Feature Article – June 2021 Ed

The Oxon Travellers are gearing up for action

So who are the Oxon Travellers?

They were originally set up to help lodges that were perhaps a little short of members when they had a candidate for any of the three degrees. A sort of rent-a-mob! I believe that in order to retain candidates they should be given the best ceremony possible, as their experience during their degree ceremonies stays with them for the rest of their masonic career. If it’s a great evening, they will remember it with fondness. If it isn’t, they may end up with regrets and resentment. So to have a lodge full of happy smiling faces goes a long way in achieving that positive experience. The Oxon Travellers aimed to visit at least one lodge per month, en masse, so as to not overburden the members.

How we can support lodges now

At the time of writing we have over 60 members of the Oxon Travellers and, with Covid giving many of our lodges a battering, we have decided to step up our remit, and to help lodges out in even more ways.

You might belong to a lodge that post-Covid has a different landscape. Your lodge may have lost members either due to health related reasons, or they may have just lost touch with Freemasonry and found other things to occupy their interests. Some of your members may just not feel comfortable joining in again until all risks have dissipated. Whatever are the circumstances, we would like to offer the services of the Oxon Travellers.

How can we help?

Over the ‘down time’, a few of our members have suggested material for the Oxon Travellers that aren’t often worked in lodges. Matthew Christmas has used his phenomenal editing skills to compile a document containing these pieces of ritual. It’s by no means exhaustive, and we are adding more, but it’s a start.

The members of the Oxon Travellers are working together to be able to present these often unheard pieces for any lodges that find themselves with a gap in a ceremony, and are looking for something to fill it.

But that’s not all we can do to help. If you have a meeting coming up and are thinking of calling it off purely because you find yourself short of officers , then just get in touch! We can help!

So to recap:

If your lodge needs something different to do and they want someone to do it
or
If your lodge is thinking of calling off a meeting due to lack of numbers
or is just short of an officer or two:

GET IN TOUCH – THE OXON TRAVELLERS ARE HERE TO HELP!

Do you want to get involved?

The great thing about being part of the Oxon Travellers is that you can meet brethren from all over the Province – and when you visit another lodge, you’ll be doing it as a group. There’s also lots of new ritual to learn and do, not to mention offices to fill to support lodges that might need a little extra help. It’s a great feeling to support other lodges and is at the core of Freemasonry.

Some of the pieces that we already have in our library include both a short and long versions of the explanation of the Preparation of a Candidate, the presentation of a Grand Lodge certificate, the Forget Me Not Flower, The Walking Charge and more. The link to our current offering is immediately below, but don’t forget that this is just the start!

If you have any other ideas about how you think the Oxon Travellers can help in general, or if you have a specific need, then please do just drop me a line and I’d be delighted to see how we can help.

Looking forward to working with you!

W. Bro. Chris Wagstaff
visiting@oxfordshirefreemasons.org