The minutes
He records the course of each meeting: who was present, what was done and decided, and which papers were given. At the next meeting the minutes are read and approved.
Office of the lodge · Dutch Freemasonry
Secretaris
Secretary
The memory of the lodge: what he writes down remains.
- Place in the lodge
- In the East, at his writing table
- Jewel of the office
- Two crossed pens
- In particular care of
- The records and the correspondence
The Secretaris is the memory of the lodge. He records what happens in the work, sends out the convocations, keeps the register of members and maintains the correspondence with the Grand East and with other lodges.
It is an office that is easily underestimated, because its work happens mostly out of sight. But a lodge without a good Secretary loses its thread: decisions are forgotten, brothers are not informed, and the history of the lodge disappears with the people who lived it.
Origins
History of the office
Lodges have kept minutes for as long as they have existed. Some of the oldest surviving Masonic records are Scottish minute books from around 1600, and they are among the most important sources we have for the early history of Freemasonry. Without the patient work of generations of secretaries, much of that history would be lost.
In the Netherlands too the archives of the lodges are a rich source. Minute books, member registers and correspondence show how lodges lived through wars, occupations and changes in society. During the Second World War the occupier banned Freemasonry in the Netherlands and seized its property and archives; what was hidden by brothers or recovered after the war is all the more precious for it.
Today the office also includes digital administration and the protection of personal data. But the essence has not changed: the Secretary sees to it that the lodge knows where it comes from and what it has decided.
Secretaris
What the office involves
Convocations
He sends the brothers the convocation (convocatie) for every meeting, with the date, the work of the evening and any other information.
Correspondence
He maintains the contacts with the Grand East, with other lodges and with visiting brothers, and answers the letters addressed to the lodge.
Member administration
He keeps the register of members, records initiations, passings and raisings, and handles the formalities when brothers join or leave.
Candidates
He keeps the file of each candidate during the procedure of admission, discreetly and carefully.
The archive
He keeps the archive of the lodge in order, so that later generations can still read what was built.
In practice
How it works in a Dutch lodge
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Election
He is elected with the other officers and is a member of the board of the lodge. Because the work requires continuity, many Secretaries serve for several terms.
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At the meeting
During the work he sits at his own table, usually in the East, and reads the minutes of the previous meeting at the start of the work.
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With the Master
He works closely with the Master in preparing every meeting: the agenda, the convocation, the practical arrangements.
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Discretion
He has access to much that is confidential, from personal details to the files of candidates. His silence is part of his office.
What the office asks
- Accuracy
- Reliability
- Discretion
- Overview
- Service without applause
The lesson for every brotherWhat is written down remains. The Secretary reminds every brother that our deeds leave traces, and that it is worth living in such a way that the record of our life can be read without shame.
To reflect on
- If someone kept the minutes of your week, what would they read?
- Which agreements have you made that deserve to be kept in writing?
- Do you value the work that happens out of sight, your own and that of others?
Whether or not you hold this office, each office mirrors a task that every Freemason carries within himself.