installation ceremony of worshipful master

The installation of a Worshipful Master begins with the examination and formal presentation of the Master elect by the Deputy or a presenting officer, who vouches for his skill, moral character, and fidelity 12. Before assuming office, the Master elect must publicly assent to a series of Ancient Charges and Grand Lodge Regulations, promising obedience to the moral law, civil authorities, and the established constitutions of the Order 123.

Following his assent, the Master elect is bound to his trust and formally installed into office 13. In this procedure, all brethren except Past Masters retire while the Master elect is inducted into the chair or invested with the Past Master's degree 3; if he has already served as a Master previously, he is simply placed in the chair 4. The brethren then return to render due homage and offer congratulations to their new Master 123.

During the ceremony, the new Master receives the lodge's warrant of constitution alongside the Holy Writings, the Book of Constitutions, the minute book, and the various working tools and insignia of office 12. Upon taking the chair, the Worshipful Master proceeds to appoint and invest his Wardens and other subordinate officers, presenting them with their respective badges, tools, and charges governing their duties in the lodge 123. While an older rule permitted Grand Lodge officers to invest the subordinate officers during the constitution of a new lodge, standard practice establishes that the installed Master invests his own officers, and in subsequent years, a retiring Master installs his successor 3.