04A Secretary_s Candidate Progress Checklists Overview

Lodge Secretary’s HOW TO GUIDE

Melbourne Lodge No. 143, F. & A.M

SECRETARY’S DEGREE CANDIDATE PROGRESS CHECKLISTS – OVERVIEW

Petition for the Degrees of Freemasonry GL601

How many times have we arrived at Lodge prior to a degree and someone asks, “Where is a list of the candidate’s names for the officers”? If a candidate is late, someone will ask if the candidate was notified. After a Master Mason Degree, our newly Raised Master Mason should receive his dues card. If it is not ready, everyone looks to the Secretary. After taking a look at the attached checklists, it is obvious that the Secretary has an important role in ensuring that a candidate’s progress is smooth and pleasant. Not all Lodges do things the same. The attached checklists have been created over time as mistakes and improvements have been incorporated into the particular Lodges way of doing things.

The first thing a Secretary should do after receiving a Petition for the Degrees or any other Petition for Affiliation is to create a member folder with the name of the potential new member, and enter this information in the Master Membership Excel file. It is very helpful to print a copy of these four checklists and attach them to the potential member’s folder. The attached checklists include items that the Lodge Secretary should be overseeing. It is important to record all activities so that in the absence of the Secretary, the Worshipful Master or Secretary pro tem can quickly view the status of any candidate. It should be noted that checklists for Affiliations will be included in a separate section of this Guideline Booklet.

To copy and customize this Overview page for your Lodge, refer to the file listed in the footnote of each page.

Note: Please refer to Chapter 33, Petition for the Degrees and Proceedings Thereon, in the Digest of Masonic Law. This chapter provides important information related to the Petition, the Petition and Investigation Committees, and guidelines on moving the petition through the required steps.