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Pilgrim Fathers Lodge member Roy Hilton got involved in a Masonic marathon by not only travelling to the West Indies for a meeting, but finding when he got there that the festive board might go on until 4.30am!
He visited Conception Lodge 8346 of Grand Anse, at St. George in Grenada, where he saw a third degree ceremony, of which he said: “The ceremony performed by W Bro Taj Stewart and his officers was polished, and I witnessed no prompting of the WM and very little to anyone else.”
So far so good; but it was at the festive bard where things got a little different. Roy explained: “The meeting finished at around 10.30pm, after which about 30 of us sat down for the festive board of typical Caribbean delights – grilled fish, rice’n’peas, breadfruit, grilled chicken and not forgetting the hot pepper sauce!
“The toasts followed the normal format, save that I was toasting with a fully-charged glass (more like a bucket) of finest Grenadian 15-year-old rum. I was ill-prepared for the expectation that each visiting lodge would reply to the junior warden. This might be worth mentioning as when visiting a lodge; you may or may not be expected to make a response!
“After the festive board I enjoyed 90 minutes conversing with senior and junior brethren alike, all of whom were thrilled at my presence. Having spent a good 30 minutes alone chatting with the WM I learned the post festive board drinks were likely to go on for a number of hours – 4.30am was mentioned. By now it was 1am, so I decided that although I would have liked to stay, my head, liver, kidneys, and countless other body parts would thank me for leaving.”
Roy, whose Freemasonry happens in Boston, clearly enjoyed his visit, and recommends visiting foreign lodges should the opportunity arise. (But before you go, you’ll need to check with your Lodge secretary, who’ll confirm that you’re proposing to visit a lodge in a recognised constitution).
