The Tyler's Oath

ADMINISTERING THE TYLER’S OATH

In the event of a Mason from another Nebraska Subordinate Lodge, or a Lodge of another Jurisdiction recognized by the Grand Lodge of Nebraska, desiring to attend a communication of your Lodge in any degree, if there is no Masonic Brother of equal or higher degree (a member of your Lodge or a member of another Lodge who is already known to a Brother also attending your communication), who can vouch for the unproven visiting Brother, then such unproven Brother seeking to attend said communication must be examined by members of your Lodge appointed by the Master to ascertain the Masonic credentials of the visiting Brother

The examination shall be conducted as follows: The Master will appoint two Master Masons from your Lodge to examine the Brother, which appointees shall accompany the visiting Brother to a quiet private area within the building with the Holy Bible in hand and shall follow certain steps

  1. Examination of the Brother’s current dues card (in the case of a visiting Entered Apprentice or a Fellow Craft, no dues card will be available)
  2. Next, with all Brethren placing their right hands on the Holy Bible, administer the Tyler's Oath; with such modification as is appropriate as to a statement of the degree or degrees which he has completed (i.e. EA, FC and/or MM).
  3. Demand and receive the correct grip for the degree in which the communication is to be opened; and in the case of the Fellow Craft or the Master Mason, the grip and pass
  4. Ask such added questions, if any, as might seem necessary and receive appropriate answers to enable the examining Brothers to satisfy themselves of the credentials and legitimacy of the visiting Brother
  5. Prior to opening the lodge, report the findings of the examination to the Master.
  6. On opening, in the purging of the Lodge, the visiting Brother must be challenged by the appropriate Deacon; one of the Master Masons who examined the visiting Brother should seat himself in the Lodge to the West of the visiting Brother and upon the challenge by the Deacon, vouch for the visiting Brother

TYLER'S OATH

I, ___________________________, do hereby and hereon solemnly and sincerely swear that I have been regularly (initiated as an Entered Apprentice Mason) or (passed to the degree of a Fellow Craft Mason) or (raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason) in a just and legally constituted Lodge of such; that I do not now stand suspended or expelled; and know of no reason why I should not hold Masonic communication with my brethren.

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