THE IMPORTANCE OF LODGE MENTOR IN THE MASONIC RETENTION
W Bro Petros N. Zenieris
PM of the Lodge of St George No. 1152 EC
It is well known to all that Lodge members’ retention is not an easy task and it seldom comes on its own.
It is rather challenging for members of any lodge to remain committed, knowledgeable and aware of all about Freemasonry immediately or from the beginning of their individual Masonic journey.
Indeed, it takes time, effort and dedication to achieve just that.
To achieve a higher rate of members’ participation and eventually retention, the Lodge will appoint a Lodge officer who will be in charge of bringing junior members up to speed with an ultimate aim to becoming valued members of the Lodge.
The said officer is no other that the Lodge Mentor.
Our District, District Grand Lodge of Eastern Archipelago (DGLEA) has made cleared to all Lodges that each Lodge must appoint an officer as Mentor of the Lodge.
Ideally the Lodge Mentor must be one with a few vital attributes:
Be a Past Master,
Be enthusiastic to impart his accumulated Masonic knowledge,
Be available and willing to organise formal as well as informal gatherings with his junior brethren,
Be able and eager to act as Masonic Mentor,
Be able to appoint a personal Mentor to each newly initiated brother till his successful raising ceremony.
In other words, he will be acting as an Educator in the Lodge.
Along with personal mentors he is expected to form a Mentor’s Committee with the aim to take the education aspect of all junior brethren to a higher level.
Why such?
Junior brethren have a lot to learn from such experienced Mentor in relation to their Lodge history, Lodge etiquette and decorum (during Regular meetings as well as during Festive Boards), Speculative and Operative history of Masonry, levels of progression, Masonic hierarchy etc.)
They can’t learn all these elements at once. They definitely need time.
With determination, proper assistance and facilitation from the Lodge Mentor, junior brethren will learn as much as they are willing to learn about Freemasonry and eventually will start ascending the Lodge’s offices when the right time occurs.
MENTOR’S PROGRAMME
The Lodge Mentor must establish a Mentor’s programme whereby is to ensure that every newly initiated brother is as welcomed as possible in the Lodge with all required support from all existing members.
The Lodge Mentor should also be able to prepare a number of essential questions and answers based on his personal experience which junior brethren will find enlightening and beneficial in their endeavour to enhance their knowledge and obtain a clearer insight.
An analysis and a more detailed explanation of the First Degree questions before a Brother progresses to the Second Degree would be a valuable and practical example as part of the Mentor’s Programme.
That way, the Lodge Mentor will ensure that brethren obtain a deeper and more clearer insight of questions and answers’ session and not only learn those answers for the sake of providing answers without comprehending the actual meaning and signification of them.
Furthermore, an in depth and more explanatory analysis of the First Degree Masonic Obligation and subsequently of the Second and Third Degree at a later time will add more insight and comprehension to newly initiated brethren.
Experience declares that these obligations are mostly taken basically without proper understanding as the candidate simply repeats what has been asked to repeat by the Worshipful Master and once it is done would never be restated.
It is necessary that all newly initiated brethren must obtain as much as possible a holistic understanding and the Lodge Mentor must be able to clear any areas of misunderstandings as well as assist brethren in their endeavour to see the light.
Lodge Mentor should also aim to explain the history of Freemasonry and its significance in our today’s world with the emphasis on the three cardinal virtues – Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth – with their respective significations.
Brethren (newly initiated and non) must also be encouraged to obtain easy access to the Lodge or District library and be able to access relevant books, articles and publication as per Lodge or District’s rules and regulations.
CONCLUSION:
In essence, the Lodge Mentor with the support of all personal mentors and under the auspices of the Worshipful Master and his Officers should be able to commence a step-by-step plan by engaging all Entered Apprentices in his endeavour to inculcate and impart needed knowledge to them.
He will also ensure that all newly initiated brethren will be warmly and wholeheartedly welcomed as worthy members in their Lodge able to stand side by side with the rest of their brethren.
That, to me would be the epitome for a Lodge to maintain and eventually steer its retention to much higher levels by the healthy engagement and participation of all its members.
Therefore, the role of the Lodge Mentor owes to be made well known in each Lodge.
Such role performs a pivotal part of the vigorous survival and beneficial growth of a Lodge.
