Thursday, October 8, 2009

WB Ed Halpaus' "Qualifications to Be a Freemason"

Worshipful Brother Ed Halpaus, the Grand Lodge Education Officer for the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, A.F. & A.M., has recently posted a very thought-provoking video on Youtube on the qualifications of a candidate for the degrees of Freemasonry. This video doesn't merely focus on the simple qualifications such as being a man of good moral character and of a lawful age. He uses talking points from Mackey to focus on both the internal and external qualifications of a man who should consider Masonry as a way of life. Please share this video among your brothers and friends.

3 comments:

The Palmetto Mason said...

His comments concerning the mental qualifications are good and are something that I am afraid is not always emphasized enough.

Bruce said...

Hello,
Thank you for this forum on the millennial generation of Freemasons. I appreciate the intent of this video, but I feel it is quite flawed. As a video designed to educate non-masons interested in masonry, the whole first 1:50 seconds of this video seems extraneous, and focused only on details important to current masons. It seems important to discuss this on a blog called The Millennial Freemason, since it pertains to the appropriate use of new media. As a young person of the millennial generation currently petitioning a lodge, I am drawn to freemasonry; though I have found this draw to be in spite of its presentation in educational/marketing materials. Any thoughts?

Respectfully,
Bruce H.

Millennial Freemason said...

Bruce,

Thanks for the notice of my site. I think we've really seen a change as many more young brothers seek out Masonry.

I would look at this video as a mixture of both the internal and external process of petitioning. You'll notice that Masonry focuses on the the inside and outside, the internal and the external. The best content for potential Masons that I have found was created by Brother Greg Stewart entitled "What is Freemasonry" or the book, "Freemasons for Dummies." After becoming a Freemason, I find that "The Complete Idiot's Guide for Freemasonry" is a great resource. Thankfully, I know that it's baby steps, but we're really getting close to moving ahead. My Lodge has a website, a Twitter account, @corinthian67, and some other a myspace page. All Masonry is local, so it's your Lodge that you must focus on to move them forward. Send me an email if you want to know what to expect and some advice.

Nick