The good news of the last few months is that Hertfordshire County Council has finally accepted that we are normal people – and no longer requires a mason to make that fact known in its job application forms! Quite what took the council so long to come to this sensible conclusion isn’t clear, but it is pleasing to know that around the country local authorities are increasingly making the same decision. However, it is not so always in religious circles. I hear that Seventh Day Adventists remain opposed to their church members considering become Freemasons, though their reasons is not currently clear.
Fortunately, the Roman Catholic Church has in recent years become at least neutral towards us and is much less opposed – if at all – to its members joining our organisation. Previous leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales have been welcome guests of Grand Lodge and had amiable discussions with us.
So while it might be wise for practising Catholics to speak to their priest about Masonry, it is expected that the more general acceptance of what we are and what we do will make life easier. That is the view of Grand Lodge.
I hope so, because we don’t bite!
And of course nowadays there is absolutely no reason why we as Masons cannot talk fairly openly about our Masonry.
If nothing else we could tell people that Masonry is the largest single charitable giver after the National Lottery. Not a lot of people know that!
We could tell people, for instance, that a number of non-masonic charities across England and Wales are to benefit from generous grants announced in March by the Freemasons’ Grand Charity totalling an incredible £1.5 million.
The grants have been awarded to worthwhile causes in the areas of medical research, youth opportunities and vulnerable people. The sum includes £600,000 for adult and childrens’ hospice services and £180,000 for air ambulance charities to be distributed during the current year.
Nearer to home there are many examples in this issue of the Provincial News of local charitable deeds by our own lodges…and in just over a year we will be able to hold our heads up high and report that our Festival has raised an awful lot of money – and all of it from us.
Meanwhile there are several people in high places in our Province who would love the opportunity to talk about masonry to all sorts of bodies – the WI, Rotary, Round Table, church men’s clubs etc. Contact the Provincial Grand Secretary if you see an opportunity there. Details on the back page.
Michael Imeson