Why Leopold Lodge? - Bro. Dan Henley
Welcome to the first in what will hopefully be a series of blogs about the members of Leopold Lodge.
First up we have Brother Dan Henley, who has very kindly written about why he joined Leopold Lodge.
Why did you join Leopold?
I already had an interest in Freemasonry as my great-great grandfather was a Freemason. When I saw the social media awareness campaign I decided to get in touch. After a very pleasant and informative meeting with W. Bro Tony Dyer, I knew it felt right.
Tony left me some profiles about the lodges in Scarborough, one of which was for Leopold Lodge, named after Leopold, Duke of Albany, whose brother, the Duke of Connaught was a close friend of my great-great-grandfather. I took this as a bit of a sign but obviously I wanted to look at the profiles and make a decision based on how the lodges came across.
There were two that stood out as actively promoting themselves to new members. Not just listing meeting days, times, and fees, but talking about the ethos and feel of those lodges and the nature of the membership. In short, it seemed like those lodges would welcome a new member.
Dan with W.Bro. Tony Dyer just after his 3rd Degree ceremony.
What were your first impressions?
Leopold lived up to its profile with a diverse range of guys from all sorts of backgrounds and careers. That I feel is important, as you get to know people you perhaps otherwise wouldn’t meet.
Before I was initiated, I was invited to a white table event (non-masons are allowed to attend these social occasions). I was made to feel as though I had always been a part of the group. It was so very friendly and welcoming and the evening itself was fantastic! Good company, conversations and singing! A night that I won’t ever forget.
What keeps you coming?
A few factors really. As an actor, I enjoy the element of ritual and dressing up! Of course, it has a deeper meaning than that, to do with developing as a better person. You get a sense of all the metaphor and allegory involved in everything we do in our rituals. It serves to create a camaraderie and a sense of accountability that simply wouldn’t be there in a normal social club or association. It is an order; a group of men dedicated to ideals and putting them into practice. Ideals feel good. Ideals are the reason humanity has developed to the degree it has. We want to continue that development.
In our next masonic year, I will be an officer with certain roles and responsibilities in the ritual. I am looking forward to learning a lot as I progress through the different offices in the Lodge and, hopefully, in several years’ time become the Worshipful Master. It gives me a great sense of continuity, being a part of something that’s been happening in Scarborough in its present form for nearly 250 years, which for me is a powerful thing and a romantic and purposeful connection to the past.
Bro. Dan with Bros. Simon, Paul, and Elmer after being presented with their Grand Lodge Certificates.;
I have also made some great friends and really enjoy mixing with people whose experiences are different to mine and are therefore genuinely interesting. The food is good, and we have a glass or two to wash it down, which is also never a bad thing!
What’s your view of the future of Leopold Lodge
Bright! It’s that straightforward. We have a great team and we really want to welcome new men to the lodge. I can’t imagine for a moment that we would ever become complacent. We want to grow, to share the gratifying journey of Freemasonry with lots of other men and by so doing ensure the continuation of our lodge and Freemasonry in Scarborough for another 250 years and beyond!
