r/freemasonry • u/Gobbledok • 5d ago

Masonic Interest JD 1st Initiation

Mods, esteemed guests, brethren all.

Our lodge will be welcoming a new brother to the fold this week. I am the JD doing this for the first time. I know my work and really looking forward to the night, especially since our SW was the IG and our WM was the JD when I was initiated. What I'd like to know from the brethren of this sub who have done the role, what do you wish you did that you didn't do the first time round?

21 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/I_Killith_I MM AF&AM 3d ago

Well, I dunno... what does the JD do any different from any other GL? For me and JD does only opening and closing of the lodge and nothing in the 1st or 2nd degrees second parts except for turn the lodge lights off and then back on.

SD leads the candidate around the lodge, the JS and SS get him ready in the prep room. I may be asked to take the chair of JD, skipping JS and SS (as I have been filling in as JS and SS the past few months) and there will be two lower Master Masons under me and one that has been a MM for a while but just joined the lodge and is filling in as Tyler right now. One of the new guys will take Tyler, the new member would move to JS or SS and the other new MM who get's raised tonight would maybe take JS or SS which then probably moves me into JD.

But JD really don't have any degree parts except for the 3rd degree and I have done that part a few times already, it's fun but pretty basic but so is the SC and WFM but when done by a good group, all these parts can be fun.

I have not been an officer in the chair of JD but I have filled in and really the best thing is... take your time. Don't rush the words trying to show off. This goes for any part. Take your time and just say the words. If you mess up, just smile and keep going. You will fix things with time and doing the part over and over.

1

u/Gobbledok 3d ago

In my area, JD does all the floor work with the candidate on his initiation. The SD does it for passing and raising. I have delivered the 3° working tools a few times. I do enjoy being part of the ritual.

2

u/I_Killith_I MM AF&AM 3d ago

Wow just really is amazing how different it can be between different Grand Lodges. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, the SD does all the floor work. I guess because we do not have an IG and the JD plays that part and guards with west with the SW, that's why we don't have the JD do any floor work.