# Passed to Fellowcraft



## Mike Mendelson (Sep 11, 2021)

Passed to Fellowcraft last night along with my lodge brother (we were initiated together) and four brothers from a neighboring lodge.  Great experience and the journey continues.  I'm looking forward to the next phase of study.  Be well and stay safe!


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## Winter (Sep 11, 2021)

Congratulations Brother.  FC has always been my favorite degree.  It has, in my opinion, the deepest symbolism and opportunities to study and learn.  Likely because until relatively recently, it was the highest degree a Brother attained with the MM and all the appendant degrees being added later.


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## Mike Mendelson (Sep 14, 2021)

Thanks for the advice.  I have been thinking about the seven liberal arts.  Good news is that we will have a speaker on this very subject at our next lodge meeting!


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## Thomas Stright (Sep 30, 2021)

Mike Mendelson said:


> Passed to Fellowcraft last night along with my lodge brother (we were initiated together) and four brothers from a neighboring lodge.  Great experience and the journey continues.  I'm looking forward to the next phase of study.  Be well and stay safe!



6 degrees in one night....impressive


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## Brother_Steve (Oct 4, 2021)

Thomas Stright said:


> 6 degrees in one night....impressive


Did you mean 6 candidates?

We would need dispensation to do more than 5 and the GM here will not grant it. We'd have to split up them up into two degrees to get 6 guys done.


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## Mike Mendelson (Oct 4, 2021)

Yes.  Six candidates.  Two of us did our catechism (the other four had done theirs at their home lodge), then we had two groups for the degree work.  It was a long but fantastic night!


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## Blake Bowden (Oct 7, 2021)

Congrats!


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## Thomas Stright (Oct 7, 2021)

Mike Mendelson said:


> Yes. Six candidates. Two of us did our catechism (the other four had done theirs at their home lodge), then we had two groups for the degree work. It was a long but fantastic night!



Sounds Rushed…2 degrees in one evening is almost too much.


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## Winter (Oct 7, 2021)

Thomas Stright said:


> Sounds Rushed…2 degrees in one evening is almost too much.


My Emulation Lodge never does more than one degree for one person at a meeting. Make the night about that Brother. 

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk


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## Osueke Israel Enyereibe (Oct 11, 2021)

congratulations Brother


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## Keith C (Oct 14, 2021)

Congratulations.

We will do up to 3 degree conferrals in a single evening, for the first 2 Candidates we skip the majority of the recapitulation and lecture at the Altar after the Oath and Obligation, then they stand behind the last candidate while he is at the Alter to hear what was left out.  After the last candidate is brought back in, all 3 are brought to the East for the investiture of the apron and Working Tools lecture as well as the Charge.

This might seem odd to the rest of you, but it works for us with the Ancient Ritual used in PA.  Any more than 3 would be too many as we only save about 35 minutes by combining these elements.


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## Thomas Stright (Oct 14, 2021)

Degrees should not be shared or combined IMHO. The degree is about the candidate or brother. 

When you combine the degrees, do they still pay the full degree fee??


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## Glen Cook (Oct 14, 2021)

Thomas Stright said:


> Degrees should not be shared or combined IMHO. The degree is about the candidate or brother.
> 
> When you combine the degrees, do they still pay the full degree fee??


In some jurisdictions where a group go through the degrees together (sometimes called a cable tow), an increased fellowship among the brethren of the class is often reported.  We also see this in AASR classes when they spend three days together (I realize some valleys only do the mandatory degrees). 

In some ceremonies, only the lecture of the degree is shared.

Not all jurisdictions charge a separate fee per degree. In my jurisdiction which does do joint degrees, the full fee must be paid.


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## Nickel City Dude (Jan 9, 2022)

Keith C said:


> Congratulations.
> 
> We will do up to 3 degree conferrals in a single evening, for the first 2 Candidates we skip the majority of the recapitulation and lecture at the Altar after the Oath and Obligation, then they stand behind the last candidate while he is at the Alter to hear what was left out.  After the last candidate is brought back in, all 3 are brought to the East for the investiture of the apron and Working Tools lecture as well as the Charge.
> 
> This might seem odd to the rest of you, but it works for us with the Ancient Ritual used in PA.  Any more than 3 would be too many as we only save about 35 minutes by combining these elements.


Many years ago I want to a Civil War reenactment in Gettysburg and got an opportunity to attend a lodge meeting there.  They did a 2nd Degree and had 2 candidates.  It was a long night.  Here in NY we can put up to 5 candidates threw at the same time and if we can get dispensation we can do more.  A long night is not always welcomed by the candidates or the lodge brothers.


