QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION

14 DECEMBER 2005

An address by the MW The Pro Grand Master the Most Hon the Marquess of Northampton, DL

Brethren,
I said in my article for the Cornerstone Society which was published in the last edition of MQ that I thought our members should be encouraged to talk about the good things they are taught in our rituals to prove to the world the happy and beneficial effects of our Antient Institution.

There are many virtues in Freemasonry, but one which I think we should use to promote our Order is tolerance. There can be few other organisations in the world today who practice the degree of tolerance that we find in the Craft – accepting all men of good faith. 

Freemasonry is a system founded on morality which aims to make the individual a better person, and thereby able to lead a more fulfilling life and be of more use to his fellow man. 

We are not concerned with a candidate’s nationality, colour or class, nor with his religious or political persuasion; we care only that he has a belief in a Supreme Being, has a general desire for knowledge and wants to be of service to others. 

Furthermore, Masonry requires of him a perfect freedom of inclination – an open mind is a prerequisite for joining an Order which develops an open heart. 

The second Masonic characteristic I think we should be emphasising to potential candidates and others is trust. It is linked to our first Grand Principle, Brotherly love, is one of the lessons of our Third Degree story and is the mortar with which the trowel binds us together. 

You do not have to be a Mason for very long before you learn first hand the importance of trusting and being trusted. As we climb symbolically Jacob’s ladder our perception of truth changes in proportion to our capacity for discrimination. 

Developing qualities of tolerance, trust and discrimination leads us eventually to wisdom and Truth. Truth, our third Grand Principle, is at once the first rung on the Masonic ladder when it is solely concerned with morality, and the last rung when it is considered as an aspect of Divinity. Truth depends on our sense of what is true for us personally and for that we must listen to our conscience, the voice of nature. 

The principles and virtues of Freemasonry as taught in our rituals have much to offer a society in need of tolerance and trust.

QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION

14 SEPTEMBER 2005

An address by the MW The Pro Grand Master the Most Hon the Marquess of Northampton, DL

Brethren,
I welcome you all to Grand Lodge today at the start of another Masonic season and thank you for attending. I hope you have all had a good summer even though, like me, you may be feeling that Shakespeare was right when he said that ‘summer’s lease hath all too short a date’.

QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION

8 JUNE 2005

An address by the MW The Pro Grand Master the Most Hon the Marquess of Northampton, DL

Brethren,
I would like to keep you informed on the progress of the Strategic Working Party that I have set up to review the administration and governance of the Craft, and which is chaired by the Deputy Grand Master, who is unfortunately unable to be with us today.

ANNUAL CRAFT INVESTITURE

27 APRIL 2005

An address by the MW The Grand Master HRH The Duke of Kent, KG

Brethren,
I begin as always by welcoming you all to our meeting this afternoon, and I offer my warmest congratulations to those brethren I have had the pleasure of investing with Grand Rank today on their preferment.

QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION

9 MARCH 2005

An address by RW Bro Michael Walker

I feel no stranger amongst you. I have been visiting your Grand Lodge, and to represent my own, for over 23 years. 

Because Freemasonry is a subjective entity it makes its own special contribution to each individual, and it is therefore very difficult to provide an exact definition for an outsider.

QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION

9 MARCH 2005

An address by the MW The Pro Grand Master the Most Hon the Marquess of Northampton, DL

I want to say something about one of our oldest and closest friends, RW Bro Michael Walker, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, who is due to retire shortly and is therefore making his last visit to our Grand Lodge in his official capacity – although I hope he will continue to visit us in future.