The charitable aspect of Freemasonry has been given a respectable airing in the media. Even newspapers perennially suspicious of Freemasonry have praised us for the work we have carried out in the community to relieve distress. We are justifiably proud of the way that the Brethren of Shropshire have emptied their pockets and given up their time to assist the victims of illness, isolation and indigence but we mustn’t let the general public think that this is all that Freemasonry is about.

The three pillars of Freemasonry are introduced to a Brother soon after his initiation. They will be designated, ‘Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth’ and are variously illustrated as Fellowship, Integrity and Compassion, Wisdom, Strength and Beauty, even, Faith, Hope and Charity. We are right to tell a potential Candidate that as a Mason he will benefit from the Fellowship of the Festive Board or that he will have the opportunity to help those less fortunate than themselves. The vaguer stuff we often either omit altogether or gloss over as ‘self- improvement.’

The three pillars of Freemasonry actually support a structure, the structure of the metaphorical temple that it is possible to build in the heart of every man and woman. This is precisely what our ritual teaches us; that whatever your colour, creed, class or educational background, Freemasonry will give you the tools to develop your understanding of our common humanity, the duties we owe to each other, of respect; of forgiveness, of understanding, of compassion and of benevolence. When we hurt another person, we hurt ourselves.

What we have achieved within the wider community has been phenomenal. To have presented the MCF with over £1.2m and distributed over £120,000 to Shropshire charities during the pandemic made us all feel justifiably proud. Since the pandemic we have been delighted to welcome a record number of new members to Freemasonry in Shropshire.

Roger

Provincial Grand Master for Shropshire

Grand Superintendent of the Royal Arch Province of Shropshire.

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