Who are the “pillar officers” of a Lodge?

This is a terminology that is not formally a part of our system of Masonry in the Grand Lodge of New York, but is used in other jurisdictions and may be heard from time to time. They are the same as our “principal officers” of the Lodge, namely the Worshipful Master, Senior Warden, and Junior Warden. They can be called “pillar officers” due to the section of the First Degree Historical Lecture on the Supports of a Lodge, which explains that the three great pillars that support a Lodge are represented by the three principal officers: the pillar Wisdom by the Master, the pillar Strength by the Senior Warden, and the pillar Beauty by the Junior Warden.

The District Deputy Grand Master is always announced as “about to enter” for his official visits. Does this mean he seeks admittance on other occasions in his District?

Three Grand Lodge officers have an absolute right to enter a tiled Lodge Communication: The Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master, and the District Deputy Grand Master in his District. As a result of the foregoing, none of these three are required to seek admittance and will be “about to enter” any time they visit a Lodge after it has opened. Whether or not they enter with pomp and circumstance every time they attend a Lodge Communications on “unofficial” occasions is largely a matter of style, personal preference and local tradition. It is fairly common, for example, for a Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master or District Deputy Grand Master to attend his Mother Lodge as “just a Brother” by sitting on the sidelines for the Ritual of Opening, and some District Deputy Grand Masters do the same when making friendly visits within their Districts. Others always make an entrance. To paraphrase a familiar piece of Ritual, their own good judgment must teach them when and where to make an entrance.

when does a mason come to the sign of fidelity?

The Sign of Fidelity is given during moments calling for an expression of respect. It is required to be given during Work at the Altar including administration of the obligation, during prayer, whenever directly addressed, either collectively or individually, by an officer of higher rank, and whenever addressing the same. It is not required for general declarations, or for ordinary discourse while the Lodge is seated. Candidates do not give this sign while receiving their Degrees.

It is not uncommon to see Brothers at the Sign of Fidelity when a prayer is offered at a dinner or gathering, but this is incorrect. The Sign of Fidelity is only given by Brothers when wearing an Apron.

How can you tell when you are being directly addressed and are therefore required to come to the sign of fidelity?

When you are either engaged individually with one of the officers, or you are part of a discrete group of Brothers that is engaged with one of the officers such as, for example, a group of late-arriving Brothers standing at the Altar. In addition, If you’re standing and an officer says “Brethren,” he is addressing every Brother in the room directly. In all these circumstances, you should come to the Sign of Fidelity. But that’s not all!  Sometimes you may address an officer of higher rank silently. For example, if you rise to be recognized, you should come to the Sign of Fidelity because you are communicating silently to the Master your desire to speak. Similarly, when the Deacons reach the steps of the East prior to communicating the word/password to the Master, they both stand at the Sign of Fidelity before ascending the Master’s station because they need his tacit approval to do so. Other times, the Master may say some things that do not address anyone directly. This includes things such as the ordinary business of Communication and when he declares the Lodge open or closed. In these instances, the Master is effectively “talking to the air” within your earshot, and the Sign of Fidelity is not required. There is one other special case that calls for the Sign of Fidelity to be given: When the Grand Master enters the Lodge room.

Why do some systems of Masonry place the Three Great Lights directly in front of the Master in the East, while others such as ours in New York situate the Three Great Lights on a centrally located Altar?

When Masonry transitioned out of taverns and other temporary accommodations into purpose-built Masonic facilities, each jurisdiction had to decide how it would translate existing practices into the new setting. Previously, the Master was typically seated with a table (or even just a stool) in front of him displaying the Three Great Lights. Some Masons decided that the Three Great Lights should be situated directly in front of the Master because they were placed directly in front of him in the tavern. Other Masons decided that the Three Great Lights should be situated in the center of the Lodge room because they had been placed on a central table in the tavern around which the Brethren were gathered. Same origin but different translations. As it turns out, there is even greater variability when it comes to the location of the candles.

If all three principal officers are absent from a Communication, can a Past Master or some other designated member open the Lodge?

Only the Master, Senior Warden, or Junior Warden can open and preside over the Lodge, with two extraordinary exceptions: First, the Grand Master can open and preside over the Communication of any Lodge in the jurisdiction, regardless of whether a principal officer is present or not, or he may appoint a delegate to do the same on his behalf; and second, if the Lodge no longer has any of the three principal officers due to death, suspension/expulsion or demit, the Grand Master can issue a dispensation to the District Deputy Grand Master to open the Lodge for the purpose of electing new principal officers. Both these exceptions are vanishingly rare. Past Masters have no special rights or abilities under our system of Masonry, including the ability to open and preside over a Lodge in the absence of the principal officers.