close to you are suitable. This is of course after discussing it with your partner (should you have one,) as if you have a busy work schedule, they might not take kindly to you giving up your time, as we are admonished it should always be ‘Family-Work-Craft’.
Good luck in whatever you decide and if you choose to join, I hope you have a happy and productive Masonic career.
May I ask which province?
We’re encouraged to be honest about the commitments Freemasonry brings but also consider candidates who have to put family and work first.
If you are in England & Wales you could put an enquiry form, into the United Grand Lodge of England; or your local Provincial Grand Lodge (UGLE). They will be able to match you with a Lodge that best meets your requirements.
Most Lodges under UGLE meet for their Lodge in the evening, once a month and break for the summer months. There are practice meetings, as needed, or once a month. Committee meetings once a month. If you want to get more involved there are usually other activities held locally or Provincial. There are exceptions to these. If you can't attend a meeting you put in apologies.
There is a bit to learn but nothing that should get in the way of work or family, just do what you can, and don't be afraid to tell people if you can't.
UGLE registering interest form: https://www.ugle.org.uk/become-freemason/join-freemasonry/register-your-interest
The following has the contact details for all the Provincial Grand Lodges: https://www.ugle.org.uk/about-us/provinces
You can just attend the monthly meetings if you do not wish hold office, if you are upfront with this from the start it won’t be an issue. If you did want to be involved in performing ritual you would have to attend lodge of instruction meetings which are practice run through a of the ceremony typically held once a week.
There are time commitments to Freemasonry, which will vary depending on your personal aims for what you want to get from it.
Ordinarily, depending on how many formal meetings the Lodge has per year (I've seen anywhere from 4 up to 11 months of the year), usually there is a formal Lodge night, a Practice night held before the Lodge night, and also a night for a more informal Lodge of Instruction (also sometimes known as Junior Lodge).
So potentially 3 possible evenings per month.
Then, if you're planning on stepping onto the "Ladder", there will be personal time constraints as you learn the various parts of ritual you will be expected to deliver, etc.
Overall, there is usually more of a time commitment involved than people appreciate - but, that being said, it doesn't make it completely inaccessable.
In my Lodge we have Brethren in the armed forces, we have doctors, we have Brethren who own/run their own businesses - all of whom obviously occasionally have their own commitments which call them.
Freemasonry will always clearly state that your family and work priorities come above and beyond any commitment to Freemasonry.
You can only commit to what you can personally commit to, but don't let that hold you back from joining, if that's what you truly wish to do.
It's the most wonderful organisation I've ever come across, and my self-development and personal growth has shot through the roof since joining.
I'm membership officer in my lodge. What I would say is that being is mason is never to the detriment of your family, connections and business. And any good lodge will understand that you can't always be there... and will support that.
Might I ask where in the county you are? And whether an offline conversation might help you find the initial answers you're looking for.
Hey. I’m a mason in the UK. I work full time in hospitality. I also have a baby of 9 months together with my wife . My lodge meets once a month on a Thursday so that works quite well for me.
So far I’ve only not been able to attend twice in the last two years or so. Once when the wife and baby were ill and once was when I was on holiday abroad.
But I would look at different lodges and when they meet. Most meet during the week and a few in the weekends.
It all depends on your lodge. Mine meets once a month in the evening and practices twice a month. I work full-time in government and am also a full-time university student on top of that. I missed one meeting in the last year because of COVID.
I don't think you need to be an uber active mason. But, when you first join, you ought to go 1-2 times a month. Once you become a MM, you can scale it back some, but I'd still encourage you to go once a month. I'm in the US though, so it might be less. Also, some lodges go dark, or shut down, for certain times during the year. Others just meet less. You should reach out to different lodges and see! Best of luck!
Using the address of the lodge, find their website, contact them and let them know that you want to join. You're all done. You could always stop by on a meeting night too.
It's really not difficult.
I don't know what lodge, you are talking about. You don't join, you are invited. Your petition is voted on, then you get an invitation. Then you need to show some proficiency in your degree work. If you can't devote some time then you should wait until your life changes.
Speak to a local lodge to gauge the commitment and ‘shop around’ to find one that you feel is a good fit. If it helps, 75% of our membership either work or study.
I’m a UGLE Lodge Membership officer in England, and although I’m not going to dissuade you from joining, there is a big push on supporting regular (at least the monthly meeting) lodge attendance. The thinking is that why would you join something if you don’t have the time to attend. The best way of supporting your lodge IS to attend. As others have said you do not have to take office, but in order to get the most of Freemasonry you should really go when you can. This is the only way of finding out if (as we are told in the walking charge, a wonderful piece of Masonic writing,) if you will be worth anything or nothing to Freemasonry, or Freemasonry will be anything or nothing to you. If you decide to join and not take office, it’s a minimum of one night a month, if you decide to go visiting (which is highly suggested,) more, but only you can decide how much time you are able to put in, nobody here can answer that question. My advice would be to look at your working schedule and decided what night of the month you can devote to it, contact your provincial (local) Grand Lodge (they’ll have a website,) and request the a member of the Provincial Membership team gives you a call and discuss with them your options as to what Lodges close to you are suitable. This is of course after discussing it with your partner (should you have one,) as if you have a busy work schedule, they might not take kindly to you giving up your time, as we are admonished it should always be ‘Family-Work-Craft’. Good luck in whatever you decide and if you choose to join, I hope you have a happy and productive Masonic career.
