Can we open on the First Degree and use the Changeover to move to the Second Degree?

In the Grand Lodge of New York,

No, the Changeover cannot be so used.

Although the ability to open a communication of a Lodge on any of the three Degrees of Masonry greatly reduces the need to work in more than one Degree on any given evening, some foreseeable cases remain in which this would be desired. For example, a Lodge might like to examine an Entered Apprentice’s proficiency in open Lodge and confer the Fellowcraft Degree upon him at the same communication. In the Grand Lodge of New York, we have two ways of moving from one Degree to another: the Changeover and the procedural Ritual to Close to a Lodge of a Different Degree.

The Changeover achieves this by dispensing with labor in the Third Degree in order to temporarily impose the symbolic rules of a lower Degree in a Master Mason Lodge without opening a Lodge of that Degree. Since the Master Mason Lodge is still open and its labor merely set aside for a time, that labor must be resumed and the Master Mason Lodge must be closed. This is why the Lodge must return to the Third Degree after work and labor in a lower Degree has concluded. The Masonic rationale for “waiving all signs and ceremonies”—which refers to a lengthier procedure no longer in use that incorporated signs and ceremonies drawn from the Rituals of Opening for the lower Degrees—is that the Third Degree inherently embraces the lower Degrees and the signs of those Degrees were displayed during the Master Mason opening.

With the possibility of opening the communication of a Lodge on any of the three Degrees of Masonry, however, the Changeover’s rationale is no longer always valid. If a Lodge opens on the First Degree and desires to move to the Second Degree, we must observe that none of the signs of Fellowcraft will have been displayed, nor are the ceremonies of a Fellowcraft Lodge embraced by the First Degree. Moreover, it’s inconvenient to have to resume labor in the original Degree at the end of the meeting. The solution was to revive the historical New York Masonic practice of closing from one Degree to another Degree.

The procedural Ritual to Close to a Lodge of a Different Degree, which is found in the 2019 printing of the Ritual Book, waives the closing ceremonies for the current Degree and most but not all of the opening ceremonies for the target Degree. The portion of the opening ceremonies that is not waved consists of the catechism dialogue and display of signs, after which the Great Lights are adjusted as necessary and the Tiler informed. This not only ensures that the signs and ceremonies of the target Degree have been performed, but eliminates the requirement to return to the original Degree. Closing to a Lodge of Another Degree takes about 70 seconds longer than the Changeover, and both the Master and Senior Warden should be conversant in the catechisms for the Rituals of Opening in all three Degrees.

Do Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts have to be examined in open Lodge before they progress to the next Degree?

In the Grand Lodge of New York,

Proficiency doesn’t have to be ascertained in open Lodge, but it does have to be ascertained. The Masonic Law of the Grand Lodge of New York says that a Brother seeking to advance must demonstrate suitable proficiency in the preceding Degree either by examination in open Lodge or by a committee, as directed by the Master. “Suitable” in this context means “adequate; satisfying propriety” which means that it is up to the Lodge to decide what constitutes suitable satisfaction of the Lodge’s proficiency criteria by any given candidate for advancement. Generally speaking “examination” means giving the answers in the Lecture of Forms and Ceremonies at whatever level of accuracy and thoroughness the Lodge may require, but proficiency also could include any number of other things such as delivering a short paper at a Lodge meeting, completing a reading course, observing a conferral of that Degree, attending certain classes, and so on. Much of this will come down to the traditions and expectations of each Lodge.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a candidate should not be examined on the catechisms in open Lodge unless it is certain he will pass with sufficient proficiency. Needless to say, a Brother should never be brought before the Lodge for examination if it is known he is not proficient to the Lodge’s criteria. Even then, we all have known that Brother who nails the Qs & As in practice sessions then blows it in front of the Lodge due to anxiety. There is never, ever any good reason to embarrass a Brother in front of his Lodge. I would suggest that the examination which “counts” should be done by a committee in a setting that makes the candidate for advancement comfortable. This should be reported and recorded in the proceedings and, if the Lodge desires and the candidate is comfortable doing so, all or some of the catechisms can be exemplified in a Communication. Another possibility that has been done by Lodges with extended Degree cycles is to have candidates for advancement exemplify the Lecture of Forms and Ceremonies when the Lodge confers the Degree upon another candidate. A final consideration is time: It takes about a dozen minutes for a fully proficient Brother to go through the complete Qs & As for the Entered Apprentice Degree. Depending on the number of candidates for advancement and the contemplated work of the evening, open examinations could be lengthy and—it must be admitted—not terribly interesting for the other attendees. These are all things a Lodge should consider in deciding whether to conduct its examinations in open Lodge or not. There is no wrong answer, although there are inadvisable ways of doing it either way.

Is it correct that everyone should come to the Sign of Fidelity when the Master says “Brethren”?

Is it okay to ballot on candidates or examine candidates on the day of the Degree?

In the Grand Lodge of New York,

This is not disallowed, so it’s difficult to say it’s “not okay.” But there are reasons it’s not a good idea in most circumstances. First, it can use up a lot of precious time on Degree nights. Efficiency is the single most important factor in avoiding lengthy Degree nights. If a Lodge desires to get its Brethren home at a reasonable hour, the Master should open the Communication on time, proceed promptly to the Degree with little or no transaction of business, and minimize the number and duration of refreshment periods. Balloting and/or examinations can add considerably to the runtime of a meeting. Second, a candidate should never come to a Lodge building expecting to have a Degree conferred upon him only to be turned away due to a cloudy ballot or insufficient proficiency. These occurrences are bad for the candidate and bad for the Lodge. More to the point, there is no reason balloting or examinations have to happen on the day of a Degree—both of these things can be done and should be done at a prior Communication.

The answers provided here reflect GLNY customs, rules, and ritual. We welcome discussion about how these may differ in your jurisdiction.