# Mass Conferring vs. Individual/small groups



## SeeKer.mm (Nov 12, 2012)

What are the advantages and or disadvantages of conferring degree en masse vs. individually or in small groups?


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## MajaOES (Nov 12, 2012)

Some of the disadvantages I guess depend on the size of the lodge room.  The larger the mass groups receiving a degree the less room you have to do the walking around. In our lodge room for OES, we have done a group of five, the ceremony just takes longer because you are having to ensure everyone is lined up before an officer can say their part.  I am finding that the smaller the group, the more fluidity the ceremony has and the stronger the impact the candidate will have through the degree.  In Amaranth, I had an individual that was also initiated with me, it was nice having another person to walk with through the experience, however, any more than two would have been difficult to manage in the lodge room.  I guess it depends on the purpose of the mass initiation of candidates or not.  I find the more officers have to perform the initiation, the more they feel comfortable saying their parts which eventually leads to the officers knowing their work without their books.  When officers can say parts without their books it makes the ceremony that much more impressive.


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## Frater Cliff Porter (Nov 13, 2012)

I think it is criminal to rob of a man of the initiatic experience in an initiatic society.  Mass and group "classes" prove only that some men just don't get it and won't.


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## widows son (Nov 13, 2012)

I think it should be individual. Receiving any degree is a special event for the mason, and since masonry is about the personal experience one has, I think it should stay individual.


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## Ratchet (Nov 14, 2012)

I prefer conferring degrees individually on the candidates. It takes away from the one on one experience & uniqueness in my opinion. In the Royal Arch Degree you do need 3 candidates, so there can be exceptions.


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## rpbrown (Nov 15, 2012)

widows son said:


> I think it should be individual. Receiving any degree is a special event for the mason, and since masonry is about the personal experience one has, I think it should stay individual.



I agree. Each of my degrees were special to me and I feel that the meaning of each would have been "watered down" had they been in mass. 


We will sometimes do 2 degrees in 1 day but they are seperate and individual.


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## steveforster32 (Nov 16, 2012)

I took my blue lodge degrees with my best friend. Our first section was deprecate then we were both n there together for explanatory it was cool to do that part with him but the first section I was glad were separate


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## Bro_Vick (Nov 18, 2012)

Individually as much as possible, but sometimes larger groups are necessary sometimes.  It is fool hardy to believe otherwise, also being initiated with close friends can be just as powerful.

Lodges sometimes have to do 3 or 4 men at one time for timing reasons, I will not begrudge them for that.

S&F,
-Bro Vick


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## JJones (Nov 18, 2012)

> Lodges sometimes have to do 3 or 4 men at one time for timing reasons, I will not begrudge them for that.



Do you mean in a single day or at once?  Also, what timing reasons could possibly call for that?


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## scialytic (Nov 18, 2012)

I saw that at the PHA Communication there were 83 Brothers Raised. Sounds cumbersome, but I wonder if there is something positive in that. The individual experience is definitely the way I'm going (_*I *_wouldn't have it any other way), but there must be a reason some are planning and executing them that way...at least I assume it has more reason to it than 83 x degree price.


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## Bro_Vick (Nov 18, 2012)

JJones said:


> Do you mean in a single day or at once?  Also, what timing reasons could possibly call for that?



3 or 4 men for a single degree, no I was not referring to one-day classes.  Timing reasons are plentiful, mostly because of courtesy work, and getting outside help.  There were three men that went through the Masters Degree at Cotulla Lodge #892 this past August for that exact same reason.

The question was not in reference to one-day classes, which I am not completely opposed to (I know, I am a horrible Mason).

S&F,
-Bro Vick


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## scialytic (Nov 18, 2012)

Bro_Vick said:


> 3 or 4 men for a single degree [...] There were three men that went through the Masters Degree at Cotulla Lodge #892 this past August for that exact same reason.
> 
> S&F,
> -Bro Vick



At the same time (concurrently) or consecutively? I thought I read an article in MWGLoT Law specifically forbading conferring a degree with more than one candidate. Dispensation? Or 3 degrees back-to-back with any lecture or other work together, after all were raised?


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## Bro_Vick (Nov 18, 2012)

scialytic said:


> At the same time (concurrently) or consecutively? I though I read an article in MWGLoT Law specifically forbading conferring a degree with more than one candidate. Dispensation? Or 3 degrees back-to-back with any lecture or other work together, after all were raised? (I'm still ignorant to the details...which shall be remedied in a few weeks.)



Again, I am sorry for the confusion, my wife keeps talking to me every time I post. 

 Consecutively for the first and second part, lecture is done as a group.

S&F,
-Bro Vick


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## scialytic (Nov 18, 2012)

No problem. Yeah it's *Article 431, Degree Conferred on Only One Candidate at a Time.* The lectures can be done as a group. i guess that mass-conferral is only a legitimate option for PHA in Texas...


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