Old York Lodge of Mark Master Masons T.I. 23rd September 2025.
The lodge was duly opened by the Worshipful Master, W. Bro Roderick Fraser.
While this was being carried out the Deputy Provincial Grand Master Andrew J Brown and a team of Provincial Officers of the year waited in the bar lounge. He thanked them for their support. Also waiting was Bro David Antony Exley a Master Mason of St Peter & Harmony Lodge No 600 the candidate for advancement into Mark Masonry if the ballot proved successful, which indeed it did.
W. Bro Mark Holland Prov. G.D.C. formed an escort and W. Bro Andrew and the Provincial team entered the Lodge which was awash with a sea of Blue and Gold by those brethren in attendance. This also included Deputy Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Cheshire. The gavel was duly offered to W. Bro Andrew and very quickly returned.
W. Bro Chrisitan Holmes occupied the Master’s Chair and proceeded with the ceremony of Advancement. Bro David was duly received into the Lodge and guided through the ceremony by W. Bro Keith Watson. All those who took part from the WM to the Tyler carried out their duties in an excellent manner. Which is what we have come to expect from the brethren of Old York Lodge, who claim to be the premier Lodge of the province of West Yorkshire.
What a ceremony it was too, the ritual delivery was superb. You had to be there to see and appreciate all the hard work that the brethren and done to get to this sort of high standard. Well done Old York.
Before Bro David took his rightful place in the Lodge as a Mark Master Mason and member of Old York. There was one more duty to be done by W. Bro Andrew and that was to congratulate Bro David and present him with a envelope which contained a welcoming letter from the R.W. Provincial Grand Master and a personal invitation to attend the annual Provincial Grand Lodge meeting in a April 2026. With that W. Bro Roddy resumed his place in Master’s Chair and continued with the remaining items on the summons.
It was time to celebrate with refreshment and a fine meal. With the level of hearty chattering and laughter the decibel meter reading would have been off the scale.
W. Bro Brown gave brief report of what is happing in the province and concluded by congratulating The WM and all the brethren for a most excellent meeting and to W. Bro Chrisitan and all those brethren that had took part in the ceremony. W. Bro David thanked all those who took part in his advancement ceremony. He added that he was nervous while waiting outside. But that disappeared when he entered the lodge. He looked forward to having many years in the Mark Order and getting more involved with the Old York brethren.
Oh, what night was had by all. Especially for Candidate Bro David Exley with an excellent ceremony and good company.
Welcome Bro David to the Order of Mark Master Masons and to the Province of West Yorkshire.
Mark Well Brethren.
With thanks to
W. Bro John M Fitzpatrick
Prov. G.M.O.