In this Tercentenary Year, one of the objectives is to bring Freemasonry more into the and to take advantage of this milestone to make the public more aware of our organisation. , supported by members of other , put this into practice on Thursday 2 February by inviting a group of current and retired lecturers from the Hereford and Ludlow Colleges of Further Education to visit the Hereford Hall to hear more about Freemasonry, what we stand for and what we do.
In this Tercentenary Year, one of the objectives is to bring Freemasonry more into the
A group of around 23 were welcomed with teas and coffees in the Kyrle Street foyer, by W Bro Keith Farmer who outlined the format of the session. They then went into the dining room, where W Bro Denis Cox described the of the building.
After a knock on the Lodge door, and a colloquy with W Bro Bryan Wood acting as Tyler, they were admitted to the Lodge room. The Master’s chair was occupied by , W Bro Gordon Mather, and the Senior Warden’s by W Bro Nigel Boothby and the junior Warden’s by W Bro Wood.
Between them the Master and Wardens, in full regalia, explained the layout of the Temple and gave a brief outline of the format of a Lodge meeting.
W Bro Wood then delivered a short resume of the Charge After Initiation, providing a succinct summary of the principles of Masonry as explained to the new . W Bro Cox gave an outline of the , starting with the meeting at the Goose and Gridiron in London in 1717, when the first Grand Lodge was formed. W Bro Boothby gave a short talk on Masonic charity.
The group was very responsive and asked several interesting questions. They clearly enjoyed the occasion, and were in no hurry to leave, spending over two hours with the Brethren in Kyrle Street.
The Brethren involved are to be congratulated on putting together an interesting afternoon, which appears to have been very successful in fostering a positive attitude to Freemasonry at least among this particular group of members of the public. They are now actively looking for other groups that might be invited in for a similar session, and would welcome requests from any interested group. If you have a group in , or would like to take part in future presentations please contact W Bro Keith Farmer .