Each man who petitions a Masonic Lodge for membership is examined by a special Investigating Committee, which reports its findings at a regular Stated Meeting to the Lodge. Each petitioner is then individually voted on by secret ballot to elect or reject by the membership of the lodge.

    Becoming a member of our Fraternity is not difficult. You need only to ask a Mason for a petition or request one from the Lodge. If you look around you may very well discover that you are in the company of Masons – friends, acquaintances, co-workers, members of your church, just to name a few. Look for rings, tie tacks, lapel pins, bumper stickers, medallions with the "Square and Compasses" on them. Then, simply ask him about joining. A Master Mason in Ohio is now permitted to ask you to join. Generally, he will present you with a petition and remark, "I think that you would make a good Mason and I would like to have you consider joining.

    If you don’t find a friend who is already a Mason, stop by the Masonic Temple on the 2^nd or 4^th Fridays of the month about a half hour before the meeting starts (7:30 P.M.). Locate the "Tyler" whose job during the meetings is to act as an outer guard to insure that no non-member is allowed to disturb the meeting. He will either provide you with a petition or introduce you to someone from the Lodge who can sit down with you and answer any questions that you might have regarding the Fraternity.

    You should, of course, pick a Lodge whose meeting might pose no conflict with your current activities.

    To become a Freemason, you must:

    An applicant, whose petition has been accepted by the Lodge, is advised of the date his Entered Apprentice Degree has been scheduled. On that date, following a brief ritualistic opening, the petitioner is properly prepared and introduced to the Lodge. The solemn process is an enlightening experience and the candidate need never worry that embarrassing or compromising situations will arise during this or any other degree.

    After receiving the Entered Apprentice Degree, you will be expected to memorize several passages of the Ritual and help will be extended in the learning process.

    Having learned the required Ritualistic work and satisfying the Lodge of the proficiency, you will be asked to return for the conferral of your Fellow Craft Degree. Following the proficiency examination on that Degree, you will advance to the last and highest Degree of Ancient Craft Masonry – the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason.

    If you require further information about becoming a Mason, please leave an E-mail message with your name, address and phone number using the mailbox or fill out the form below and a member of McKinley Lodge will contact you.