Courts of Wessex

Athelstan (c. 895 -939)

ORATION ORATION DELIVERED BY THE EMINENT GRAND PRIOR 27th May 2022 Brethren It is the custom in this Order and at this point in our ceremonial for the Grand Prior to address you all on the nature and purpose of our institution. However, the Court we are about to consecrate being an Installed Masters court, I am wary of teaching my grandmother to suck eggs! As Past Masters holding seniority in the Masonic Order of Athelstan and likely elsewhere, you are all only too well aware of masonic principles and tenets in general and those of this Order in particular, and the expectations that fall upon you as a consequence of your seniority. The Masonic Order of Athelstan has a reputation for bold, innovative approaches to freemasonry and without doubt, the first Installed Masters court of the Order is indeed of that ilk, a bold new venture with a unique status as a centre of excellence, and with exciting possibilities in supporting the future of the Province. But how? The Court will, I am sure, have defined its own parameters for operation, ensuring its relevance and impact on the Courts of the Province, old and new, and on the individuals comprising the membership. This impact will doubtless be most profound, as it ought to be, and will define the standing and status of the Court. It is well established that the purpose of our Order is to encourage self development and personal masonic research. However, without guidance that task may become random, ad hoc and unfocussed, and thus easily put to one side in the face of other pressing or mundane issues. One needs a pathfinder to light the way and give a start or else the sheer magnitude of the task may prove too daunting. In our masonic lives I am sure we can all recall that senior mason whose guiding hand was seminal in developing our interests, who gently led us out of the bewilderment of the entered apprentice into the wonder of the wider masonic edifice. Past Masters are such leaders, identified by their experience, commitment and dedication. Experience of the chair working and smooth governing of their Court and Province, commitment and dedication in learning, understanding and delivering the ritual of the Order and in ensuring that their candidates spark of interest is nurtured and fed. Active Past Masters are the backbone of all the Orders of Freemasonry. They are, essentially, the local face of our leadership. A proactive, knowledgeable and hopefully friendly port of call to whom those niggling questions about the ritual, procedures or members may be put in the certain knowledge of an authoritative reply. To influence and inspire others to better themselves. How might Past Masters inspire? There are a myriad ways, both as individuals and as a group. By example. By gentle enthusiasm and approachability. By never being afraid to say to a questioner “I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’ll find out” - and then doing so. By encouragement of genuine enquiry, no matter one’s personal view on its merits. By praising merit and deriding vice. By seeking genuine fraternal and supportive dialogue with others, no matter what the badge on the apron – theirs or yours. Membership of any Past Masters unit in freemasonry should never be a sinecure or a box-ticking exercise, and certainly not within the Masonic Order of Athelstan. You will appreciate that much is expected of you in proactively encouraging, maintaining and developing the ethos of the Order in Wessex. In conclusion, brother founders I leave you with the words all of you will have heard directed to you on your installation into the Chair of your Craft Lodges, reinterpreted in the Athelstan context. They summarise your goal very astutely. “The honour, reputation and usefulness of this Court will materially depend on the skill and 8 assiduity with which you manage its concerns, while the happiness of the members will generally be promoted in proportion to the zeal and assiduity with which you promulgate the genuine tenets of the institution.” Members of the Installed Masters Court, we wish you every success as you direct your course. CWG Ansell, Grand Prior 27 May 2022