Candidates Corner
If you have ever wondered whether this is for you — read on. This page is for the man who is curious, uncertain, perhaps a little skeptical. That is the right place to begin.
404 Tenafly Road has been here since 1867. The number means something different to us.
Most invitations in modern life are transactional. Buy this. Follow that. Click here. Freemasonry is none of those things.
It is a deliberate choice to spend time with men who have agreed to hold themselves, and one another, to a higher standard. Not a perfect standard. A higher one.
If you have ever wanted a circle of men who actually show up — for each other, for their families, for the work of building something steady in a noisy world — that is what we are. We are not for everyone. We do not pretend to be.
Brothers gather twice a month for our regular communications. We share a meal beforehand. We conduct lodge business. We work through ritual that has been passed brother to brother for centuries. Some nights are formal. Some nights are loud and full of laughter. Most are both.
Beyond the meetings, brothers turn out for each other. A move, a hospital stay, a hard week. A baseball outing in the spring. A barbeque on a warm June night. The funeral of a brother's father. The wedding of a brother's son. A quiet conversation in the parking lot when nothing else is going right.
This is the work, and it is the reward.
Time. Two evenings a month for regular communications, plus events and degree work. A committed brother may find himself at the lodge more often — degree work, events, service, and officer duties can add up. The deeper you go, the more time it asks.
Money. There are dues. They are modest. There are no hidden costs and no fundraising quotas. We will tell you the exact figure when we meet.
Belief. Freemasonry asks you to profess belief in a Supreme Being. It does not ask you which one, and it does not ask you about your particular faith or denomination. We are not a religion. We are a fraternity in which men of many faiths sit as brothers.
Politics. Politics and partisan religion are left at the door. By design. It is one of the few rooms left where men of opposing views meet as equals.
Secrets. Yes, there are some — modes of recognition, the words and signs of the degrees. They are old. They are meaningful inside the lodge. They are not the point. The point is the work the ritual is designed to do on you.
There are two paths, and either is fine.
Send a short note to the Secretary. Tell us who you are and that you are interested. We will write back, suggest a time to meet, and answer your questions over coffee or a meal.
A Letter to the Secretary →If a form feels easier than a letter, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey participates in BeAFreemason.org, the national candidate intake portal. Submit there and your inquiry will reach us.
BeAFreemason.org →Either way, you are not committing to anything. You are asking a question. We will answer it.
If you would like to hear directly from the brother who currently presides over our lodge, his message is here:
From the East with Luv →A place to exhale. After the work of the lodge, brothers gather — in the lounge, at the bar, at a table that has heard a thousand conversations. This is where the fraternity breathes.
We take the Craft seriously. Ourselves, somewhat less so.
Created by a brother of the lodge. Used with permission.