Ritual Updates

Freemasonry Today

Ritual defines who we are as a fraternity.

This year, several important adjustments are being implemented to preserve the dignity of our work and strengthen the experience of every candidate. The requirement to confer the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft degrees consecutively on the same day has been rescinded. While one-day classes and simultaneous or consecutive degrees may still be permitted by dispensation, no candidate should feel compelled into that format. The candidate experience remains the most important consideration.

Updates for 2026

  • Installation of officers in an open Master Masons Lodge will require the officer being installed to recite his obligation, and the order of installations now starts with Secretary and ends with Worshipful Master. Open-to-public installations of officers remain optional with proper dispensation. Officer advancement requirements continue as defined by Masonic law.
  • The requirement for open-to-public installations is rescinded. It is available as an option with proper dispensation and assurance that every officer is well trained and capable of performing the work suitably for public display.
  • Lodges will use the long form for opening and closing at all Stated Meetings; the short form may be used at extra meetings. Stated Meeting charges and prayers are to be delivered from memory.
  • Balloting will continue to be conducted by ballot box, with multiple balloting permitted when appropriate. We have returned to the timeless tradition of requiring only one black ball to reject a candidate. The use of a black ball should be an absolute last resort. Any candidate who is in question should be discussed first with the Committee of Inquiry and then escalated to the Worshipful Master and the District Deputy Grand Master, if necessary. The petition will be recalled if sufficient evidence exists to warrant such action. Members are reminded that the use of a black ball to gratify personal malice, spite, revenge, some private animosity or unkindness is unMasonic behavior and subject to Masonic discipline. It is not funny, and it will not be tolerated.
  • The lodges now have a method for receiving a Right Worshipful officer visiting a lodge. Receiving the District Deputy Grand Master with officers of the district has been adjusted.
  • Service Emblem presentations, including 50-year emblems, are to be conducted with appropriate distinction and memory work.
  • In rare circumstances where degree work occurs on a Stated Meeting night, prior approval is required, and the evening must still include a program or social component.
  • An updated ritual manual will be released in the upcoming months.

Regional Schools of Instruction

The following efforts are intended to promote clarity, proficiency and uniformity throughout the jurisdiction:

  • Due to adjustments in ritualistic work, both Spring and Fall Regional Schools will be conducted in 2026. All officers and brethren learning the ritual work are strongly encouraged to attend both sessions in their area.
  • Spring schools will cover Business of the Lodge, First Degree and Second Degree.
  • Fall Schools will focus on the Third Degree and Election & Installation, coordinated with officer training schedules.
  • Regional Instructors and Principals will be on the floor exemplifying and explaining the work.
  • To improve the quality of our ritual instruction, dedicated development sessions for Principals, Vice Principals and Senior Instructors are planned for 2026.
  • Additional training will address one-day classes and simultaneous degrees to ensure consistency and preserve the candidate experience.