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## Brother_Steve (Jan 15, 2022)

Nickel City Dude said:


> Many years ago I want to a Civil War reenactment in Gettysburg and got an opportunity to attend a lodge meeting there.  They did a 2nd Degree and had 2 candidates.  It was a long night.  Here in NY we can put up to 5 candidates threw at the same time and if we can get dispensation we can do more.  A long night is not always welcomed by the candidates or the lodge brothers.


Interesting. The FC degree is the only degree where we bring everyone out at the same time for first and second section in NJ. Our fc degree runs just the same if we have 1 or 5 guys being passed.


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## Keith C (Jan 15, 2022)

Brother_Steve said:


> Interesting. The FC degree is the only degree where we bring everyone out at the same time for first and second section in NJ. Our fc degree runs just the same if we have 1 or 5 guys being passed.


Well, if you are in New Jersey you can't be TOO far from PA.  C'Mon over and witness some Degrees over here in Penn's Woods, it will be interesting, no doubt!


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## Nickel City Dude (Jan 15, 2022)

Many years ago I went to GA and attended a Lodge there that was doing a 1st Degree.  My father and I arrived at the Lodge building in our coat and tie But were unsure if we were in the right place.  I asked one of the men standing around if they were having a 1st Degree tonight and he said yes.  I then asked where the Master was. He said see that man over there in the overalls, that's him.  Coming from NY where we always do Degrees in tuxedos I was kinda surprised.  Turns out this was a country Lodge and they did things a little differently than we do in NY.  Everyone was very friendly and once we worked our way in we felt very much at home.  It was interesting to note that at each of the stations there was an ashtray and bottle holder.  I did have a little trouble following the dialog in the degree because of the heavy southern accents but because I knew what they were suppose to be saying I was able to follow along with out too much trouble.    After the meeting we had refreshment and some good fellowship and an interesting exchange of the similarities and differences in our Degrees.  I always enjoy visiting other jurisdictions when ever possible.  A visit to a Canadian Lodge is always a treat and since I am in Western NY I use to get over there frequently but since Covid hit it has not been possible to do a visit.  Just passing along some experiences that I felt you might like to hear.


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## Glen Cook (Jan 15, 2022)

The bit you saw is typical, and I would ask as the disclosure effects the experience for others. As a guest, we should be particularly careful in disclosing the proceedings of other lodges.  That is one reason guests are sometimes declined.


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## Nickel City Dude (Jan 15, 2022)

As per your wise counsel I have edited my post and deleted the reference.


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## Glen Cook (Jan 15, 2022)

Nickel City Dude said:


> As per your wise counsel I have edited my post and deleted the reference.


Thanks.


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## usar123 (Feb 25, 2022)

Mike Mendelson said:


> Passed to Fellowcraft last night along with my lodge brother (we were initiated together) and four brothers from a neighboring lodge.  Great experience and the journey continues.  I'm looking forward to the next phase of study.  Be well and stay safe!


Congrats ! I always loved the FC degree !


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## flipster (Feb 28, 2022)

We usually have one or two practices for degree work.  It has been a great assist to flow of the work.


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## Glen Cook (Mar 1, 2022)

flipster said:


> We usually have one or two practices for degree work.  It has been a great assist to flow of the work.


All of my lodges have rehearsals.


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## flipster (Mar 2, 2022)

During past years, only a few would join the practice.  It's difficult to practice with several missing.  Not so now.  All showed and participated.  It made the work nearly seamless start to finish.  We have an EA in 3 weeks, and 2 MM in 4 weeks.  The guys are getting some good work outs.


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## Keith C (Mar 3, 2022)

We have a District School of Instruction each month as well as an evening at our Lodge where the Masonic Education Team works with Candidates in our ocial Hall and the rest of the Officers and other interested Brothers have Ritual Practice in the Lodge Room.

If we have a Degree coming up (Our Education / Practice night is a week before our typical Extra Meeting Night) then we will work on the Degree to be confered.  If we do not have a Degree we will work on various aspects of Lodge Work such as Visitor Examination, Balloting, Election Balloting, Memorial Servce, Funeral Service, etc that Brothers moving through the Charis or desireing to meove through the chasirs can become proficient.

This Month I am confering 2 FC Degrees on the 23rd so that is what we will go over on the 16th.


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## flipster (Mar 8, 2022)

I was surprised to have a message for two young men who want to discuss Masonry.  They are both the grand children of Masons elsewhere.  Oddly, one said he didn't know any Masons.  I said I knew him, and I would be his grand dad would be doing cart wheels if he were to join.


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## usar123 (Mar 10, 2022)

This 


flipster said:


> During past years, only a few would join the practice.  It's difficult to practice with several missing.  Not so now.  All showed and participated.  It made the work nearly seamless start to finish.  We have an EA in 3 weeks, and 2 MM in 4 weeks.  The guys are getting some good work outs.


This is so true ! It’s so hard when you have missing pieces in degree work !


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## mydriasis (Jun 20, 2022)

Awesome! Congratulations!


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