OMT Lodge is thriving
Fellowship is an important aspect of any Masonic lodge, and as you
might expect, it is a particularly strong feature of the OMT lodge. A
common connection already exists between us before we cement our friendship
by spending an evening together ‘on the square’.
This is one of the main reasons for the continuing success of the
Sir Thomas White Lodge as it approaches its 125th. anniversary next year. Membership has been growing
steadily over the last few years and now spans the generations, from recent
graduates to venerable grey-beards.
Freemasonry in England and Wales is second only
to the national lottery in terms of the amounts that are raised for good
causes. That’s a surprising statistic even to some masons. We don’t shout
about our charitable activity, probably because it’s simply ‘not done’.
Perhaps we should, if only to counteract the fashion among trendy
journalists to take cheap shots. Uninformed innuendo about the ‘Craft’
seems to be a regular part of TV drama, and sooner or later it will provide
a storyline in The Archers.
One of the reasons for this antipathy may be that, in this age of
shifting fashions and attitudes, Freemasonry has remained resolutely
unfashionable. It provides an approach to life based on values which have
been constant for a couple of centuries. For example, we refer to the three
principal tenets as ‘brotherly love, relief and truth’. In modern parlance,
this simply means that our guiding lights are friendship, charity and
honesty. Inevitably there’s a lot more to it than that, but those are the
foundation stones of the Masonic structure.
Organised religion plays no part in Freemasonry, but there is a
spiritual dimension based around every mason’s belief in a Supreme Being. A
Masonic ceremony can therefore become a melting pot for christians, jews, muslims, hindus and any other
denomination, all enjoying one brotherhood. Is that such an extraordinary
concept in this age of political and religious uncertainties
?. Surely it’s a good enough reason for a senior mason to be invited
to present Radio 4s ‘Thought for the Day’.
I have recently been elected to the chair of the Sir Thomas White
Lodge as this years Master and in that privileged capacity I’ve been able
to appoint a dozen or so ‘officers’ to help me run things smoothly. The
majority of these are 40-somethings of a similar vintage to me, but overall
they range in age from 25 to 75, demonstrating how masonry seamlessly
unites the generations.
I joined the School lodge just over eight years ago and felt
immediately at home with this fascinating and absorbing hobby. I could have
spent that time doing other things, of course, down at the pub, at the golf
club or in a dozen other ways, but I would have missed a uniquely fulfilling
experience, and it’s also great fun.
That’s why I’m writing to let you know that the lodge can offer you
the same kind of experience. All you have to do is ask.
Nick Carter (1968-1973)
