What does it mean to be an officer in your lodge?

Every year a handful of new Officers accept the job of being a officer in the lodge. Usually when a man begins in the lineup, he starts at one of the lower chairs such as Pursuivant or one of the Masters of ceremonies. This gives the man the opportunity to begin at a slower pace and to begin observing and learning all of the lodge work. The various lodge stations and places are setup in a order of increasing work. As you begin there are only a few small requirements and by the time you become Master you will be proficient in every part of the lodges workings.

Unfortunately, the new officer often does not realize the amount of work and commitment that it takes to become a lodge officer. Sitting on the sidelines we can easily take for granted the work of the floor officers, especially when a lodge meeting runs smoothly and without error -- the work often looks effortless and may even be incorrectly assumed as being "easy". We must understand that there is much work and time involved in becoming an officer with many hours of work and preparation that goes in to the work we see on the floor. A well oiled lodge officer will not only know all of the ritual words but which direction to turn, and all of the queues he needs to know.

Frequently we see new officers join the officer lineup and either drop out very shortly after or fail to make the advancement to the next chair for proficiency reasons. It is often assumed that the lodge officer will advance to the next chair each year, however this is not the case and the next chair must be earned by showing you are proficient in the work required of you.

Most lodges have practice sessions once or twice a week with at least one that you are expected to attend weekly for the practice of the ritual work. For most members this often means putting their personal life on hold and it may mean nights away from their significant other or kids for those nights of practice. You can easily see how this may become a problem when you start to examine how often it is suggested that you be out at your lodge. You can simply take the approach of adding weekly practice, stated meetings, extra meetings for degree work, district practices, lodge dinners or meals and open houses -- in many instances it comes to approximately 150 evenings a year. This kind of dedication is not able to be accomplished by everyone and is often accomplished by the select few. This is often what gives those select few the dedication to their lodge that makes a good officer, and we all know that a good set of officers means a pleasurable and profitable year.

In many lodges the Past Masters and your Vice Principal of Education are the core of your practice sessions and need to make sure that every practice session is run with a specific task at hand. When the work is done proficiently and all officers are able to participate, then all of the officers come away learning something from that practice session. The past Masters should work with and aid the Vice Principal of Education by assisting in the practice session to make sure the ritual work is learned and practiced properly. It is also beneficial when a Past Master is able to work with the officers on a one-on-one basis for learning the longer amount of work, such as the conferred of a degree.

The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania published a document titled "SUGGESTED LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY IN MASONIC RITUALISTIC WORK" which outlines the proficiency of each station in order for advancement. It is very important to remember as a lodge officer that advancement is not attained every year unless you are proficient in the work that you need to know. You should not only be proficient in the chair you are currently in but also be prepared to sit in the next chair as well. This method of learning will ensure that by the time you reach the Masters station you are proficient in every station as well as the station of the Master and that your year as Worshipful Master can run as smoothly as possible.

As a Lodge Officer it is very vital to remember that you should be a teacher as well as a student, practice the Masonic virtues and take every opportunity to improve yourself therein as well as to take every opportunity to assist your brothers in improving themselves. Often times as you advance it is best that you work with the lodge officer that will be assuming your position to make sure that he is proficient in the work, so that you can pass down everything that you know, and he will be able to transition easily knowing all of the work of your chair when it comes time for him to assume that position.

Lodge officers should also become friends inside the lodge as well as outside of the lodge. If this happens all of the lodge officers will benefit and reap the rewards. By holding and organizing events such as outings or even going to dinner after a practice session allows you to get to know each other in your personal life and becoming good friends to work better as a team within the lodge.

Supporting your fellow officer is both essential and necessary for your lodge to prosper and grow. If you support the other officers, and more especially the officer ahead of you, it will allow him to accomplish all of the work that he needs done. If the officer below you is in support of you as well, you will have the support that you need. If one officer is struggling with the ritual or work of the their position, all of the officers should attempt to work with him, teaching the work and repairing the link in the chain by making sure he receives the help he is in need of. We often forget or don't realize that each person is at a different memorization level. What may seem easy for one person may be very difficult for another. When it comes time to having events such as dinners or public events it is essential that the officers show their support by attending and making sure the event runs smoothly, that the Worshipful Master has full support, and that the whole process is made enjoyable for all those involved -- remember that many hands make light work.

Communication is the key to successful operation of the lodge officers, not only between the Master and the officers, but the officers amongst themselves can be key to successful lodge officer core. If the Master is able to quickly and easily communicate his wishes to the entire line of officers, he can be assured of the full support of the brothers as well as making sure whatever undertaking he so desires is accomplished easily and quickly. We learned that when masons travel together and tread heavily we leave no stone unturned, this same principle works well when you compare it to the proficiency of each officer because when one officer is not up to par or does not know the work, it becomes a reflection of all of the officers. When all of the officers perform in unison with grace and skill it not only makes a spectacular sight but is equally a reflection of the lodge that will go noticed by many.

When you are approached by an officer or decide to approach the lodge wanting to become an officer, make sure you are ready for the journey you are about to undertake. Make certain that you can invest the time required to learn the work. Learn the schedule of the lodge to make sure there are no conflicts with your personal life or your profession and if you choose to become an officer you are guaranteed to find it extremely rewarding for yourself personally as well as professionally.