From the pen of Bro Andrew Ullmann.
Having been, for many years a ‘junior’ member of the Lodge of Dawn (ie not on ‘the ladder’), late last year I was approached to become the Junior Master for 2022’s Junior Master’s Night ceremony.
As with all lodges The Lodge of Dawn’s monthly ceremonies are performed by members who are ‘on the ladder’ (progressing through the ranks to eventually become Master of the Lodge), along with more senior members who have already occupied The Chair of King Solomon. Unlike other lodges, however, The Lodge of Dawn also has a Junior Lodge ceremony, which first started in 1958. It is performed by members who have either joined more recently, have chosen not to be ‘on the ladder’ or are not yet on it.
The main idea of Junior Lodge is that it creates the perfect environment for Masons to learn the ritual of a First Degree Initiation, to learn about the various roles and officers within the Lodge, take part in regular lodges of instruction, to socialise after such practises and then, as the culmination of 6 months of hard work, to perform the ceremony in front of all the brethren of the lodge in the main temple. Although this isn’t an official Lodge ceremony, it nonetheless is a great experience for all those taking part; and none more so than the Junior Master.
Being Junior Master gives you a taste of the pleasures to come during the next stages of a Mason’s career. As Junior Master this year, the same level of respect was given to me as if I was the actual Master; and with my team around me, we all earned our reward of ‘getting it right’ and performing ritual that was aimed to be as accurate and stately as the real thing.
When I was first approached, I met Worshipful Brother David Myers, the Preceptor of Junior Lodge. His vast experience made him the ideal teacher and the perfect team leader. He put his faith in me, and indeed all of us, and we did our best to prove that we were up to the task.
Ritual is a fundamental part of Masonry, and I was daunted by the sheer amount of it that I would have to learn and deliver. As a man of 65 years, my memory is not as good as it was some years ago! Frankly I’ve never had a good memory and initially I struggled with the volume of words and phrases, and I know that David was (justifiably) disappointed. As the weeks of rehearsals went by, I knew I was letting the team down because I could not remember my lines. I was embarrassed, and David was becoming somewhat irked. I lost confidence and went from bad to worse, as now the fear of failure was becoming real.
However one evening, David took me to one side and gave me a proper talking to. But, to his utmost credit he did it in such a constructive and genuinely supportive way that I heeded his words and knuckled down to doing daily revision. One duty of every Mason, no matter how experienced, is to make a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge, and I took that to heart. Slowly but surely, I learned my part, line by line, paragraph by paragraph, section by section until I was able to perform the role with accuracy. During this process my confidence grew in sync with my knowledge, and I honestly felt that I was growing as a person and a man as well.
But it’s all well and good performing ritual and knowing it all word perfectly in the bathroom, in the car on the daily commute and at Lodge of Instruction. Delivering it in the main temple is a completely different kettle of fish !!
Before the ceremony we took team photos in the Temple. I could tell there was a frisson of excitement, pre-match nerves and worries, but at the same time a determination to perform, and show everyone all of the hard yards we’d put in over the previous weeks and months. As the ceremony opened I was nervous, as everyone is in that situation, and I faltered for the first couple of lines. But I knew that I knew it, and I knew I could do it, and I did. Slowly…..clearly….. deliberately…. thoughtfully….. and (mostly) accurately. The support from my team of players was wonderful and we each supported each other as we progressed through the ceremony, until we reached our intended conclusion. A masonic success ! Read the full report here.
W Bro. David was also my Social Secretary for the occasion and we had worked closely together to select a venue for the Festive Board, the menu and the management of the after-ceremony evening. I enjoy using my PC, for business as well as pleasure, and was able to generate spreadsheets, table plans, menu choices, toast lists and documents to enable the restaurant and ourselves to enjoy a trouble-free evening. We were prepared for anything; all eventualities were covered… or so we thought…
As we approached the restaurant, we found out that there had been a gas leak and all the lights were off to protect against an explosion! We were told that all would be well in an hour because the engineer was en-route. So, like all Masons ready for a jovial evening, we went to the pub to wait patiently. I went back and forth to the restaurant, but it soon became clear that we would have to postpone the Festive Board. I took on the task to try to sort out meals locally and most Brethren were understanding of the issue, and had a great evening.
But it didn’t end there. After eventually coming down from the exhilaration of the occasion, over the following days, I spoke regularly with David and the restaurant, and together we worked out a plan for a replacement Festive Board evening. Unfortunately some guests could not attend, but equally, some more could, so back to my laptop to start again. Refunds were noted, changes were made and thankfully the restaurant came up trumps and were truly excellent. On the evening the food was superb, the staff were friendly and effective, and I have no doubt we will visit there again.
A big plug for the venue, Giorgio’s Restaurant in Headingley, just 5 minutes’ walk from our Lodge at Castle Grove.
To sum up, thanks to all my team, especially W Bro. David, for their support, effort and a great ceremony that was of the highest standard, a non-meal with a gas leak and a brilliant recovery by Giorgio and his team. It’s an occasion and experience that will live long in my memory.
Addendum – the Festive Board finally took place three weeks later – see here for the full report.
If you are not a Freemason and, having read the above, would like to find out more, read our Seven Reason to Join The Freemasons, our guide on ‘How to join The Freemasons‘ or our simple ‘What is Freemasonry?’ page.
And if you would like to join The Lodge of Dawn in Leeds, please feel free to get in touch via our ‘Contact Us’ page.