Membership Application

Statement of Beliefs

To be filed with the Membership Committee before an application is issued.

To the Applicant for Membership:

You may know very little about Freemasonry, so before a lodge accepts your signed membership petition, it must inform you of certain aspects of the institution that may affect your decision to seek membership in the Masonic fraternity.

1. Freemasonry has always required that a man should apply for membership entirely of his own free will and accord. You should not apply as a result of any curiosity about the fraternity; but because you have a favorable opinion of Freemasonry, a desire for knowledge and a sincere commitment to be of service to your fellowmen.
2. Freemasonry is a fellowship of friends and Brothers who meet together for fraternal relations and association. This fellowship is founded upon a system of morality based on a belief in the existence of a Supreme Being; no atheist or agnostic can be made a Mason. Freemasonry teaches the Brotherhood of Man, the Immortality of the Soul and the duty every man has to his God, his house of worship, his country, his neighbor and himself. It interferes with neither religion nor politics, but endeavors to bring out man's highest and noblest qualities. The aim of the true Mason is to promote a brotherly feeling among men and to help the distressed and afflicted to the best of his ability.
3. The purpose of Freemasonry is moral and spiritual improvement, not the gaining of any material advantage. It should be clearly understood and remembered that a man should not seek membership in Freemasonry in the hope of material gain or advancement; admission must not be sought for mercenary or selfish motives. A man who joins for those reasons will be disappointed.
4. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that Freemasonry is not a benefit society. Membership will not confer upon any member any right to sick benefits, death benefits, burial expenses, education of your children or support of your dependents. Failure to understand this has sometimes caused families to hold false impressions which have led to disappointment, misunderstanding and embarrassment. The practice of charity is, however, a fundamental virtue taught in Freemasonry, limited in its practice by the means available to the individual member and Masonic organization.
5. Lodge members bear the responsibility for financially supporting the cost of lodge operations and functions. An applicant must, therefore, be in a position to meet his obligations for the degree fees and annual dues without material handicap or detriment to his family or dependents.
6. Loyalty to one's country is an essential qualification in Freemasonry, and only those men who cheerfully conform to the laws of his country, state and community may join the fraternity. Disloyalty to the country and its laws, in any form, is inconsistent with the Masonic teachings.
7. The aims of Freemasonry are noble and unselfish. The fraternity deserves and expects of each member a sincere interest and faithful service to Freemasonry of its members. Membership will make certain demands upon your time and energies. Attendance at Masonic meetings and contributing to Masonic operations and charitable initiatives should be considered a duty and a privilege.
8. Each member is required to obligate himself to secrecy in purely Masonic matters, such as the ritual, means of recognition, names of candidates, results of balloting on membership petitions.

If after serious consideration of the foregoing you feel sincerely disposed to seek to membership in the Masonic fraternity, sign this statement of personal beliefs, after which the senior officers of the Masonic lodge may accept your petition for membership and begin the process of bringing your petition to the full membership of the Lodge.