Lodge Secretary
The officer who keeps the Lodge's records, minutes and membership roll, collects its dues, handles its correspondence, and is the first person to ask about almost anything, including how to join.
Also searched as: masonic secretary · lodge secretary duties
- Station
- In the East, to the Master's left, in the common American arrangement.
- Jewel
- Crossed pens (quills).
- How chosen
- Elected in most American Lodges; appointed by the Master in England. Like the Treasurer, a Secretary is often re-elected for many years.
The office
The Secretary records the proceedings of every meeting, keeps the roll of members, sends notices and summonses, collects dues and passes the money to the Treasurer, and corresponds with the Grand Lodge on the Lodge's behalf. In practice he knows more about the Lodge than anyone else in it.
That is why every guide on this site keeps saying "ask your Lodge Secretary." Customs differ between Grand Lodges on aprons, gloves, dress, ages and much else, and the Secretary is the person who knows what applies in his Lodge. If you want to join, write to him.
Secretaries tend to serve a long time, and many Lodges recognize a long-serving Secretary with an honor of their own when he steps down.
The emblems: Lodge Officers' Jewels.
Buying for him
A Secretary is the officer most often thanked with a personal gift: a good pen, a leather folio, or a book on the Lodge's history. Nothing about those implies an office he does not hold.
Read next: How to Join a Masonic Lodge
Frequently asked questions
What does the Lodge Secretary do in a Masonic Lodge?
The officer who keeps the Lodge's records, minutes and membership roll, collects its dues, handles its correspondence, and is the first person to ask about almost anything, including how to join.
How is the Lodge Secretary chosen?
Elected in most American Lodges; appointed by the Master in England. Like the Treasurer, a Secretary is often re-elected for many years.
What is the Lodge Secretary's jewel?
Crossed pens (quills).
What does Sec. stand for in Freemasonry?
Sec. is the abbreviation for Lodge Secretary. The officer who keeps the Lodge's records, minutes and membership roll, collects its dues, handles its correspondence, and is the first person to ask about almost anything, including how to join.
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 Maine, Membership card background information
- United Grand Lodge of England, What is a Lodge and its officers?
- Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry (1873)