William O. Ware Lodge Research
VOICES OF FREEMASONRY

Welcome to this, the first edition of Voices of Freemasonry, a new endeavor of William O. Ware Lodge of Research.

Freemasonry does not speak with a single voice. Grand Masters, of course, are the official voice of their respective jurisdictions, but the extent to which they speak for Freemasonry is limited, obviously, by geography and their term of office.

But all Freemasons have a voice.

At William O. Ware Lodge of Research, we encourage the individual Freemason to find his voice. As Fellow Craft Masons we are charged to study Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic. As members of the Lodge of Research, we are further encouraged to put those skills to use in offering accessible, factual and well-reasoned views related to the history and philosophy of Freemasonry.

Individually and collectively, here are the Voices of Freemasonry. If for no other reason, because of their geographical separation, these are the voices of men who, but for their involvement in Freemasonry, would have remained at a perpetual distance.

Demographically, the men who participated in this study form an interesting sampling of the Fraternity. The participants are from six U. S. states and one Canadian province. They range in age from 29 years old to 92 years old. In terms of Masonic experience, the range of their years of membership falls between 1 year and 66 years. Two of the participants are Past Grand Masters. One is currently an elected Grand Lodge officer in his jurisdiction. Of the 22 participants, 20 are Past Masters of their Lodge. One participant is an Entered Apprentice whose advancement has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an engaged group of Freemasons, they are truly exceptional, and, sadly, atypical of the current state of the Craft. It is currently estimated that there are roughly 1 million Freemasons in the United States. Previous studies indicate that only about 6% of that number are actually engaged in the life of their Lodge. In that respect, the participants in this study are not representative of Freemasonry as a whole (perhaps a blank page would be an accurate representation).

While the responses to the several questions vary according to the background and experience of each participant, the tone of the responses is remarkably consistent.

Presented here are some of the voices of Freemasonry. Is your voice heard?

If you would like to participate in future questionnaires from William O. Ware Lodge of Research, please send an email expressing your interest to: wkumason@gmail.com.

Click here to read the Voices of Freemasonry