Responsibilities and functions of Almoner

The Almoner is responsible for taking charge of the contents of the alms-box, executing the charitable resolutions of the lodge, and visiting sick and needy brethren 1. A physician is often selected for the role where it exists 1.

The presence and structure of the office vary by jurisdiction:

In Continental European lodges, the Almoner is an elected or appointed officer who manages the alms-box collected toward the close of a lodge meeting 1.

In English lodges, an Almoner may be appointed among the officers 1. Historically, officers such as a lodge's Worshipful Master have also served as Almoner for broader charitable bodies, managing disbursements such as pensions to widows 2.

In the United States, Craft lodges generally do not have an individual Almoner; the responsibilities are instead carried out by a Committee of Charity 1.

While almsgiving and pecuniary relief were not among the original founding objects of the Institution, charitable relief is treated as a necessary duty intimately bound up with its principles and instruction 1.