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“Where Curiosity Meets Passion”
Masonry is the world’s first and largest fraternal organization. It is guided by the enduring belief that each man has a responsibility to make the world a better place. For 300 years, Freemasonry has enhanced and strengthened the character of individual men by providing opportunities for fellowship, charity, and the search for truth – within ourselves and the larger world.
A Research Lodge is a Masonic lodge that is devoted to Masonic Research. It is a lodge, and as such has a charter from the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of California. However, it does not confer degrees, and restricts membership to Master Masons. Comprised of Freemasons interested in the history and study of Freemasonry, and who by their contributions make it possible to publish and distribute the results of their studies and investigations. We strive to maintain the high quality of research papers, lectures and discussions.
A Masonic lodge is where a man becomes a Mason. He submits a petition to a Masonic lodge when he believes that Freemasonry has something important to offer him, and the lodge accepts his petition when it believes that he possesses all the right qualifications to become a Mason. That is very simple and straightforward. If he is accepted as a candidate by a unanimous ballot of all the Master Masons in the lodge who are present when his petition is voted upon, he is elected to receive the degrees of Masonry – meaning the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason. Creating new Masons is one of the primary functions of a Masonic lodge, although it has continuing responsibilities to its members and their families in other capacities.
Research lodges are different. They do not initiate, pass and raise men, and no one can receive Masonic degrees in a research lodge. So what is a research lodge? And what does it do?
Research lodges are essential Masonic organizations devoted to the study of Freemasonry, and the sharing of information about Freemasonry among its members and among Masons in general, whether or not they belong to a research lodge. While all lodges teach their candidates and members about Freemasonry, a research lodge devotes all its time and resources to studying every aspect of Freemasonry, and sharing what it has learned with others. It shares many characteristics with a regular blue lodge, but because it has only one purpose – the study of Freemasonry – it can devote itself exclusively to this important aspect of Freemasonry.
California has four research lodges at present. Most grand lodges have one or more research lodges. They are places where Masons who are interested in understanding the history, symbolism, and mission of Freemasonry can meet with Masons who share this passion. They are “service organizations” to other lodges who may not have the resources or members who can serve this specialized need in Freemasonry. Golden Compasses is one of the four research lodges in California. We are proud to serve all of Freemasonry in learning more about our beloved Craft, and sharing this knowledge with others!
Golden Compasses Research Lodge membership is open to Master Masons in good standing in their Blue Lodge.
If you are interested in applying for membership to Golden Compasses Research Lodge, please contact us to schedule a visit during an event, or request more information.
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In this issue of California Freemason, we’re exploring what it takes to get new lodges off the ground, and how they define themselves within the landscape of Masonry in the state.
Discuss your Masonic experience with others easily by downloading the simple guide to Freemasonry and brushing up on the basics.
Say hello to a series of brand-new web resources for prospects and new members available on freemason.org, the online home of the Masons of California.
Between July 10–21, we’re asking all members who are comfortable doing so to post a short message on Facebook or Instagram saying why Freemasonry is important to you.
In the Magic Issue of California Freemason magazine, we’re casting a light on some of those similar connections between magic and Masonry.
Maybe you’ve seen the square and compass logo on buildings around town or wondered about the meaning of emblems like the Masonic trowel. What’s the history behind Masonic symbols, and how do they factor into what happens in a lodge?
Most people know that there are two things that Masons don’t discuss in the lodge room: politics and religion. Instead, they focus on the things that bind them, not that divide. Could that be a model for a more harmonious world outside the lodge?
In this issue of California Freemason Magazine, we’re casting our gaze anew at our fraternal home, the California Masonic Memorial Temple in San Francisco.
Explore some stunning examples of this fraternal craftwork through the ages in From the Hands of Fellowship, a new virtual exhibition from the Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum of Freemasonry.
In this special issue of California Freemason, we take a Masonic road trip south of the border to learn about the long history of Freemasonry in Latin America.
These Masons working with death have an intimate familiarity with the other side.
A tiny, sandy cove, San Francisco’s Aquatic Park is one of the most reliably sunny spots in town. Yet clues of the city’s distant past are still there.
These are difficult times as we are coping with the quarantine resulting from the COVID-19 virus. All Masonic meetings in California have been suspended at the direction of the Grand Master in compliance with the requirements of various governmental entities. That means that the April 28 meeting of Golden Compasses Research Lodge has been postponed. […]
Golden Compasses Research Lodge Presents Spreading the Cement of Our Fraternity — The Introduction of the Trigradal System A Presentation by Brother Mike Perry Tuesday, April 28, 2020 7:00 pm Join us on Zoom as Golden Compasses Research Lodge presents a lecture by our Junior Warden, Bro. Mike Perry, on how Freemasonry developed the three […]
