It is my pleasure to welcome you to our website and share with you the diversity of Witwatersrand Lodge No. 3745 (English Constitution).
As the tercentenary of English Freemasonry approaches, it is important to mark the occasion with a robust and open debate into what it means to be a Freemason in contemporary society and what it will mean for future generations. As the oldest fraternal organization in the world, Freemasonry is founded upon principles of kindness, honesty and fairness; timeless values that are as relevant to the world today as they were three hundred years ago when we were established. These ideals have remained unchanged throughout the history of Freemasonry and will, we hope, continue to do so as long as the organization thrives. Yet it is important to note that while it maintains these central ideals, Freemasonry in the twenty-first century has become an amalgamation of the old and the new of tradition and innovation and therefore fits comfortably into the modern world.
The reason why we join Masonry is to develop a bond of friendship between like minded brethren although we don't all hunt, fish or enjoy whiskey tasting, we still have a common denominator, that of brotherly love, relief and truth.
Candidates for Initiation into Freemasonry seek admission for a wide variety of reasons.
Some seek a happy and sociable retreat from the cares and concerns of business and an opportunity to spend a portion of their time with honourable, friendly and like-minded, charitable men. For them, our ceremonies are a pleasant diversion which unites us with a sense of belonging while learning ritual is little more than a chore which helps to keep the mind active. Their objective is to have fun while raising money for worthy causes.
Some seek a mystical and philosophical experience which they hope, when properly understood after much study and reflection, will reveal the great mysteries of the universe. For them Freemasonry provides the means for learning about ourselves, our purpose in this life and our relationship with our Supreme Creator. Their objective is to gain knowledge and understanding and to teach it to others.
It may at first appear that there are two fundamentally different groups within Freemasonry but in reality there is little difference between them. Most Freemasons, who primarily joined for the fun and charitable activity, after a time, begin to realise and appreciate the philosophical elements of Masonry. Likewise those who joined to primarily gain a knowledge and understanding of the mysteries begin to realise that the concepts of friendship, charity and honour are essential to understanding our purpose in life and that life itself needs a balance of fun and enjoyment. Consequently there is always a degree of cross-over between the two groups.
The main purpose of Freemasonry is to provide information and knowledge within a harmonious environment where the members can develop themselves into better men than they otherwise might have been. At any given time the direction of that development is relatively unimportant as long as it is resulting in progress towards self-improvement. Indeed the direction of our self-development may change as we improve, or even according to our personal circumstances and needs.
It is the right and responsibility of every Freemason to determine his own path to self-improvement and his own expectation of the progress he hopes to make. It is quite natural for every Mason, at some stage, to want to explore the mystical and philosophical side of Freemasonry
The lodge is now in its 102nd year of existence, we celebrated our Centenary year in 2015. We have overcome hardships in respect of lack of members in the past and are currently a flourishing lodge, in certain respects leading the way in our District. We are mindful of our history and appreciative of our notable diversity and understand that success is not a right, but earned through dedication, hard work and attention to detail.
We hope you enjoy our website and would look forward to you attending any of the charity or social functions and should you be interested in finding out more about Freemasonry, please feel free to contact us.
A short verse to keep in mind:
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." - Plato (Not A Freemason)
Yours fraternally
Paul Coventry
WM 2016-2017
Witwatersrand Lodge No. 3745