Rtn Peter Kemp: The secret society that is not secret.

Our speaker today was our own member and Past President Peter Kemp. As our members know, Peter is a Freemason as well as a Rotarian. Masonry has a similar ethos to Rotary, except that to be a Mason one must be male and prepared to acknowledge a higher force, however that may be envisaged. From what Peter told us, it is also more expensive than Rotary due to the charitable donations members are expected to make.

Peter outlined his Masonic journey. He joined the Springfield Lodge and was inducted successively into the first three degrees: as an apprentice, then as a journeyman and then as a Master Mason. He denied that the phrase “the third degrees” has anything to do with these first three degrees in Masonry. That is a popular myth.

He filled a succession of offices in the Lodge before serving as a year as Master. One of the offices is that of Tyler. It is the Tyler’s task sit outside the meeting to stop any strangers entering.

Peter showed us some of this Masonic aprons and his Masonic collar. (See the photograph.) There are a number of orders within Masonry. Peter is a member of an additional two, one of them specifically Christian. There is a practical limit on the number of orders any individual can join. Each order has its own ceremonies, which have to be performed from memory. Each order also has its own regalia.

The Springfield Lodge meets on Tuesday evenings as the Chelmsford Masonic Hall, next to the County Hall. Lodge meetings are followed by dinner in the hotel.