Serving as a Steward

By Midnight Freemasons Senior Contributor

W.B. Gregory J. Knott

I will be serving as the Senior Steward of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 this coming year. WB Darin Lahners, Master of St. Joseph Lodge appointed me to this position and I am glad to serve.

As I was being installed during a meeting held virtually on Zoom, I listened to the ritual from the Illinois Book of Ceremonials; “....you are appointed Senior Steward of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970, and will now be invested with the jewel and rod of your office. You are to assist the deacons and other officers in performing their respective duties, and when the lodge is at refreshment it will by your province to extend to visiting brethren such attentions as circumstances may suggest. Your regular and early attendance at our meetings will afford the best proof of zeal and attachment to the lodge. You will repair to your respective place in the lodge.”

As I thought about what these duties were, I thought to myself, this job is really a good fit for me. I had already served as Master of St. Joseph Lodge in 2011, so I’ve already had the opportunity to sit in the Oriental Chair. I have never been one to be a Grumpy Past Master, so I am eager to help the lodge try new things and do it differently than I did as Master.

I enjoy working with new members, especially those that may be holding an office for the first time. I’m not a great ritualist, but I know enough to help get them to know and understand the work. As Senior Steward, I am in a good position to assist in this role.

Greeting visitors and ensuring they have a good experience in visiting our lodge is of utmost importance. A friendly lodge is a place where they will want to return. This kind of welcoming atmosphere is vital for brothers to have the ability to learn, achieve personal growth, and get those things out of masonry that we so boldly promise during the degree work.

As a Steward I am charged with being a regular attendee of meetings and to ensure I am there early. Doing so illustrates my zeal and attachment to lodge. But is merely showing up early and often enough? My answer is no, there is more to be done.

So many times, we end up putting brothers in the Stewards chairs, just so we can fill the slate of officers for the year, even when in many cases we know they might never actually come to the meeting. But the Senior Steward is in a unique position to have a great influence in the lodge through assisting other brothers and helping foster the atmosphere for our brothers to become all they might be.

I am looking forward to my year as Senior Steward.

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is a founding member and Senior Contributor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D. and serves as its Secretary. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. You can contact him at gknott63@gmail.com

The Parrot Mason

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Robert H. Johnson, PM

Admittedly, the title of this post sounds offensive. I didn't make this term up and I am not the first to use it. It is however an entry in Mackey's Masonic Encyclopedia. It is as follows;

"PARROT MASONS

One who commits to memory the questions and answers of the catechetical lectures, and the formulas of the ritual, but pays no attention to the history and philosophy of the Institution, is commonly called a Parrot Mason, because he is supposed to repeat what he has learned without any conception of its true meaning. In former times, such superficial Freemasons were held by many in high repute, because of the facility with which they passed through the ceremonies of a reception, and they were generally designated as Bright Masons. But the progress of Freemasonry as a science now requires something more than a mere knowledge of the lectures to constitute a Masonic scholar."

The topic raises several questions and also, high emotions. I believe what Mackey was trying to say is that one should endeavor to understand what he is reciting rather than just reciting it alone. There is no understanding in rote memorization. Understanding the lessons of the degrees and what happened in them is what matters. 

I believe somewhere along the line we as Masons had to ask ourselves, "How do we know this Brother is ready for the next degree?" and the answer lay somewhere in the memorization of the catechism. I suppose this is fine in a perfect world. A world where there is a direct correlation between memorizing and understanding. A brother over all, needs to understand the words, the degree and the lessons before he progresses, but in today's practice its more of a "here is the degree here is the catechism memorize it and move on..." mentality. This leaves men ill-equipped  to handle what true Freemasonry is about, truth, love and brotherhood. 

Mackey wrote a paper called "Reading Masons And Masons Who Do Not Read" in which he further addresses this issue. You can read that piece here. 

Let me know what you think in the comments below. 

~RHJ

Bro. Robert Johnson, PM is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He is the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 and Education officer for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois as well as a member on the Grand Lodge Education Committee. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies, AMD, The Illinois Lodge of Research and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago as well as a charter member of the Society of King Solomon, a charity organization run by the Grand Lodge of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatrewhich focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four. He works full time in the executive medical industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is currently working on a book of Masonic essays.