Masonic funerals

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In some masonic jurisdictions, a masonic funeral is a rite afforded to Master Masons in good standing with their Lodges. [1] Under extenuating circumstances satisfactory to the Master of their Lodges, Masonic funerals may also be conducted in memory of Fellow Crafts or Entered Apprentices who received their degree less than one year prior to their death, or to Master Masons who were suspended for nonpayment of dues within the same time limit. [1] The Masonic funeral rites are performed by a deceased Master Mason's lodge, so that he can be honored by those who have known him and his works. [1] [2] It is one of the few ceremonies performed in public by Freemasons. Such a Masonic funeral is carried out at the request of a Master Mason or his family.

Notable Masonic funerals

George Washington's funeral was organized by the local Masonic lodge and held on December 18, 1799. Following a celebration of the Episcopal Order of Burial, a Masonic funeral took place, conducted by the Reverends James Muir of the Alexandria Presbyterian Church and Dr. Elisha Dick. [3]

On 29 July 2020, a masonic funeral ceremony for Congressman John R Lewis took place in the Georgia State Capitol. Lewis was a senior Freemason in the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge F&AM of Georgia and in the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction. [4] [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freemasonry</span> Group of fraternal organizations

Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of two main recognition groups:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Rite</span> Rite of Freemasonry

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, commonly known as simply the Scottish Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. A Rite is a progressive series of degrees conferred by various Masonic organizations or bodies, each of which operates under the control of its own central authority. In the Scottish Rite the central authority is called a Supreme Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic lodge</span> Basic organisational unit of Freemasonry

A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered by a Grand Lodge, but is subject to its direction only in enforcing the published constitution of the jurisdiction. By exception the three surviving lodges that formed the world's first known grand lodge in London have the unique privilege to operate as time immemorial, i.e., without such warrant; only one other lodge operates without a warrant – the Grand Stewards' Lodge in London, although it is not also entitled to the "time immemorial" title. A Freemason is generally entitled to visit any lodge in any jurisdiction in amity with his own. In some jurisdictions this privilege is restricted to Master Masons. He is first usually required to check, and certify, the regularity of the relationship of the Lodge – and be able to satisfy that Lodge of his regularity of membership. Freemasons gather together as a Lodge to work the three basic Degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason.

The York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named for, but not practiced in York, Yorkshire, England. A Rite is a series of progressive degrees that are conferred by various Masonic organizations or bodies, each of which operates under the control of its own central authority. The York Rite specifically is a collection of separate Masonic Bodies and associated Degrees that would otherwise operate independently. The three primary bodies in the York Rite are the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Council of Royal & Select Masters or Council of Cryptic Masons, and the Commandery of Knights Templar, each of which are governed independently but are all considered to be a part of the York Rite. There are also other organizations that are considered to be directly associated with the York Rite, or require York Rite membership to join such as the York Rite Sovereign College but in general the York Rite is considered to be made up of the aforementioned three. The Rite's name is derived from the city of York, where, according to one Masonic legend, the first meetings of Masons in England took place.

The history of Freemasonry encompasses the origins, evolution and defining events of the fraternal organisation known as Freemasonry. It covers three phases. Firstly, the emergence of organised lodges of operative masons during the Middle Ages, then the admission of lay members as "accepted" or "speculative" masons, and finally the evolution of purely speculative lodges, and the emergence of Grand Lodges to govern them. The watershed in this process is generally taken to be the formation of the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717. The two difficulties facing historians are the paucity of written material, even down to the 19th century, and the misinformation generated by masons and non-masons alike from the earliest years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish Rite</span> Variation of Freemasonry common in Scandinavian countries

The Swedish Rite is a variation or Rite of Freemasonry that is common in Scandinavian countries and to a limited extent in Germany. It is different from other branches of Freemasonry in that, rather than having the three self-contained foundation degrees and seemingly-endless side degrees and appendant bodies, it has an integrated system with ten degrees. It is also different in that, rather than moving through the offices or 'chairs', progress in the Swedish Rite is based on moving through the ten degrees. A fundamental difference is the Swedish Rite's position on religious affiliation: Anglo/American 'Regular' Masonry requires a belief in any theistic religion and Continental 'Liberal' Masonry does not require belief in any religion, whereas Swedish Masonry is specifically Christian, and requires a Christian trinitarian belief in all its members. Nonetheless, the main Swedish Rite constitutions are all recognised as regular by the United Grand Lodge of England, and stand in full amity.

The relationship between Mormonism and Freemasonry began early in the life of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Smith's older brother, Hyrum, and possibly his father were Freemasons while the family lived near Palmyra, New York. In the late 1820s, the western New York region was swept with anti-Masonic fervor.

Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of which are recognized by Mainstream grand lodges, and those under the jurisdiction of the National Grand Lodge. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest predominantly African-American fraternity in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Mark Master Masons</span>

The Order of Mark Master Masons is an appendant order of Freemasonry that exists in some Masonic jurisdictions, and confers the degrees of Mark Mason and Mark Master.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knights Templar (Freemasonry)</span> Fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry

The Knights Templar, full name The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta, is a fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a regular Masonic Lodge, which only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in Christianity. One of the obligations entrants to the order are required to declare is to protect and defend the Christian faith. The word "United" in its full title indicates that more than one historical tradition and more than one actual order are jointly controlled within this system. The individual orders 'united' within this system are principally the Knights of the Temple, the Knights of Malta, the Knights of St Paul, and only within the York Rite, the Knights of the Red Cross.

Freemasonry in Sweden was introduced by the Swedish Order of Freemasons, founded in 1735 as the oldest still active Swedish fraternal order, working the Swedish Rite of Freemasonry. It is under royal patronage of the King of Sweden and closely associated with the Lutheran Church of Sweden. It is a jurisdiction that admits Christian men only, and is recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England as a Regular Masonic jurisdiction, being the only Regular Grand Lodge that admits a 34th informal Masonic Degree. Its total membership is about 16,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic bodies</span> Auxiliary organization of Freemasonry

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Lodge of Texas</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freemasonry and women</span> Positions on women in the fraternal organisation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Lodge of New York</span> Organization of Freemasons in the U.S. state of New York

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Arch Masonry</span> Part of the rites of Masonry

Royal Arch Masonry is the first part of the American York Rite system of Masonic degrees. Royal Arch Masons meet as a Chapter, and the Royal Arch Chapter confers four degrees: Mark Master Mason, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch Mason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic ritual and symbolism</span> Scripted words and actions spoken or performed during degree work

Masonic ritual is the scripted words and actions that are spoken or performed during the degree work in a Masonic lodge. Masonic symbolism is that which is used to illustrate the principles which Freemasonry espouses. Masonic ritual has appeared in a number of contexts within literature including in "The Man Who Would Be King", by Rudyard Kipling, and War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Council, Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction, USA</span> American Freemasonry organisation

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Masonic Funeral Service". masonsmart.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  2. Colon, Felix. "Are you Considering a Masonic Funeral?". phoenixmasonry.org. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  3. "The Papers of George Washington: The Funeral". University of Virginia. Archived from the original on 2006-07-05.
  4. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : John Lewis Masonic Last Rites. YouTube .
  5. Hodapp, Christopher (30 July 2020). "John Lewis Funeral Brings Georgia's Grand Lodges Together". freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  6. Gaskins, Nikki (24 July 2020). "Rep. John Lewis To Lie In State In DC, Livestream Of Services". patch.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.