Understanding Canadian Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal society that uses the tools and traditions of stonemasonry as symbols for moral and personal development. Members meet in a lodge, take part in ceremonies that teach ethical lessons, support charitable work and enjoy fellowship.

In Canada, Craft Freemasonry is organized jurisdictionally. Craft Masonry is governed primarily by provincial Grand Lodges and recognized Prince Hall Grand Lodge jurisdictions. Additional rites, orders and societies operate under their own governing bodies, eligibility requirements and geographic jurisdictions.

Freemasonry is not a religion, a political party or a business network. Requirements differ from province to province, so the governing Grand Lodge for your province is always the correct authority to ask.

• A lodge is the basic unit of Craft Freemasonry.
• There is no single national Craft Grand Lodge governing every Canadian Mason.
• Each Grand Lodge is sovereign within its own jurisdiction.

A lodge meeting normally includes administrative business, planning of charitable and community work, Masonic education or a lecture, ceremonies for candidates, and a social period afterwards.

The ceremonies themselves are private, and members do not publish their details. The purpose, the values taught and the charitable results are entirely public.

Craft Masonry confers three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason. Each is a ceremony followed by study, and each teaches a stage of moral instruction.

A Master Mason is a full member of the Craft. In Canada, the pace of progression, the proficiency expected between degrees and the time between ceremonies are set by the Grand Lodge and by the individual lodge.

• Entered Apprentice — the first degree.
• Fellow Craft — the second degree.
• Master Mason — the third degree and full Craft membership.

Grand Lodges extend formal recognition to one another. A recognized Grand Lodge is one whose members may visit and hold plural membership according to the rules of the jurisdictions involved.

Recognition is decided by Grand Lodges, not by websites, authors or directories. Recognition and visitation status can change. Always confirm current status directly with the relevant Grand Lodge.

Most Canadian Craft jurisdictions are organized provincially. A provincial Grand Lodge charters the constituent lodges within its territory, sets its own constitution and administers its own affairs.

Prince Hall Affiliated Grand Lodges are likewise sovereign Craft jurisdictions with their own constituent lodges and their own Masonic family organizations.

Appendant and concordant bodies — Royal Arch, Cryptic, Knights Templar, the Scottish Rite, the Shrine, S.R.I.C., invitational bodies — are governed by their own national or provincial authorities, not by the Craft Grand Lodge, although most require Craft membership in a recognized lodge.

Prince Hall Affiliated Freemasonry is a complete Craft tradition with its own sovereign Grand Lodge governance, constituent lodges and associated Masonic family organizations. It is not a degree, an appendant body or a branch of another Grand Lodge.

Its history in North America begins with African Lodge, and its Canadian jurisdictions govern their own territory in the same way any other Craft Grand Lodge does.

Recognition arrangements between Prince Hall and other Grand Lodges vary by jurisdiction and should be confirmed with the Grand Lodges concerned.

G.R.C. means Grand Registry of Canada. It appears after the numbers of constituent Ontario lodges — for example, “No. 25, G.R.C.”

It is a registry designation, not a separate rite, degree, order or governing body.

“York Rite” is a convenient umbrella term for Royal Arch Masonry, Cryptic Masonry and the Christian orders of chivalry including the Knights Templar. In Canada each of these is governed separately.

Canadian terminology differs from American usage. Canadian Knights Templar bodies are commonly called Preceptories rather than Commanderies, and the national Templar authority in Canada is the Sovereign Great Priory.

Not universally. Cryptic Masonry — the Council of Royal and Select Masters — is part of the wider York Rite family, but whether it is a prerequisite for Templar membership depends on the jurisdiction.

Confirm the current requirement with the Grand Council and the Templar authority for your province before assuming any sequence.

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite continues Masonic instruction beyond the third degree through a series of degrees presented in Valleys. In Canada it is governed by its own Supreme Council.

Local organization uses Canadian terminology: Valleys, Lodges of Perfection, Chapters of Rose Croix and Consistories. Honorary recognition, such as the thirty-third degree, is conferred by the Supreme Council and is not something a member applies for.

Societas Rosicruciana in Canada (S.R.I.C.) is an invitational Masonic Rosicrucian study society. It is organized into Colleges, its members are called Fratres, and it works three Orders comprising nine grades.

S.R.I.C. is separate from the York Rite and the Scottish Rite, and it is not the Golden Dawn. Becoming a Master Mason does not guarantee admission — invitation and admission requirements must be confirmed with S.R.I.C.

Its related English society, the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.), is relevant only when explaining international history.

Family organizations include women's orders, youth organizations and other bodies related to Freemasonry by history, sponsorship or membership eligibility.

They do not all belong to one universal system. Some are governed by Masonic authorities, some are independent organizations with a Masonic relationship, and eligibility rules differ. Each profile in this directory states its governance and its relationship separately.

No. Freemasonry is not a religion and does not offer a plan of salvation. Canadian Craft jurisdictions generally require a belief in a Supreme Being, and sectarian religious discussion is kept out of the lodge so that members of different faiths can meet in harmony.

Some orders, such as the Knights Templar, do require a Christian profession. That requirement belongs to those orders, not to Craft Masonry.

Partisan political discussion is excluded from lodge meetings. The reason is practical: the lodge is intended to be a place where people who disagree publicly can still meet as equals.

Canadian Masonic charity includes hospital and healthcare support, bursaries and scholarships, learning and language programmes, senior care, disaster relief and local community grants, funded through Masonic foundations and the charities of the rites and orders.

Charitable programmes listed in this directory link to the official foundation or charity concerned so that donations can be directed correctly.

Start with the Grand Lodge for your province. Every recognized Grand Lodge publishes contact information and, in most cases, a directory of its constituent lodges.

Use the jurisdictions directory in this project to reach the official Grand Lodge website, then use its own lodge locator or membership enquiry form.

Check the governing body. A legitimate Canadian lodge is chartered by a Grand Lodge that publishes its constituent lodges. If a group cannot name a governing body that lists it, treat the claim with caution.

Be cautious of any organization that charges for degrees on demand, promises rapid advancement, sells membership online, or claims authority over Freemasonry as a whole.

Reasonable questions include: which Grand Lodge charters this lodge; what the initiation fee and annual dues are; how often the lodge meets and where; what time commitment is expected; what the ceremonies will require of me; and what charitable and community work the lodge does.

A recognized lodge will answer all of these plainly.

Canadian Craft Grand Lodges in the recognized provincial and Prince Hall traditions initiate men. Women take part in Canadian Masonic life through organizations such as the Order of the Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile and other bodies, several of which admit both women and men.

There are also separate Masonic organizations elsewhere in the world that initiate women; they are not part of the recognized Craft jurisdictions described here, and this project labels such distinctions rather than blurring them.

Often, yes — many Canadian Masonic halls hold open houses, public lectures, heritage events and charitable dinners. Meetings themselves are for members.

Contact the building or lodge through published public contact information before attending, and confirm accessibility and parking arrangements.

Ceremonial content, modes of recognition, membership records, candidate information and internal proceedings are private. This protects the experience of candidates and the personal privacy of members.

This project publishes only legitimate public organizational information and never publishes private records, personal contact details or information identifying minors.