HOW TO JOIN
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A place where you can confidently trust every person and trust your family with them also.
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A place to meet outstanding individuals from all walks of life, that a person would not otherwise have had the opportunity to know and call brother.
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A place that provides self-development opportunities, leadership training, and experience, and improves public speaking skills.
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A place where moral virtues are taught, and through these teachings, a regular reinforcement of the moral virtues is experienced.
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A place to become better equipped to serve the Church and the community.
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A place where, within moral and civil guidelines, free thought, free speaking, and the spiritual growth of man can grow into its fullest potential.
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A place to be part of an organization that has for its principal tenets – Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.
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A place you can go to seek support as well as give it.
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A place to spend time with a group of brothers, who, by acting as good men, make me want to become a better man. Not better than others, but better than I would have otherwise been.
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A place to meet with established members of the community and to become a part of the community.
PETITIONING TO BECOME A MASON
There is one little-known aspect of petitioning for membership of which you should be aware. You will not be asked to become a member. Masons in Maryland do not solicit for membership; we wait for the man to ask for a petition.
Joining a Masonic Lodge is fairly simple, but there are some requirements to meet.
A Mason must be a man, masonry being a fraternal organization. There are Masonic-affiliated groups, such as The Order of the Eastern Star, which are for women members.
A Mason must be of sound mind and body, which does not mean that you cannot be physically handicapped; many Masons are.
A Mason must believe in God; the tenets of Freemasonry are derived from a belief in the supreme being, and our goals are derived from the teachings of the same.
A Mason must be 18 years old; this is the minimum age requirement in the State of Maryland.
You should be someone who does, or wants to learn to enjoy the company of other men from all different social classes, faiths, backgrounds, races, countries, etc. Masonry is universal in its ideals.
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If you are a family man, Masonry considers that your family obligations come FIRST, so you must be sure that:
1. You have the time to participate (usually two or three evenings per month at first for meetings and instruction, and then at least two evenings per month for meetings from then on, often more if you get involved in lodge activities.)
2. You can afford the initiation fee without hardship to yourself or your family. The initiation fee is $226 and includes your first year's dues. Once you have received your Master’s Degree, the Lodge will present you with the current year's dues card. (Dues are currently $52.50 per year.
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If these requirements are met, one additional requirement is needed to join the Masonic organization. The man wishing to become a Mason must seek out his local Masonic Lodge, through its members, and request to join. Masonry does not ask men to join, but wants its members to be serious about their commitments and to exercise their free will in deciding to join the Masons.