Masonic
Funerals &
Memorials
THE BASICS, TIPS & SUGGESTIONS, PITFALLS TO AVOID
Where Do We Start?

You’re an elected Officer of your Lodge. You’ve just
gotten a call from the funeral home that a Brother of
your Lodge has passed to the Celestial Lodge
above. You have the name and phone number for
the Brother’s widow. Now what?

This call to a Lodge could be from a family member,
another Brother, a church or a funeral home, among
other places. Is your Lodge prepared to handle the
delicate intricacies of a funeral and honor that
Brother appropriately, even if he hasn’t been to
Lodge in 20 years?
From the Washington Masonic Code:

WMC 23.01 B.L. provides for basic guidelines for
services.

For example, a Masonic service may be requested
by a Brother or a near relative. It is a privilege, not a
right, and is for the Lodge or Master to determine.

Services may be held for EA’s & FC’s

A Lodge shall not attend clothed as Masons unless
requested by the family.

A Worshipful Master may designate any Master
Mason to perform the ritual in his stead.

Prior to the service, it is proper for a Lodge to open
on the Third Degree if a Lodge of Sorrow is not
already open for the year.
From the Standard Work:

The Standard Work calls for several different
versions of services, depending on the
circumstances. Review them, know them!

These include:

A short tiled Lodge service preceding a public
service

“House” or Church Service

Service at the Grave or Crematory

Service over Ashes of a Cremated Brother

An Optional Funeral Service

Memorial Service (when there is no funeral or
other service)
Let’s Start from the Beginning…

So, how does a Brother request a service for himself?

It is recommended that a Brother place a written
request with the Secretary of his Lodge

However, the most important step is to include your
wishes for a Masonic service with YOUR FAMILY,
whether it be in your last will & testament or some
other document. Specifically note how to reach your
Lodge and, as a backup, Grand Lodge.
What does my Family need to know?

Do they know where your Masonic apron and other
Masonic items of interest are?

Have you told them what you would like to
become of your rings, lapel pins, Masonic Bible,
Shriner’s Fez, Scottish Rite cap, etc.?

Whenever a widow calls and says she does not
know what to do with these items, she is usually
encouraged to keep them for a male relative,
maybe a grandson or nephew who has yet to turn
18 or register an interest in the Craft. At the very
least, the family should do what brings them
happiness, rather than simply turning over a box of
these items to a Brother’s home Lodge.
We got the call – now what?

So you’ve gotten the call that a Brother has passed
on. Now what?

If he is a member of your Lodge, this is your Lodge’s
responsibility to coordinate with the family for any
requested services.

Remember, non-Masons will have no idea what to
expect and they have just lost a family member.
They need your compassion, your understanding
and gentle answers to their questions. It is not
unheard of for a male family member to have
questions about Masonry after a service, with even
a request for a petition, in some cases.
We got the call – now what?
Do a little bit of due diligence to determine the
Lodge membership of the Brother. If he was a
member of a Lodge in another jurisdiction,
contact our Grand Lodge office. Just because
the Brother wasn’t a member of your Lodge
should not mean the caller is told that this is “not
your problem.”
 If the Brother was a sojourner, one of the most
loving things your Lodge can do is conduct a
service as if he were a member of your Lodge. He
was a Brother, after all.
 If the Brother is a member of a Lodge in WA not
your own, take down the family member’s
information and contact the appropriate Lodge
to hand off. Be sure to follow up with the caller so
they know who will be calling them next.

We’re going to do a service!

So you know your Lodge is doing a service.
Congratulations!

Here are some things to quickly determine:

When/where is the service?

Is there a religious or military service at the same
time?

Who is officiating any religious service?

Does the Lodge hall need to be reserved?

Does the family need assistance with set-up,
food, etc.?

Will this be a burial graveside? Over ashes in the
Lodge? With no remains at a church? These will
help determine which service you will provide.
What else do you need?

At the very least, have your Secretary prepare
several copies of a Masonic scroll. If you don’t
have a template, contact the Grand Secretary
or your DDGM.

If there’s a widow, be sure to have a Masonic
Widow’s Pin on hand.


There are two sizes available from Grand Lodge.
The larger is slightly more expensive but seems to
be preferred by many widows.
This pin generally comes with a beautiful write-up
and explanation, as well as a Widow’s card
(similar to a membership card). This can be read
formally at a service, privately one-on-one or just
handed with the pin. Circumstances will dictate.
Composition of the Funeral Team
Ideally, you will have at least a Master,
Chaplain and Bible Bearer (nonspeaking role).
 Hopefully, you can also have a full team
of officers in regalia, with rods, Marshal’s
baton, etc. The Standard Work provides
some suggestion as to formation when
processing to a graveside service or for
most of the services (forming a “V” with
the Master at the apex, in many cases).
 Consider wearing black or dark suits or
tuxedos when possible. White gloves are
always appropriate, if available. This is
quite impressive to non-Masons.
 If you have a full team and expect to
process as one unit, practice, practice,
practice!

Composition of the Funeral Team

Whether you have a seasoned Funeral/Memorial Team or
not, you can put on a distinguished and powerful celebration
of this Brother’s life.

Some tips:

If no Brother is available who knows the service parts by memory,
it can be read. This is most easily done with the use of a podium
and enlarged copies of the service with larger type. Regardless,
a well-rehearsed reading can be powerful, especially to those
non-Masons who have never heard or seen our ritual.

Can I have one Brother do the entire service, all parts? Sure! You
can have one do the parts for Master and Chaplain, if that’s all
you can provide on short notice.

What if we don’t have a full funeral team kit? Do the best you
can, even if you don’t have a fancy Bible Bearer kit, black crepe
or even a Master’s hat. If you conduct the service cleanly and
with distinction, that is what the family will remember.
Miscellaneous Tips

When interacting with clergy, funeral home staff
and families, remember that they are not familiar
with our ritual, our rules or the WMC.

From the Standard Work: “After the Masonic
Services have ended, there should be no further
service, except that there will be no objection to
pronouncement of a benediction by an ordained
Minister…” But if you arrange the Masonic service to
be last and then the family or clergy or anyone else
wants to have final words, are you going to stop
them? Are you going to stomp out? Probably not.
Remember, our rules are for Masons and guides for
others, not absolutes.

Performing the Masonic Funeral or Memorial service
is an honor and reflects upon you and your Lodge,
hopefully positively.
What if…?

What if the family can’t find the Brother’s white
apron? Or what if they want to keep it?


What if there is no body or remains present?


That’s OK! It’s handy to keep an extra white apron
available for such occasions, as a stand-in for the
part of the service which uses it as a symbol.
Although the Standard Work includes several lines of
ritual indicating that the remains are present, be
sensitive to the fact that the family knows there is no
body/ashes present. This may mean a slight
alteration to the verbiage. For example: “This
emblem [referring to the apron] I now place upon
the ashes of our Brother as a symbol…” Instead,
consider: “This emblem I now place as a symbol…”
What if a Brother requests a Masonic service but
the family overrules this desire?

That’s fine and their wish. To honor the Brother’s
request, consider a Memorial service at your next
Stated meeting.
We need more training!

So, whose responsibility is it to conduct Funerals and
Memorials? It is the Lodge’s responsibility, not that of
the Masonic Service Bureau, the Grand Lodge or your
DDGM. However, all of these can be resources for you.

If you don’t have a Masonic Funeral & Memorial Team,
why not? Talk to your Lodge, your DDGM and/or your
Lodge Officers and Members Association to get one
started!

Contact the Grand Secretary if you would like to
schedule additional training from the Research &
Education Committee in this important area of our
ritual and ceremonies.