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.

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.