Senior Warden
The second of the three principal officers, who sits in the West, assists the Master in governing the Lodge and, in most jurisdictions, presides when the Master is absent.
Also searched as: first warden · senior warden duties
- Station
- The West.
- Jewel
- The level.
- How chosen
- Elected in most American jurisdictions. In England the Master appoints both Wardens. Under either system the Senior Warden is usually the next in line for the chair, though nothing guarantees it.
The office
The Senior Warden is the Master's principal deputy. He helps govern the Lodge, takes a fixed part in opening and closing it, and under most constitutions presides as acting Master if the Master cannot attend.
His jewel is the level, the working tool that teaches equality: whatever offices men hold in the Lodge, they meet on the level as Masons.
In most American Lodges the Senior Warden is expected to be elected Master the following year. That progression is a custom, not a law. Lodges elect, and an election can go another way.
The emblems: the Level, Lodge Officers' Jewels.
Buying for him
A Senior Warden is a year away from the East and is often learning a great deal of ritual. A good monitor for his jurisdiction (ask the Secretary which) is the useful gift.
Read next: The Three Degrees of Blue Lodge Masonry
Frequently asked questions
What does the Senior Warden do in a Masonic Lodge?
The second of the three principal officers, who sits in the West, assists the Master in governing the Lodge and, in most jurisdictions, presides when the Master is absent.
How is the Senior Warden chosen?
Elected in most American jurisdictions. In England the Master appoints both Wardens. Under either system the Senior Warden is usually the next in line for the chair, though nothing guarantees it.
What is the Senior Warden's jewel?
The level.
What does S.W. stand for in Freemasonry?
S.W. is the abbreviation for Senior Warden. The second of the three principal officers, who sits in the West, assists the Master in governing the Lodge and, in most jurisdictions, presides when the Master is absent.
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?
- Thomas Smith Webb, The Freemason's Monitor; or, Illustrations of Masonry (1797)
- Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry (1873)