Dear Brother:

Lodge officers set the tone for the entire Lodge. They set it by their conduct, their dress, their attendance, their enthusiasm, their proficiency in the ritual and their attitude. Each officer should convey the seriousness, the beauty and the honor of Masonry as well as its fun and fellowship. The duties discussed in this letter and its enclosure are guidelines to achieve these goals.

Suggested Duties for Lodge Officers

Enclosed with this letter is an outline of the suggested duties for the Worshipful Master and each of the other officers of your Lodge. Some of the duties listed are not merely suggested but mandated by the California Masonic code ' (CMC). Others are suggested and may differ for your Lodge, depending on your Lodge's traditions and what has worked well for your Lodge in the past. They should be modified and adapted for each Lodge as the Master sees fit.

Make a copy of the enclosure. When a man commits to serve as one of your officers for your year, give him a copy of his suggested duties. (You will note that each officer's duties begin on a separate page). Let him know any modifications to the duties on the sheets given to him. Let him know when each task should be accomplished. Follow up to learn his progress. Most importantly, let him know that you are available whenever asked to help him complete his assignments.

There are some other thoughts with respect to the responsibilities of your officer corps which are not covered in the enclosed outline.

Duties of All officers

Certain duties are common to all officers. They should strive to make the Lodge a friendly place. They should greet all members and visitors personally. They should make everyone feel welcome. Their wives and families should be involved in the social life of the Lodge. They should help the committees of the Lodge in staging the Lodge’s, events. They should be prepared in ritual.  The officer in charge should assign a prompter. The prompter for the evening should be-announced with the officer line-up.  Often, it is the man seated in the Senior Warden's station, if proficient in the work of all of the officers and so advised in advance. If the Officer's.Coach is present, he could be the prompter.

Advancement

The officers should periodically fill the station next in line. They should be prepared to advance by the middle of the year. For those officers who must pass a proficiency before installation, advancement gives them experience in the next station prior to giving the proficiency to the Inspector.

Officer Line

There is no official line in a Lodge.  CMC Section 2504 provides that every Master Mason in your Lodge who is in good standing and whose dues are current is eligible for any office. However, most Lodges establish an unofficial line that their officers follow as they progress from station to station. The enclosed outline of suggested officer duties assumes a line of progression as follows:

1. Junior Steward
2. Senior Steward
3. Junior Deacon
4. Senior Deacon
5. Junior Warden
6. Senior Warden
7. Worshipful Master

In some Lodges, the Chaplain and Marshal are also included in the progressive line.

This line of progression and the respective duties of their positions will prepare the officer for the administrative position of Worshipful Master as he progresses through the line. However, no matter which station an officer holds,, he has an assigned duty that provides challenges and experiences that prepare him to hold the office of Worshipful Master some day.

Fraternally,

R. STEPHEN DOAN
DEPUTY GRAND MASTER