Massachusetts Grand Lodge

Want to join a fraternity whose ranks included Voltaire, Mozart, Ben Franklin, Thurgood Marshall, and “Buzz” Aldrin? To petition, you must be an adult male who believes in a higher power. Specific religious affiliation is unimportant. “You need to believe in the idea that there is something greater,” said Robert Huke, a spokesman. Applications usually require the recommendation of two masons. A review process follows, designed to test a candidate’s moral character. Acceptance into the brotherhood requires 100 percent approval of all masons in the lodge to which you apply. There are about 1.7 million masons in the United States. American Masonic groups donate over $2 million a day to philanthropic causes.
Want to join a fraternity whose ranks included Voltaire, Mozart, Ben Franklin, Thurgood Marshall, and “Buzz” Aldrin? To petition, you must be an adult male who believes in a higher power. Specific religious affiliation is unimportant. “You need to believe in the idea that there is something greater,” said Robert Huke, a spokesman. Applications usually require the recommendation of two masons. A review process follows, designed to test a candidate’s moral character. Acceptance into the brotherhood requires 100 percent approval of all masons in the lodge to which you apply.

There are about 1.7 million masons in the United States. American Masonic groups donate over $2 million a day to philanthropic causes.

(Photo: Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff; Text: Christine Makris/Boston.com staff)

About the book

Boston's Secret Spaces offers tantalizing peeks into places ordinary mortals rarely see. Published in partnership with The Boston Globe and based on the exceedingly popular Boston.com feature (3.7 million page views and counting), the book takes readers behind the scenes at several sports hot spots, historical landmarks, and offbeat Beantown locales.