The heartfelt words of farewell spoken by the Worshipful Master, the humble prayer recited by the Chaplain, and the unison echoes of the assembled Brethren combine to make that ceremony one which never fails to tug at the heart strings of every person present. and bid them eternal rest. Bless, too, the food we are about to eat, the harmony we share, and the prospects of bringing Your goodness into our lives. McCreery This lengthy poem describes how even in the natural world, things that die really just change form. May the light of the Holy Spirit lull them into serenity that their loved ones are safe and at peace in your Eternal Garden. Unto the earth we consign the body of our deceased Brother. During the Masonic funeral service, the Masons will don white gloves and aprons. Amen. Often, a soldier or commander who fell during a war is given a broken pillar, such as the one displayed in Albany Rural Cemetery, to symbolise the unfinished life. Father, be with his/her soul and may he/she rest in perfect eternal peace. 2. It will never get easy and we wish we could share in your burden. A dear loved one has been taken from us, so suddenly and so unexpectedly. Belinda McLeod, BA in Secondary Education, http://www.themasonictrowel.com/indexes/index_masonic_poetry.htm. Lord, we thank you for the food and drink that we have received,also for the Good Companionship tonight and throughout our season, grant that we may all meet again to witness the installation of the Master Elect. We thank you for the answered prayer and in Jesus name, Amen. May you be held by the God of compassion as you remember your loved ones today. From The Good Companions Lodge No.6005, East Lancashire: We thank Thee, Architect Above,For this good food and brotherly love.Relief for all in need we pray,Thy Truth, our aid from day to day. Dear Father, take His soul into Your kingdom and let perpetual light shine upon him, may he rest in peace. Masonic Burial Ritual - Freemasonry Watch Amen. subject to our Terms of Use. This link will open in a new window. Just as it provides sustenance for our bodies, Your word provides sustenance to our spirits. May the love of God and the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ bless and console us and gently wipe every tear from our eyes: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 1. May the G.A.O.T.U. Remember that the man to whom you are saying farewell is your Brother. of an actual attorney. May a fresh and renewing breeze flow into the cracks of their hearts and mend their anguish. #4). Women have given us life, patiently raised and taught us, and, for the men here tonight, have become fast companions who share both our joys, and our secret tears. Let us give thanks for this abundance, but remain ever mindful of those who are without. quick to pardon and desire man's salvation. 26 Prayers for the Departed and Dearly Missed - NurseBuff May God be with you in your sorrow, and comfort you in your loss. we ask this through Christ, our Lord. The Masonic brothers will chime in with the final phrase to conclude the service: "So mote it be.". Your Brothers widow and children are part of your family. Although it involves the physical act of leaving something behind for others, building can incorporate a metaphor as well. (The benediction or closing prayer may . LinkedIn. They should be invited to the Lodge for family nights. Every Mason gets the same Masonic prayer recited during his funeral, regardless of his religious background. Masonic Funeral Services and What Sets Them Apart Almighty God, You have blessed us all with the women we know.Women have given us life, patiently raised and taught us, and, for the men here tonight, have become fast companions who share both our joys, and our secret tears.We thank You for bringing us here tonight to celebrate the women we know, and how they have shaped us with their love. According to this poem, the invisible, eternal hand holds your life's compass. with your Son and the Holy Spirit In this life you embraced them with your tender love; Amen. pour down Thy blessings upon us, and strengthen our solemn engagements with the ties of sincere affection! where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, Amen, Almighty God, You have blessed us with food to eat, and the good company of our brothers. We also earnestly seek for the forgiveness of all his sins and all of his shortcomings. May God bless them, as he has blessed us. , think about the essence of the individual. We are lost for words our hearts broken, our spirits shattered a sorrow that only grows with each passing day as we long for our loved ones presence in our lives. Lord, have mercy on those who mourn who feel numb and crushed and are filled with the pain of grief, whose strength has given up You know all our sighing and longings: be near to us and teach us to fix our hope on you through Jesus Christ our Lord. The below are prayers you can say if you wish to pray for your departed patients. Brethren,Let us remember with thanks the men and women who have, and still do, honour us by