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NM Freemason · Skills & Drills · Chapter 5

Structure, Etiquette, and the Wider Family

Drawn from published Masonic monitor content. See site Credits for source citations.

Vocabulary (12)

Worshipful Master
The presiding officer of a Masonic Lodge for a one-year term. His station is in the East; he opens and closes the Lodge and is responsible for the conduct of its work.
Senior Warden
The second principal officer of a Lodge. His station is in the West; he assists the Master in the government of the Lodge and presides in the Master's absence.
Junior Warden
The third principal officer of a Lodge. His station is in the South; he superintends the Craft at refreshment and is the channel through which complaints come before the Lodge.
Treasurer
The officer charged with receiving and disbursing the funds of the Lodge under its order and the published bylaws. Elected annually.
Secretary
The officer who keeps the records of the Lodge, conducts its correspondence, and collects dues. Elected annually.
Stated communication
A regular meeting of a Lodge held at the time fixed in its bylaws, typically once or twice a month. Business of the Lodge is transacted at stated communications.
Special communication
Any meeting of the Lodge called by the Master apart from a stated communication, usually to confer a degree or to conduct a public ceremony such as a memorial or installation.
Constituent Lodge
A local Lodge holding its charter from a Grand Lodge. Often called a Blue Lodge or Symbolic Lodge to distinguish it from appendant bodies.
York Rite
A system of additional Masonic degrees in three bodies: the Royal Arch Chapter, the Cryptic Council, and the Commandery of Knights Templar. Open only to Master Masons in good standing.
Scottish Rite
A system of additional Masonic degrees from the fourth through the thirty-third, conferred in two jurisdictions in the United States (Northern Masonic and Southern). Open only to Master Masons in good standing.
Shriners International
A fraternal body whose membership is open to Master Masons. Best known publicly for the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of pediatric medical facilities providing care regardless of family ability to pay.
Concordant body
A Masonic organization not part of Craft Masonry itself but allied with it, requiring its candidates to be Master Masons in good standing.

Sequences (2)

Traditional progressive officer line

In many US jurisdictions, a brother who advances through the chairs moves through this progressive line over several years. (Specifics vary by Lodge and Grand Lodge.)
  1. Junior Steward
  2. Senior Steward
  3. Junior Deacon
  4. Senior Deacon
  5. Junior Warden
  6. Senior Warden
  7. Worshipful Master

Order of Masonic membership

The published prerequisite chain a brother follows to join an appendant body.
  1. Petition and election to a Blue Lodge
  2. Conferral of the Master Mason degree
  3. Continued good standing in his Blue Lodge
  4. Petition to a York Rite, Scottish Rite, or Shrine body

Multiple-choice (8)

1. Which officer's station is in the East?
  1. The Senior Warden
  2. The Junior Warden
  3. The Worshipful Master ✓
  4. The Secretary
2. What is a stated communication?
  1. Any meeting called by the Master for a single occasion
  2. A regular Lodge meeting held at the time fixed in the bylaws ✓
  3. A Grand Lodge communication of all Lodges in the jurisdiction
  4. A meeting open to the public
3. Which of the following is a body of the York Rite?
  1. The Supreme Council, 33°
  2. The Royal Arch Chapter ✓
  3. The Order of the Eastern Star
  4. The Shriners International
4. What is publicly the most prominent charitable work of Shriners International?
  1. Veterans' housing assistance
  2. The Shriners Hospitals for Children ✓
  3. Disaster-relief grants
  4. Foreign missionary work
5. Who is required to keep the records of a constituent Lodge?
  1. The Worshipful Master
  2. The Treasurer
  3. The Secretary ✓
  4. The Senior Deacon
6. Which officer's station is in the West?
  1. The Worshipful Master
  2. The Senior Warden ✓
  3. The Junior Warden
  4. The Tyler
7. What degrees does the Scottish Rite confer?
  1. The first three degrees, identical to a Blue Lodge
  2. Degrees four through thirty-three, conferred after the Master Mason degree ✓
  3. Three degrees parallel to but separate from a Blue Lodge
  4. Degrees granted only to past Grand Masters
8. What is the published requirement for any candidate of the York Rite, Scottish Rite, or Shrine?
  1. Membership in a state Grand Lodge committee
  2. Being a Master Mason in good standing ✓
  3. Past service as Master of a Lodge
  4. Sponsorship by the Grand Master of New Mexico