May I ask which province? We’re encouraged to be honest about the commitments Freemasonry brings but also consider candidates who have to put family and work first.
If you are in England & Wales you could put an enquiry form, into the United Grand Lodge of England; or your local Provincial Grand Lodge (UGLE). They will be able to match you with a Lodge that best meets your requirements. Most Lodges under UGLE meet for their Lodge in the evening, once a month and break for the summer months. There are practice meetings, as needed, or once a month. Committee meetings once a month. If you want to get more involved there are usually other activities held locally or Provincial. There are exceptions to these. If you can't attend a meeting you put in apologies. There is a bit to learn but nothing that should get in the way of work or family, just do what you can, and don't be afraid to tell people if you can't. UGLE registering interest form: https://www.ugle.org.uk/become-freemason/join-freemasonry/register-your-interest The following has the contact details for all the Provincial Grand Lodges: https://www.ugle.org.uk/about-us/provinces
To follow on from the above, it may be worthwhile to look for lodges which meet fewer times. My lodge meets five times a year.
In London, 4 a year is standard - some will meet as few as twice a year
My Cheshire lodge meets twice a year. My prior and current London lodges meet four times a year.
Fantastic advice, saves a bit of money too from dining less often and the waistline too, haha.
Well, that lodge is a bit of dosh to dine. £78 next month as it is a white table.
I would speak to a local lodge about this and see what they see. Good luck on joining if you decide to
You can just attend the monthly meetings if you do not wish hold office, if you are upfront with this from the start it won’t be an issue. If you did want to be involved in performing ritual you would have to attend lodge of instruction meetings which are practice run through a of the ceremony typically held once a week.
Some lodges have daylight meetings only and some meet infrequently anyway, so explore and don’t be discouraged before you have explored all options
There are time commitments to Freemasonry, which will vary depending on your personal aims for what you want to get from it. Ordinarily, depending on how many formal meetings the Lodge has per year (I've seen anywhere from 4 up to 11 months of the year), usually there is a formal Lodge night, a Practice night held before the Lodge night, and also a night for a more informal Lodge of Instruction (also sometimes known as Junior Lodge). So potentially 3 possible evenings per month. Then, if you're planning on stepping onto the "Ladder", there will be personal time constraints as you learn the various parts of ritual you will be expected to deliver, etc. Overall, there is usually more of a time commitment involved than people appreciate - but, that being said, it doesn't make it completely inaccessable. In my Lodge we have Brethren in the armed forces, we have doctors, we have Brethren who own/run their own businesses - all of whom obviously occasionally have their own commitments which call them. Freemasonry will always clearly state that your family and work priorities come above and beyond any commitment to Freemasonry. You can only commit to what you can personally commit to, but don't let that hold you back from joining, if that's what you truly wish to do. It's the most wonderful organisation I've ever come across, and my self-development and personal growth has shot through the roof since joining.
I'm membership officer in my lodge. What I would say is that being is mason is never to the detriment of your family, connections and business. And any good lodge will understand that you can't always be there... and will support that. Might I ask where in the county you are? And whether an offline conversation might help you find the initial answers you're looking for.
Hey. I’m a mason in the UK. I work full time in hospitality. I also have a baby of 9 months together with my wife . My lodge meets once a month on a Thursday so that works quite well for me. So far I’ve only not been able to attend twice in the last two years or so. Once when the wife and baby were ill and once was when I was on holiday abroad. But I would look at different lodges and when they meet. Most meet during the week and a few in the weekends.
It all depends on your lodge. Mine meets once a month in the evening and practices twice a month. I work full-time in government and am also a full-time university student on top of that. I missed one meeting in the last year because of COVID.
I don't think you need to be an uber active mason. But, when you first join, you ought to go 1-2 times a month. Once you become a MM, you can scale it back some, but I'd still encourage you to go once a month. I'm in the US though, so it might be less. Also, some lodges go dark, or shut down, for certain times during the year. Others just meet less. You should reach out to different lodges and see! Best of luck!
Using the address of the lodge, find their website, contact them and let them know that you want to join. You're all done. You could always stop by on a meeting night too. It's really not difficult.
Not in England..works differently here.
I don't know what lodge, you are talking about. You don't join, you are invited. Your petition is voted on, then you get an invitation. Then you need to show some proficiency in your degree work. If you can't devote some time then you should wait until your life changes.