pledging their lives to help us live in peace in the Canada we all love. Great Artificer of the Universe, Who providest refreshment for those who work, bless, we beseech Thee, this Thy bounty with Thy gracious favour that, this meal ended, we may return to our labours and consecrate our humble efforts to Thy service. Amen, Almighty God, we thank You for lengthening days and the return of birds as we celebrate another Spring together as brothers. PDF CHAPLAIN'S PRAYERS - The Masonic Trowel The chaplain speaks about how a Mason builds his character the same way he builds a house, and how once a person dies his soul is placed in the temple of heaven, built by God, whom the Masons call "The Grand Architect of the Universe.". Amen. We thank You, O God, for giving us companionship when so many are lonely; and for food when so many of Your children are hungry. Lord, those who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end. The Dash. The Work by Brother Montford C. Holley, 16. Bless our Grand Lodge and its officers who work untiringly on our behalf. Lord God, Great Architect of the Universe. Amen. In the 1662 and most current edition of the BCP, the rubric (or instructions) are the following immediately preceding a burial: When they come to the Grave, while the Corpse is made ready to be laid into the earth, the Priest shall say, or the Priest and Clerks shall sing. The fees for the advice of an attorney should not be compared to the fees of do-it-yourself online Brethren, on behalf of us all, I offer this brief Grace written by an anonymous English Mason:Bless us O Lord and these Your gifts, which we are about to receive of Your kindness, and keep us mindful of those in want. Almighty Father, Supreme Governor of the universe, we thank Thee for this evening. If the family, or the departed, wishes a eulogy to be be performed by a close friend or family member, the person will be ushered up to speak in front of the congregation. What sets Masonic funerals apart are the rituals, the focus, and inclusion. Our loved one is now at peace in Heaven, surrounded by radiance and infinite love. The speaker in the poem asks family and friends not to feel sad. Amen, O God, we thank You for this evening of fellowship. #210, 2816 11 Ave N.E. If you can attend, you should. May the fellowship of this Festive Board pervade our lives, and may the food we eat together in harmony bind us in that fellowship. Was the membership of a deceased Mason more to him than wearing a pin or paying dues? Copyright 2023 Yellow Pages Digital & Media Solutions Limited. Unite us together again in one family, to sing Your praise forever and ever. O God, we thank You for blessing us with this happy gathering this evening. 26 Prayers for the Departed and Dearly Missed, 25 Inspiring Quotes for Suicide Prevention Week. and bid them eternal rest. May we who survive him be more strongly bound in the ties of friendship and union. As the Fraternity moved from specifically Christian to non-sectarian, its thinking members knew that there would be among its members those who had varying religious thought as the Fraternity leaves decisions on faith to the individual member. Amen, Almighty God, we thank You for yet another Autumn together as brothers. Amen, O God, we gather together in Your name in the hope of becoming better men. Bless, O God, this food and this company. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Help them to recover from the pain of loss. It includes the stanza: They are not dead! Almighty God, we thank You that we have so much. By dying You opened the gates of life for those who believe in You; do not let Your brother/sister be parted from You, but by Your glorious power give him/her light, joy, and peace in heaven where You live for ever and ever. One of the most well-known Christian prayers is a cry for God's will for leadership. Almighty and eternal God, from whose love in Christ we cannot be parted, either by death or life: hear our prayers and thanksgivings for all whom we remember this day; fulfil in them the purpose of your love; and bring us all, with them, to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank you, too, for the work and energy that our Grand Master and his officers devote to the care and improvement of our brotherhood, and through those efforts, to the betterment of the world as a whole.Here, in the midst of our own plenty, O God, we would also ask You to assist those who have little or nothing, and to keep us ever mindful of Your children in distress. May you return to the One Who formed you from the dust of this earth. 