If you are man of at least 21 years of age and may be considering becoming a Freemason and joining our lodge then below are some instructions for you:
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- The first thing you need to do is ask us for a petition (application). To get a petition you will need to talk to a Mason that you know or visit our lodge on one of our meeting nights. We meet on every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. The best time to visit would be about an hour before our meeting. So try to be there between 5:45pm and 6pm. You are welcome to sit down with us and share a light meal. You will need to complete this petition and turn it back into us for consideration. You will need at least two masons from our lodge to sign off on your petition saying they know you and will vouch for you. If you do not know two masons from our lodge willing to sign for you then you will need to complete a background check before we will consider your application. There is information about that at the bottom of this page.
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- After you complete your petition (and background check if needed), then we will assign a small team of Masonic brothers to come talk to you and your family and make sure all of your questions are answered and your family is okay with you joining. They will also take this opportunity to ask you a few questions.
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- Once they have done this they will report back to our membership at our next scheduled meeting on whether or not they recommend you for membership. They will take the results of your background check into count if it is done.
- Once the report has been made, the membership will vote on whether or not to accept you. You will be notified of the lodge’s decision and a date set up for your initiation into our fraternity. Once initiated, your journey through Freemasonry begins which includes some instruction and memorization to enable you to progress into the 2nd degree (Fellow Craft) and then become a Master Mason (3rd degree).
BACKGROUND CHECK
We use an outside, private company for our background checks. We do not gather any of your information because you will visit the website and enter your own information yourself. If there is a questionable event on your report then the company will contact you to get more information.You will pay the fee for the check which currently is $16, and once it is finished the report will be sent to you. It will be up to you to turn over your report to us or not. If you provide it to us along with your petition then we will consider you for membership. If you elect not to provide us with this report for whatever reason then you will not be considered for membership and no questions asked. Keep in mind that what you consider to be a negative report may not necessarily bar you from entering the fraternity. We understand that we are all human and sometimes we do stupid things in our lives. What is important to us is whether or not you have learned from your past and worked to overcome that event. However, due to the nature of our fraternity and some of the work we do for the community there are certain infractions that we cannot overlook such as a recent felonies, rape and/or pedophiles.
If you are still interested in joining and wish to start the process of your background check then please click the shield logo below. It will take you to the background check website. When asked on the form, the lodge name is HOWARD PALMES LODGE 917.
