A unique occasion with the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master acting as Candidate
On Tuesday 20th May, The Lodge of Dawn 6511 held their annual Junior Master’s Night at Castle Grove Masonic Hall. As one of the highlights in our Masonic Year, this year’s ceremony was quite remarkable.
Junior Master’s Night enables our more ‘junior brethren’ to become more actively involved in ritual, and to show the more senior members that there is much eagerness, knowledge and performance awaiting. And with all Officers in dinner suits and black/bow tie, the scene was set for an enjoyable First Degree ceremony.
We had 27 visitors from 18 different lodges, in addition to the 44 members from The Lodge of Dawn. A wonderful number to set the scene for what was to be a significant evening for all brethren.
At 6.00 pm prompt, our Candidate, who reassured us he was of mature age, divested of all metals and of good character was ready to be admitted. Notably, our guest Candidate for the evening demanded to be admitted, raising a mild chuckle from all brethren present. The atmosphere and anticipation was palpable.
Mr James Henry Newman entered the temple properly prepared to be made a Mason.
At his own request he entered hoodwinked, something that he insisted upon, and made reference to later in his response to the toast at the festive board.
A worthy Candidate, he enthusiastically proceeded to accept all instructions, and the First Degree ceremony was duly delivered under the direction of the Junior Master, Brother Eóin Byrne.
Once the ceremony was complete, he took his place at his usual position as Provincial Grand Master. “A worthy Candidate with much promise” he said when addressing our Junior Master.
Along with the privilege of having the Provincial Grand Master with us as the Candidate, it is important to note that it was a real pleasure to see Bro. Bryne deliver a stellar performance for this special evening. As an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly brother, a member of the Lodge of Dawn for only four years, heavily involved in the Leeds Light Blues, Eóin clearly demonstrates his future potential in Freemasonry.
Bro. Eóin, in his welcoming words at the festive board said “Junior Master’s Night is always a highlight of The Lodge of Dawn’s calendar and it’s a genuine privilege to be Master of the Junior Lodge of Instruction, and that my name will be listed alongside some absolute titans of Freemasonry in this Lodge, this Province and beyond. I’m honoured to be here tonight in this role, and I hope I’m not speaking out of turn to say that the entire Junior team is so pleased you’ve been able to share this evening with us.”
He continued, “When Lodge Preceptor W Bro. David Myers suggested he would ask the Provincial Grand Master if he would act as Candidate, we assumed that he was joking, or at the very least that you would assume he was joking. So thank you for being such a good sport and for making this a night that I’m sure none of us will forget in a hurry.”
Indeed, all the brethren who took part in the ceremony were excellent. The practice, effort and delivery of all brethren were appreciated and commended by all present.
In the Temple, a cheque for £1,000 in aid of the 2028 Festival was presented to the Provincial Grand Master by our Charity Steward and Worshipful Master.
The Festive Board took place at Dastaan Indian restaurant on Otley Road. The welcome, food, service and atmosphere were superb. With 8 bottles of wine, whisky and rum as prizes, we had a busy raffle, which raised the sum of £420.00, which our Junior Master decided would be donated to the Leeds Women’s Aid Charity – https://leedswomensaid.co.uk
The Leeds Light Blues also presented the PGM with a donation of £200 at the Festive Board towards the 2028 Festival.
In his response to the toast to him, the RW Provincial Grand Master remarked that it was a memorable experience being blindfolded once again after so many years, suggesting that there are probably many senior Masons who would benefit from being reminded of how the disorientating experience feels to a new Mason.
So, there you have it. A remarkable and probably never to be repeated Junior Master’s Night.
The selection of photographs below simply demonstrate the atmosphere of the evening and are testament to a night many of us will remember for a very long time.
If you are not a Freemason and, having read the above, would like to find out more, read our Seven Reason to Join The Freemasons, our guide on ‘How to join The Freemasons‘ or our simple ‘What is Freemasonry?’ page.
And if you would like to join The Lodge of Dawn in Leeds, please feel free to get in touch via our ‘Contact Us’ page.