When I was a little boy, I'd ride my bicycle by the town's Masonic Temple, it had a gothic structure about it and it was really old looking. I always saw it like a church at that time. And everyone who went there was old, well old to a 10 year old boy.
NOW that I am a master, I see that the lodges today are very youthful and downright fun! I mean we even have Masonic Motorcycle clubs.
Does anyone have any comments on that?
I used to live 500 metres from a very large Masonic centre with 50 lodges. Meetings were held daily. Although it was a building built in the 70s, I thought it was a funeral building as everyone entering and leaving were dressed in black suits and ties!
It was not until I joined and found out on the forum from Brothers who go to that Lodge, that is was a Masonic Centre!
I would love to go back and visit the centre because I probably know alot of brethren as it was my local area!
That sounds like an awsome lodges set!!! I'd love to see it myself!
There are a few Masonic centres like this in the UK. The Secretary, Treasurer and tylers of some of the lodges in these centres actually live there permanantly!
I think there are over 1,000 lodges in GQS in london. You can turn up anytime and have a choice of at least 20 Lodge meeting going on at any one time.
I wanna visit there !!! ;D
I went to GQS in London last year. I actually phoned the Lodge co-ordinator to tell him I would be coming to London and would I be able to attend a Lodge. I asked him if he could give me a list of what Lodges would be Meeting that month and what they would be doing. There was a long silence on the phone before saying, sorry Peter we have a 1,000 Lodge meeting a month, that would be difficult. Just turn up on the day with a letter from your Sec and your certificate and there will be about 20 meetings on. Well I got there at 5pm not expecting much as most of the day had gone. He told me, what ceremony I would like to see? There are 5 EA degrees, 4 FC, 7 MM and 5 Installation meetings!
I chose a Lodge that was doing an EA and a FC ceremony back to back, so got to see 2 ceremonies. Had a great time but the festive board was expensive compared to here as it was in an Italian restaurant in the centre of London.
$10 a pint! :o :o
Will go back again next year to visit a few more Lodges.