About the Lodge
The Semper Fratres Lodge is a friendly bunch of men that get together at 6.15pm on the second Thursday of each month from October to April. We meet at the Masonic Hall at Goldsmith Street, in Nottingham city centre, which is perfectly located for access via public transport. There is also a members’ car park to the rear of the Masonic Hall, although there is a cost attached to using this facility. Each of our formal meetings is followed by a dinner. The meal and all it involves is a way of engendering harmony and fellowship, both being important aspects of Freemasonry. Our Lodge name after all is Latin for “Forever Brothers”.
Our current members ages range from 31 to 83 years old. Despite the wide age range in the Lodge, it is very much a Lodge that is young at heart. We take pride in producing good quality ceremonies. Enjoyment is the priority.
We hold various social functions throughout the year, such as race nights and BBQs, as well as our annual Lodge Ball. We encourage our members to invite their partners, family and friends to join us on these occasions. The involvement of our extended ‘Lodge family’ is important to us, and the by-product of this social interaction is the ability for us to raise money for the chosen charities for that year.
To ensure that our formal meetings are a success and are enjoyable for all attendees, our members attend rehearsals on the Thursday evening, the week before the meeting. We also have informal get-togethers on the 4th Thursday of every month. This is an opportunity to meet and develop a knowledge and understanding of Freemasonry. However, although we expect commitment from our members, our priorities always remain: family first, then work and then the Lodge!
We do pay an annual subscription, which covers our room rental and fees that the Lodge has to pay to the Local and National governing Masonic organisations. We also wear what we call regalia. This is owned by the individual member and can best be described as our “uniform”. It indicates the position of the wearer within the organization. The details and implications of these financial commitments can be discussed with you upon enquiry for further information.
Lodge History
Our Lodge was founded in 1922 as a Lodge for staff and past members of the Mundella School in Nottingham. This is why our Lodge Banner is maroon and gold in colour, as they were the school colours. Our Lodge name came from the schools’old scholars association motto, which was “quondam condiscipuli, semper fratres”. This roughly translates as “once classmates, always brothers”. Semper Fratres is a very apt name and motto for our Lodge. The founders of the Lodge were very surprised to find the name was actually unique [and still is] amongst the Lodges under the United Grand Lodge of England. As it was felt that restricting membership to staff and past members of the Mundella School would not benefit the Lodge in the long-term, it was soon opened up to those engaged in education in Nottinghamshire. Although the Lodge’s membership now includes many professions and occupations, such as Police officers, Engineers, Accountants, Retail Managers and Youth workers, we still have a number of members with links to Education.
Ideal Candidate
We would encourage any man over the age of 18, who is interested in living his life according to the Masonic values, to contact us. We, as a lodge, strongly believe that Freemasonry is a way of life and that its values and teachings guide us to how we should strive to live our lives.
Our meetings are enjoyable yet formal and our social gatherings are fun and engaging. We would really like to meet men that would like actively to share in this, engage with the lodge family, and take ownership of the life of the Lodge. They should be able to commit to regular Thursday evening meetings, whether that be a lodge night, rehearsal or study group. In return, we will offer them a new social circle, the opportunity to learn and develop themselves and make friendships for life.
We are looking for like-minded men, who are young at heart and wish to enjoy our Masonic and social interactions. In view of our History, we would be particularly interested in hearing from those who have a background in, or interest of, Education and Training, but this is not essential. Whatever the credentials, we can assure them of a warm welcome and encouragement to get the most out of their personal masonic journey.
A man that buys in to the idea that the Lodge is a living entity with its members being the life blood that flows through it, will fit in with the Semper Family.
If any of this information has hooked your interest and you have a wish to find out more, please contact out Lodge membership officer, James Pidgeon on 07951 082009 or email us on semperfratreslodge4467@gmail.com