Today’s guest is Helen Woodley from Sanctuary Lodge 14, in the North East Province in England. She is a female who is also a young Mason, and talks about Freemasonry for women, and how it compares to men’s Freemasonry in England.
Helen’s Lodge is part of the Order of Women Freemasons (www.owf.org.uk) which has a similar hierarchical structure to Lodges under the United Grand Lodge of England, and used the same Lodge rooms. Not only are the Lodge rooms the same, but also the same regalia and ritual.
Whereas in England and Wales all recognised Lodges are part of UGLE, but there is also Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (www.hfaf.org) that is also for Lady Freemasons. (Hopefully we’ll find more about this in a future episode!) There are of course a few differences, but it’s surprising just how similar the two types of Masonry are. We also discuss the side orders available to Woman in Freemasonry.
I also ask Helen the ‘quick questions’, and her answers are equally applicable for all Freemasons:
Why did she become a Mason?
Why did she stay a Mason?
Does she have a single memory of Freemasonry?
Any advice for people interested in joining Freemasonry?