Become a Mason

Stated Communication — Second Thursday · 7:00 PM │ Dinner at 6:00 PM · Guests Welcome

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world. It traces its origins to the medieval stonemasons' guilds of Europe — men whose craft required not only skill with stone but a code of conduct, a system of trust, and a way of recognizing a fellow craftsman anywhere in the world. Over centuries that operative tradition gave way to a speculative one, and Freemasonry became what it is today: a fraternity of men committed to self-improvement, brotherly bonds, and service to their communities.

It is not a religion, though it requires a belief in a Supreme Being. It is not a secret society, though it has private ceremonies. It is not a political organization, though its membership has included men who shaped the course of nations. What it is, at its core, is a system — a time-tested framework for making good men better.

Freemasonry came to Colorado with the first wave of settlers. Before Colorado was a state, before Denver was a city in any formal sense, Masons were meeting in tents and rough-hewn halls in the mining camps of the Rockies. The Grand Lodge of Colorado was formed in 1861, fifteen years before Colorado joined the Union. The Craft has been part of this state's story from the beginning.

It is worth addressing what Freemasonry is not, because a great deal has been written about it by people who have never been inside a lodge room.

Freemasonry is not a conspiracy. It is not a shadow government. It is not a path to power, wealth, or professional advantage. Any man who petitions a lodge expecting those things will be disappointed — and will likely not last long.

What it offers is less dramatic and more durable: genuine friendship with men of character, a tradition of ritual and symbolism that rewards serious reflection, and the quiet satisfaction of belonging to something larger than yourself that has been doing good work in the world for a very long time.

Freemasonry is not for every man, and the lodge does not pretend otherwise. There are a few things worth knowing before you consider petitioning.

• Freemasonry requires a belief in a Supreme Being. It does not specify the nature of that belief — men of many faiths have always been welcome — but it does require one.
• Freemasonry requires that you come of your own free will. No one can be recruited, pressured, or talked into it. The tradition holds that a man must seek the lodge; the lodge does not seek the man.
• Freemasonry requires a commitment of time. There are three degrees to receive, lodge meetings to attend, and Brothers to know. It is not a passive membership. The men who get the most from it are the ones who show up.

If you are a man of good character, believe in something greater than yourself, and are looking for a brotherhood of substance — this may be exactly what you have been looking for.

Full membership. All rights and responsibilities of the lodge.

They are not tests to pass but experiences to receive — ceremonies that use the working tools and traditions of the ancient stonemasons to convey lessons about how a man ought to live. The ceremonies are private, but their purpose is not secret: to make a good man better.

The process is straightforward.

The best first step is to come to dinner. Centennial Lodge No. 84 holds dinner at 6:00 PM before every Stated Communication — the second Thursday of each month — at 1614 Welton Street. Guests are welcome. Come and meet the Brothers. Ask your questions over a meal. There is no obligation and no pressure.

When you are ready to move forward, you will complete a petition — a formal request for membership that is voted on by the lodge. A petition requires the sponsorship of a Master Mason in good standing. If you do not know a Mason who can sponsor you, come to dinner and you will meet one.

Once your petition is accepted, you will be scheduled to receive the three degrees and begin your Masonic journey in earnest.

1614 Welton Street, Denver. No petition required to attend. Just good company and a meal.

If you are a Master Mason in good standing and are interested in affiliating with Centennial Lodge No. 84, we would be glad to hear from you.