Pursuivant (Pennsylvania)
An officer found in Pennsylvania Lodges, and rarely in American Lodges elsewhere, who has a part in keeping the door and announcing and escorting those who seek admission.
Also searched as: masonic pursuivant · pennsylvania lodge officers
- How chosen
- Appointed. Pennsylvania's Lodge offices, their titles and their duties are governed by the Ahiman Rezon, the Grand Lodge's book of constitutions.
The office
A pursuivant was originally a junior officer of arms in a royal household: a herald's attendant who carried messages and made announcements. Masonic usage keeps the sense. The Pursuivant has a part at the door of the Lodge, announcing and escorting those who are admitted, work that in most American Lodges falls to the Junior Deacon and the Tyler.
Pennsylvania is distinctive in more than this one office. It works its own ritual rather than the Preston–Webb work most American Grand Lodges use, styles itself F.&A.M., and addresses its Grand Master as "Right Worshipful" where almost every other Grand Lodge says "Most Worshipful." A visitor from another state will notice differences in the officers' places and duties, and should simply follow the Lodge's lead.
For the exact list of officers in a Pennsylvania Lodge and what each does, the Ahiman Rezon and the Lodge Secretary are the authorities.
In context: Pennsylvania Freemasonry: What's Different Here
Frequently asked questions
What does the Pursuivant do in a Masonic Lodge?
An officer found in Pennsylvania Lodges, and rarely in American Lodges elsewhere, who has a part in keeping the door and announcing and escorting those who seek admission.
How is the Pursuivant chosen?
Appointed. Pennsylvania's Lodge offices, their titles and their duties are governed by the Ahiman Rezon, the Grand Lodge's book of constitutions.
What does Purs. stand for in Freemasonry?
Purs. is the abbreviation for Pursuivant. An officer found in Pennsylvania Lodges, and rarely in American Lodges elsewhere, who has a part in keeping the door and announcing and escorting those who seek admission.
Sources
Drawn from what Grand Lodges publish about their own officers, the published monitors and Mackey. Duties are described in plain words; nothing here comes from, or goes beyond, any obligated material. Offices, titles and duties vary by jurisdiction, and your Lodge Secretary is the authority for yours.
- Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania
- Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry (1873)
- Wikipedia, Masonic lodge officer