How to become a Mason.

Our Worshipful Master welcomes you to the website of Rye Lodge 2272.

Rye is a Freemasons Lodge within the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London.

How to become a Mason in England.

In some countries like the U.S.A. you are never invited to join the Craft but have to make the first approach yourself. The logic behind this being that any man who becomes a Mason should do so of his own free will. Here in England if a Mason knows you well and thinks you might be suitable for our Craft he may invite you to think about joining, but the surest way is always to ask. Before someone does ask though it is as well if he knows something of the Craft and it's history and whilst the full history of our order could be a lifetimes study we hope to be able to give you some insight into what we do and why.

A little history of the Craft.

The whole thing began with stone masons hundreds of years ago, indeed some would say it began with the stone masons building King Solomon's Temple, but for now let us just consider the history of Masonry here in the UK. Stone masons in the middle ages generally worked on one site such as a cathedral for years and when that was completed they would travel sometimes hundreds of miles to the next project. During this journey they would frequently stay with other stonemasons and on arrival at the new work project they could find workmen from many stonemason loges. For this reason, Masons had secret handshakes and words that denoted their skill and experience. So this is today and it is these secret signs and words which seems to have given rise to the Masons being a secret society which is anything but true, or this page could not exist and Masons would not publish their accounts for the world to see.

Freemasons are obviously not stone masons but many of the teachings of the original Masons hold good today. For example, if a member of a stone mason's lodge fell ill, he was supported by his brothers and charity and the care of people less fortunate than ourselves are amongst the most important aspects of Masonry.

Freemasons charity in the UK today.

In original Lodges if a brother became sick his brothers looked after him until he could return to work. Much the same is true today but this has gone a step further. We have Masonic day and boarding schools which take on the keep and education of the children of Masons who have lost their fathers or both parents. Until a few years ago one of the foremost hospitals in the country was the Masonic Hospital in London This gave private treatment without charge to any Mason who needed it and even today if a Mason needs assistance or treatment outside the National Health service he will get it. Charity though does not stop 'at home' though and it may surprise you to know that the Masons give more money to charity in the UK than anyone except the National Lottery. For example since early in the 20th. Century Masons have given a million pounds every year for the betterment of mankind.

Must I have a successful career to join?

Absolutely not as the short movie below will explain. We are interested in any moral man who would like to improve himself and who would like to be more useful to his fellow man.

What qualifications do I need to become a member?

Firstly you must be a man of integrity and what we might describe as a moral man. Then you must have a belief in a supreme being. Masonry would never think to say what religion you should be, but a belief in a supreme being is core. You must also support the monarchy in the UK. That is all that is required.

What are the costs of joining?

Each Lodge sets it's own fees and these usually include the cost of the dinners that follow each meeting, so it is not possible to define exactly what the costs will be but an approximation would be the kind of costs there are in joining our Rye Lodge in London and that will vary a little depending on how far through the calendar we are when you join, but if you think in the order of £300 for the first year you will not be too far out. Years following the year you were initiated will be somewhat cheaper, but we would urge you to drop a line to our Secretary and ask.

E-mail our secretary if you are interested in joining or have questions.

Create an e-mail to the Secretary of Rye Lodge who will furnish you with more information on how to join the Masons in London.. secretary@rye2272.org.uk

This is a short movie showing you the inside of Grand Lodge in London.

The Lodge Emblem of Rye Lodge 2272

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