My first official act as Master after my installation was to preside over a Masonic Memorial Service. In Massachusetts, we have a training program for Masters called "Master's Path" where I learned that we do whatever the family asks of us when their loved one passes. I got an email from a Past Master of my lodge that a brother had joined the Celestial Lodge above and his family was requesting that my lodge perform the service. I, of course, immediately agreed.
I called the brother's son who told me that his father was having a one-day viewing on Thursday. I had already scheduled a Third Degree for that day. I asked when we could start and was told 5:30 PM would be fine. The funeral home was about a 20 minute drive from the lodge and in another jurisdiction. We opened at the Masonic building and drove to the funeral home. We performed the service with 14 brothers from my lodge attending. There were two other brothers there. One was the Master of the brother's mother lodge and the other was the DDGM for the mother lodge's district. I was a bit confused, but we did what the family wanted.
Later I found out that the fallen brother was not even a member of my lodge. He had a falling out with his mother lodge and just started visiting us. It seems he felt so welcomed and comfortable with us that he just kept on coming. He told his son when the end was near that he wanted our lodge to perform his service.
After the service, we raced back to the building closed the lodge of sorrow and at 7:00 PM, the scheduled time, opened on the third degree for the Raising of three brothers. This was two weeks after our installation.
