How do I become a mason?

Any man aged over 18 of good character, from any background and irrespective of age, race, or religion, may apply to become a mason and be welcomed in Ockenden Lodge.

If you’re interested, here are the steps to take and the things to bear in mind:

1. Use the contact form to email us.
2. We’ll get back to you and arrange an initial chat.
3. If you decide to take things further, you’ll be sent a questionnaire.
4. The next step will likely involve meeting some of us informally.
5. That may be followed by a slightly more formal interview with our General Purposes Committee.
6. Subsequently, someone in the Lodge will propose you in ‘open Lodge’– it might be our Membership Secretary. This proposal requires someone else to second you.
7. Finally, in one of our regular Lodge meetings, we’ll hold a secret ballot about your membership. Members are given a black and a white ball and invited to place one of these in the ballot box. If two black balls are found in the box after all votes have been cast, admission into our Lodge is denied. However, it’s very rare for this to happen.

What’s expected of me?

1. You’ll need to prove you’re over 18.
2. You’ll need to be a man of faith, interested in personal improvement and supporting our charitable aims.
3. You’ll need to be of ‘good character’ with no criminal convictions.
4. You’ll need to be able to afford the annual Lodge subscription (around £160 a year) and make regular contributions to charity without causing hardship or detriment to you or your family. There’s also a one-off joining fee for new members (Initiates) of around £70.00. Dining fees are currently around £30.00 per meal.
5. You’ll need to be prepared to commit time to attend our Lodge meetings (five a year, usually held at the Birch Hotel, Haywards Heath – in October, November, January, February and April), as well as attend regular rehearsals – or Lodges of Instruction – (two or three before every Lodge meeting), especially if you later accept a position as an Officer of the Lodge.
6. Finally, the support of your family is also important – once you really get into masonry it can eat up some of your free time.