The Leader
July 2021: True Friendship

Deep, lifelong friendship is one of the most important outcomes of Freemasonry. The trust and bonds members forge through the ritual experience and social connections often last a lifetime. As the Masons of California look toward the future and launch the 2025 Fraternity Plan, it’s no surprise that true friendship is the first pillar of that strategy. For each of the next three months, the Leader will focus on each of the three pillars of the 2025 Fraternity Plan: True friendship, diversity and harmony, and finally positive public awareness.

While friendship may be one of those elusive ideas that’s hard to quantify, research shows that those who feel they’ve established deep bonds within their lodge report much higher overall satisfaction with their Masonic experience. In fact, the greatest single factor affecting how a Masons describes their membership with the fraternity is relationships with other Masons. Similarly, terms like brotherhood, fellowship, and friendship are the most commonly cited reasons that Masons value their membership.

According to the 2025 Plan, lodges and the Grand Lodge will develop programs and initiatives that support precisely those kinds of meaningful and lasting relationships. That means that Masons should understand and value Masonic friendships, should foster an atmosphere conducive to forming friendships, and become known in their communities for helping foster true friendship.

Chay Wright, lodge master of Beverly Hills No. 528, knows a little something about true friendship. Growing up, his grandfather played an important role in his life. A well-respected Prince Hall Mason, the elder Wright surrounded himself with Masonic brothers, leaning on them in times of need and jumping at the opportunity to help them when he could. “It wasn’t until my grandfather’s funeral that I realized all these men he had in his life weren’t just great friends, but Masonic brothers,” Wright says.

That experience has informed Wright’s Masonic involvement to this day. Now, as master of his lodge, Wright strives to craft an environment where others have the same kind of opportunity to forge deep friendships. “Monthly stated meetings aren’t enough,” he says. Instead, he says, look for other opportunities for fellowship. Whether it’s bringing snacks and drinks to your degree practice or reaching out to brothers when you know you’re passing through their neighborhood, more face time equals more chances to develop deep friendship.

And that’s not all: “Don’t just think about ways for current brothers to forge friendships,” Wright says. “The candidate experience is the perfect opportunity to begin that process.” Think of how other fraternities craft bonds amongst their prospects—specifically the college Greek fraternities. During Rush Week, prospects are given the chance to get to know their fellow candidates—called line brothers—and bond over that experience. “No one’s saying we should haze our candidates,” Wright is quick to point out. Rather, think of ways to make the prospect experience more communal. For starters, don’t be so quick to advance a prospect to candidacy. Instead, accrue one or two more prospects and schedule group gatherings where those prospects can share their ideas and expectations of the fraternity. “You’d be amazed at how powerful a bonding experience something like this can be,” Wright says.

In the end, it’s all about being deliberate about ways to create opportunities for members to form lasting friendships. “Friendship is the foundation of the bonds that connect us as Masons,” Wright says. “During the first-degree examination, we claim that this man next to us is ‘a friend who we later found to be a brother.’” This is our opportunity to live up to that.