Visiting Lodges in Europe

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Visiting Lodges in Europe

Postby EJB » Tue Oct 04, 2022 10:49 pm

Good evening Brethren,
Has any brother visited a lodge in Europe, specifically Holland, Belgium or France? I'm planning a motorbike tour and would really appreciate some advice.
Thanks in advance
Eric
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Re: Visiting Lodges in Europe

Postby seekeroftruth » Thu Oct 13, 2022 5:04 pm

Hi Eric,
Once you have your dates, contact your lodge Sec. and ask him to notify UGLE that you wish to visit a lodge. He should know the procedure. Grand Lodge will then get in touch with the respective Grand Lodges of the countries you intend to visit and at some point you will get back information. (Don't leave it till the last minute with your request, no-one likes to have to rush a request and then rush back a reply).
Once you have the information they give you (it can be a telephone number/email address) make contact, again as early as possible, to find out if there is a meeting on the date you will be in a specific location (assuming there is a lodge there or nearby) and ask whether they require masks to be worn or not.
Also in your case, as you are traveling by motorbike, and might not have space for your apron, ask if they can lend you one for the evening, if that is the case.
Don't forget to take your Masonic certificate and/or a current dues card. (even though, via the contact between Grand Lodges you are "known" it is still down to each individual lodge to ask to see this paperwork or not.

Expect also to be tested, so freshen up on your ritual. Again from my own experience this can consist of a few simple questions relating to the 1st degree or all 3 degrees. Depends on the br.: who is tasked to test visitors. One piece of advice: always ask, at the time you are to be tested, what rituals are used in the lodge. If you visit a lodge that works Emulation, then will be no differences. If you visit a lodge that practices another ritual, then simply say that you will answer all questions based on the ritual practiced in your mother lodge. That will immediately indicate to the br.: that there might be answers that will not sound right to him, but are the correct ones for you.

If there is a FB at the end of the meeting, and you are invited to join, always indicate that you wish to pay for the meal. You most probably will be invited, but it is good manners to show that you are willing to pay your share. Same thing applies if there is a bar with drinks. Keep in mind that when you visit a lodge, while you are there as an individual br.:, at the same time, you are a member of your specific lodge and of the jurisdiction you come from and any impression you give, reflects your lodge and your jurisdiction.

Finally, make sure before you enter the Temple, to have a few €s in your pocket for the charity steward. It simplifies life a lot. No need to take out your wallet and look for the money in the lodge while the meeting is going on.

Hope this helps

S&F
Seekeroftruth

PS: The Grand East of the Netherlands has a website with all their lodges. Some of them have weblinks so you could contact them directly to find out about dates (if the dates are not online), but you would be told make proper contact via UGLE first. Also, if you want to visit Scottish lodges, the GL of Scotland has two English speaking lodges in Belgium, Antwerp and Brussels. So technically, you could visit lodges in 4 jurisdictions by visiting 3 countries!!
"Die Freimaurerei war immer"
G. E. Lessing

"No one possesses the Truth; We all seek it"
K. T. Jaspers
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