What is Freemasonry?

According to Wikipedia Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternal organization in the world, focused on moral self-improvement, brotherhood, and charity.

Is Freemasonry for me?

A question that is often asked of our members and one that is not easy to answer as each person joins for different reasons.

Every Freemason will have their own reasons for joining, whether a family member or friend introduced them or they heard about the organisation and were interested in knowing more.

However once they have joined the reasons for people staying are the same. It provides them with a combination of friendship, belonging and structure, with many Freemasons saying they have made valuable lifelong friendships.

Above all and for most, Freemasonry is simply an enjoyable hobby.

Why Join?

If you want to make new friends, discover a bit about yourself or be part of something that has been in existence for over 300 years.

What does it Cost?

There are costs when you initially join and the lodge has an annual membership cost.

After that the only costs are for the meal at the festive board, any drinks you may want and some raffle tickets. However we believe you should only give what you can afford.

Why are their secrets?

Well we are not a secret society, seeing as your on our website we would be a bit useless if we were.

But there are elements of the ceremony which we don’t talk about, partly to not spoil it or those wishing to join but also they are for masons only.

What do I get out of it?

That is down to each person, you definitely get out what you put in, but at the very least you will make friends and have some fun.

Can anyone Join?

Absolutely, we welcome men of all ages, preferences, religions and walks of life.

How much time does it take up?

This depends on the individual, whilst the lodge only meets 7 times a year you can choose to visit other lodges as much or as little as you want.

What happens at a Lodge Night?

A question our members are often asked by those curious.

Lodge Meeting

The first part of any lodge night is the meeting upstairs, this element is restricted to Freemasons only.

Initially there will be a business element where minutes are approved and lodge matters voted on.

Then there will be the main business of the evening, which might be a ceremony where a new member is initiated, Passed or Raised. Sometimes there may be a lecture on a particular subject where a ceremony is not required.

The ceremonies known as the First, Second & Third Degree’s are small plays or re-enactments, for those taking part its a chance to reflect on how they live their lives and think about how they can help others less fortunate.

Festive Board

Once the lodge meeting is complete the members retire and enjoy a meal together or as we know it the festive board.

This part of the evening is sometimes open to the members partners and their families, also to non masons so is good chance for someone interested to come along and see what Freemasonry is about.

Towards the end of the meal there is the raffle which is one of the ways we raise money for charity, if your lucky you might walk away with a prize or two…. a bottle of wine or maybe even a pineapple!

“Having moved to Bristol, I was looking for an opportunity to meet new friends, masonry has been great and wish id joined sooner”

Andy M