617 Masonic Blvd, Jefferson, WI 53549, USA, JEFFERSON COUNTY LODGE #9 FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS, The Graveside Prayer of the Master Mason Degree. Grant us the building of happy memories together, and grant that we might have some small effect for good in an increasingly troubled world. In the Age of Enlightenment, I can only deduce that the framers of this prayer wanted both to retain verbiage that would be familiar with most people while at the same time be accepting to members of non-Christian faiths. Prayer For Deceased Brother Prayer For Deceased Brother O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You! Some orders of Masons also have female members and will offer a Masonic funeral to members of either sex. We thank You for the work we have done, and for the fellowship we share. Building tools like the square take center stage in this poem: Square of Virtue for our actsWherewith to set them true,Can make a building, standing quiteAs worthy in our childrens sight,And in the Masters, too., Was your loved one a model Mason," or genial, wise and true? To continue the poem, Their works theyre numbered all in heaven, those deeds of charity!. The old order has passed away: We cannot give you customized advice on your situation or needs, which would require the service Keep us ever mindful of the brotherhood we share, that we might become better members of our society.Amen, GAOTU, we thank You for the work we have done this evening, and for our newest brother whom we welcome gladly to this Festive Board. Prayer For The Death Of A Brother Usage of any form or other service on our website is Show us from Masonry's degrees, its Make us aware of our nature as moral beings. Lord of life and love, as we give thanks for times past, grant us courage to embrace the present and grace to share the future. Send card, preferably a handwritten note, each year. The "graveside prayer" used in the Master Mason Degree of Masonry would have been near universally known in the English-speaking world at the time it was incorporated into that Degree, it bearing a remarkable resemblance to a section of the Book of Common Prayer (BPC), a prayer book in universal use in the Church of England. We thank You for the harmony we share, for the food before us, and for the many other blessings You have bestowed upon us. Amen, Almighty Father, we would ask you to bestow Your grace on W. Brother Name and his family during this time of grief and trial. These graces are intended for those occasions. We ask you to guide the deceaseds family and friends. Although this funeral poem seems to have no title, the unknown poet created a poem popular for Masonic funeral services. but fullness of peace and joy Amen. There is much more to be pointed out and discussed about the actual wording of the prayer and as it relates to some Masonic detractors, but that is a subject for another post. We thank You for the work we have done, and for the food and fellowship we now share. I may be jaded on the subject, being Anglican, but the Book of Common Prayer is not only a masterful religious piece by not overtly alienating one particular religious faction or another at a time of great religious unrest, it is also a work of prose originating phrases still in common English phraseology to this day. The only comfort left is knowing that our Cherished One is with You now in Heaven with a full heart and an eternal soul. May the Great Architect of the Universe bless that which His bounty has provided. Mercy Prayer. Philadelphia, PA 19107-2598 Use of this website is subject to our, Passer en franais / Switch to French language, Greek funeral customs and rituals you need to know about, Yellow Pages Digital & Media Solutions Limited. This link will open in a new window. Lord God above, we, Your humble children kneel before you today in reverence. 8 Best Prayers for the Faithful Departed - ConnectUS And bless this food to our use, and this assembly to thy will. Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And as he or she abides in Your garden, let Your angels touch what he/she cannot touch again. An evergreen never loses its needles, regardless of the season, and its symbolism depicts the fact that a Mason never loses his faith in the fact that the soul remains imperishable. Amen, May God give us fond memories of those who cannot be with us today, grant us stillness in the midst of turmoil, and peace during our lonely moments. In the midst of life we are in death: of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased? Many Masons are honoured after their death with the erection of a heavily symbolic monument at their grave site. Send down your holy spirit and touch their lives. May Christ, the Son of God, Who died for you take you into His kingdom. Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. We know You're the greatest and You're the king of all kings. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen. #4). Masonic Dinner Graces and Prayers - MasonicShop.com The Bridge Builder by Will Allen Dromgoole. for a loved one deserves great thought and consideration. In Jesus holy name, we pray. As such, care should be taken to see that it is done reverently, solemnly, and with the utmost care each and every time. Grant us the strength and the courage to do Your work through our work.Thank You for this food, O God. Amen, O God, we thank you for our being together at this special meal. This poem offers a tribute to fallen soldiers and may offer an appropriate choice for a Mason who also served in the military.