Matt’s blog
After missing several lodge meetings this year I was glad to be able to attend the meeting in March even if, due to University, I was late!
Arriving at the lodge I met the members who had not yet reached the third degree, they had to sit out whilst a 3rd degree ceremony was taking place. Instead of disturbing the ceremony I decided to sit out with them to get to know them.
Matt enjoying a night out with Ben.
A more senior member, Mike Jones, was giving them a talk on the symbolism which they had encountered in the first degree and explaining some of the themes, I found this extremely interesting. I was also able to talk about my experiences and explain to them that understanding would come with time. Whilst I was sat there listening to Mike, I realised that there were ten to fifteen people I couldn’t recall seeing before. This got me thinking about the lodge and how it has changed.
When I joined the University of Liverpool lodge, new members were few and far between, whilst I have been in the lodge it has joined the university scheme – a group of lodges which encourages undergraduates to become Masons. I have been able to see the lodge transform into something new. It has been an interesting thing to witness and it certainly has been something which has enriched my experience at the lodge. The university scheme paves a future for Freemasonry and offers young people who are interested a path into the Craft.
As part of the University scheme we are looking for new ways to attract members. Soon production of a new poster outside the Masonic Hall on Hope Street will begin to attract more graduates and undergraduates of the University, I have been asked to post a request on this blog for any ideas for a new slogan to feature on the poster. A bottle of champagne will be awarded to the best suggestion, if you have any ideas email me at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
Earlier this month I received some good news, I got an offer from Liverpool to study my PhD here. Actually I received several offers from my interviews which was a real confidence boost but I chose to study at Liverpool as, weighing everything up, it is the best (if not the most exciting) choice for me.
This means I will regularly be in the lodge for at least another year; this is something I look forward to and it should be a very interesting time as the lodge grows even bigger in its transition into a University lodge. When next year is up I will be jetting out to live in Geneva (or nearby) as I go to work at CERN I hope that I will get to experience some Masonry whilst I am out there… it could make for an interesting blog entry!
As usual if you have any questions feel free to email me, and don’t forget about the competition!
