Ephrata Lodge No. 665 - Free & Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania
29 West Main Street - Ephrata, PA.
"The Brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God"

~LINKS~




Freemasonry is a fraternity of brothers who share one common goal: to help each other become better men. We strengthen and improve our character by learning and practicing basic virtues of fraternal love, charity, and truth. Our principles extend far beyond our interactions with each other, and we strive to apply them to our daily lives. All who join Freemasonry must declare their belief in the existence of a Supreme Being, and practice their own personal faith, but the fraternity is neither a religion nor a place to worship. Rather, it is a place where men of all monotheistic creeds can meet and focus on the great truths of peaceful human interaction that are common to all religions.
Freemasonry is a Beautiful System Of Morality, Veiled In Allegory, and Illustrated By Signs And Symbols. This is a direct form of Masonic rhetoric, and its full understanding is embedded in the allegory of the Order.
A Beautiful System Of Morality: reminds us of God's system, or pattern, which He established for us to follow each day of our lives. That system is God's Moral Law. His Law is segmented into ten primary instructions that we know as The Ten Commandments.
Veiled in Allegory: reminds us that the Hidden Mysteries of Freemasonry can only be found and understood when we search our rituals, dictionaries and Holy Bibles for greater depth and understanding in those things deemed secretive in Masonry.
Illustrated By Signs And Symbols: verifies the fact that Masonry is hidden and that it is secretive. Like the symbols that we display openly, our signs, words, grips, characters, etc., each carry a definite surface meaning. Yet, it is below that surface that we find the Spiritual, Material, Physical and intellectual allegories.
If, in the Lodge, we remove all signs, words, grips and hieroglyphics (symbols and characters), what remains is the craft and God's gift to mankind, which is the Holy Bible. Still, we have not moved Masonry; only the illustrations and modes of projection have been moved. The allegories of Masonry are still present, in the Holy Bible. This is to say that Masonry is no more, and no less, than, the study and practice of religion; and the guiding of our actions within the realm of God's Law.
For the man who is looking for deeper meaning in life and who wants to be part of a fraternity committed to his growth and improvement, Masonry is filled with marvellous opportunities and limitless possibilities. The first step in Masonry is one a man must take himself.  He must say, "I want to become a Mason."  What follows will be thrilling, exciting and extremely worthwhile.  "Should I ask?" That is the one important question.  The answer is up to you.

To become a Mason, you must meet the qualifications as mentioned above and below, and be accepted by a Lodge. To begin download the PDF application, also known as the petition here. Fill in the blanks for membership and contact the lodge to speak with a member to submit your petition. Of course, you may always contact the lodge to speak with a Mason to inquire about joining the lodge before completing a petition. You may call and leave a message with the lodge or go to the Contact Us page to leave a message with the site administrator and someone will be in contact with you as soon as possible.


Qualifications:

Freemasonry is proud of its philosophy and practice of “making good men better.” Only individuals believed to be of the finest character are favourably considered for membership. Every applicant must advocate his belief in the existence of a Supreme Being (atheists are not accepted in the Fraternity). Freemasonry looks to take "good men" and make them better.


Those Who Seek Membership:

The Applicant must complete and sign a petition stating his age, occupation, and place of residence. A new member review process is initiated through an investigation of inquiry committee. If the committee reports back to the lodge in favor of the prayer of your petition being granted, then members of the lodge will conduct a vote by ballot.