Our Ritual is in English) What is the correct pronunciation of the various names and places in the Ritual? Should I say them in Hebrew?

In the Grand Lodge of New York,

The language of our Standard Work and Lectures in the Grand Lodge of New York is English and, except where a Lodge has a special dispensation to work and conduct business in any other language, the English pronunciations are to be used. These are not mispronunciations. English has since its infancy incorporated words from as many as three hundred fifty other languages, borrowing to such an extent that these contributions account for as much as eighty percent of the English language. Once a borrowed word enters the vernacular it becomes part of the English language, and it is common for its pronunciation to diverge from that of the origin language over time. If origin language pronunciation were used for every such word, our Ritual would be incomprehensible.

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

Saluting the West? Are we allowed to salute the West at the Master’s direction when entering or retiring from a Lodge?

In the Grand Lodge of New York,

Masters direct that entering and retiring Brothers to salute the Senior Warden during moments when saluting the East would unduly interrupt or disturb the business of a Communication such as a talk or presentation.

The Ritual is unambiguous in specifying that the salutation is given to the Worshipful Master, and this practice should prevail in all but the narrowest of circumstances. However, in the Grand Lodge of New York the Worshipful Master has virtually unlimited discretion in delegating portions of the Master’s Work—discretion that is routinely exercised with respect to the Working Tools, Apron Presentation, Lectures of Forms and Ceremonies, Historical Lectures, Charges and more. Moreover, because a Brother to whom a portion of the Master’s Work has been delegated is the Worshipful Master at the time of his delivery for purposes of the Ritual, it is a colorable argument that a Brother saluting the West pursuant to the Master’s directive would at that moment be saluting the Master. The Custodians of the Work have therefore concluded that there is no purely Masonic basis upon which to assert that the Master could not delegate this salutation to the Senior Warden. Such delegation must actually take place by declaration from the East, however, and necessarily must be time-limited to a portion of the Communication in which it is made, such as the duration of a talk or presentation. At all other times, the usual procedure must be observed. Attendees may not salute the West of their own accord or as a matter of custom, neither may the Master issue a directive that encompasses entire or multiple Communications of the Lodge. The most practical solution for times when salutations of the East would unduly interrupt or disturb the Lodge’s programming is simply to call the Craft from Labor to Refreshment, so long as the programming does not reveal the secret or esoteric material of Masonry.

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

Should the Apron be worn on the outside or the inside of the jacket?

In the Grand Lodge of New York,

The Masonic Apron should be fully visible and unobscured by clothing. In the Grand Lodge of New York, it is therefore worn outside a fastened jacket in all circumstances, unless worn with a cutaway such as a black formal tailcoat for full evening dress. The strings are tied at the front under the flap. Sartorially, we note that the jacket must be unfastened if the Apron is worn inside, and that a suit jacket, blazer, or odd jacket is meant to be worn fastened when standing (unless worn with a vest). A Brother whose unbuttoned jacket hangs open with the front panels flopping around looks untidy and/or inappropriately casual for our settings. While it’s true that Masons depicted in old paintings and photographs have their Aprons inside their jackets, one may note that they are dressed in open cutaways. Some Lodges and jurisdictions require Aprons to be worn inside the jacket in an attempt to preserve what they regard as the “traditional way of wearing the Apron,” but men haven’t worn cutaways unless in full formal dress for over a hundred years. As sartorial styles and traditions have evolved over the centuries, the manner of wearing the Apron should accommodate that evolution. Otherwise, let’s get out the shoe buckles and knee breeches for our meetings.

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

What does this word mean and how am I supposed to say it?

In the Grand Lodge of New York,

The late eighteenth/early nineteenth-century language of our Ritual contains many words that aren’t often used in the modern vernacular. This can lead to difficulties ranging from simple mistaken pronunciations all the way to an incorrect or incomplete understanding of what a given passage means and what the Ritual is trying to teach us. If only there were a readily available resource where a Mason could easily discover the correct meanings and pronunciations of unfamiliar words in the Standard Work and Lectures of the Grand Lodge of New York! As it turns out, there is such a resource. Did you know that the 2019 printing of the Ritual Book and the forthcoming Monitor each contains an extensive glossary and pronunciation guide? Any Brother who is preparing a portion of our Ritual for performance should look through this section of the book to ensure he knows what he’s saying and how to say it. Here are some words I frequently hear used incorrectly in our Lodges:

August means “inspiring of awe and reverence; worthy of respect as a result of antiquity.” The accent is on the second syllable; when the accent is on the first syllable it refers to the month.

Cavil means “to complain about unimportant details.” The accent is on the first syllable.

Compassionate means “to share the suffering of; have compassion for; sympathize with; pity.” It is differentiated from the adjective form by the pronunciation of the last syllable (kum-PASH-uh-nate).

Excess is “undue or immoderate indulgence; surpassing the usual or proper limits.” The accent is on the second syllable (ek-SESS), which differentiates it from the adjective form.

Fidelity is “the quality of being loyal and faithful to a person, organization or idea.” The accent is on the second syllable (fih-DELL-uh-tee) and the first syllable is not pronounced “fye.”

Fides is a Roman goddess who personified the principles of honesty and good faith. It is pronounced “FEE-dess,” not “FYE-deez” or “fydes.”

Halve means “to divide into two equal parts.” Note that the “L” is silent.

Hitherto means “until now; before the present time.”

Inclemency is “the quality of being stormy, rainy, cold or otherwise unsuitable for outdoor activities.” The accent is on the second syllable (in-CLEH-men(t)-see; pl. in-CLEH-men(t)-seez).

Indite means “to put down in writing; to give literary expression to something.” Not to be confused with the homophone indict, the act of formally accusing someone of a crime.

Ornan the Jebusite is a Biblical figure and owner of a threshing floor on Mount Moriah which he later sold to King Solomon. Jebusites were pre-Israelite inhabitants of Jerusalem. It is pronounced, “or-NAWN thuh JEB-you-site.” He is named Ornan in the Book of Chronicles and Aranuah in the Book of Samuel.

Palliate means “to make the effects of something less painful or harsh; to cover by excuses and apologies.” The accent is on the first syllable (PAL-ee-ate).

Pectoral means “of or relating to the chest. The accent is on the first syllable (PECK-tuh-rul).

Sublime means “extremely good or beautiful; evoking emotions of awe, veneration, adoration.” The accent is on the second syllable (suh-BLIME).

Succoth (soo-COAT) is a Biblical city on the east bank of the Jordan River, north of Jerusalem.

Superficies means “a geometric plane; two-dimensional magnitude consisting of length and breadth, especially when forming the surface of a solid.” The accent is on the third syllable (soo-per-FISH-eez).

Superfluities are “things or amounts beyond what is necessary or needed, especially when immoderate and luxurious.” Not to be confused with superfluidity, a special state of matter in which a fluid has zero viscosity that has only been observed in liquid helium at cryogenic temperatures.

Zeredathah (zeh-ruh-DAH-thuh or zeh-RED-uh-thuh) is a Biblical city on the east bank of the Jordan river, north of Jerusalem; called Zeredathah in the Book of Chronicles and Zarthan in the Book of Kings.

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