The Masonic Province of East Lancashire

Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire><br />
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The Past Provincial Grand Master

Opening the doors to a "secret" world
From the archive, first published Thursday 3rd Nov 2005

FREEMASONRY is about to change: it is coming out of the shadows. That is the intention of a former Bolton man who, as Provincial Grand Master of the Province of East Lancashire is aiming to restore Freemasonry to the position it used to hold in local society.

"Before the second world war all the leading citizens and businessmen were Masons," said Paul Rink, who now lives at Anglezarke.

"Masons were looked up to by local people as men of good standing so, in fact, we are hoping to return Freemasonry to the position that it occupied before the war."

Mr Rink, born and bred in Bolton, is the first man from the town to occupy such a high position in the world of Freemasonry. The Bolton Wanders fanatic is equally determined to bring Freemasonry back from the position it has occupied for some years.

As Mr Rink said, it is only since the war that Masonry has retreated into the shadows. Throughout Europe, Fascists not only led campaigns against Jews but also against Freemasons: "There was a time when no-one was sure that the persecutions would not prevail so Freemasons retreated underground. For some reason after the war the secrecy just continued. The longer it continued the harder it was to turn the situation around, however, we are determined that this must now happen."

So what exactly is Freemasonry?

"It is an international movement - with 280,000 members in the Grand Lodge of England - that is open to good men of every colour and creed. Masonry is not a religion but it does consist of men who have a belief in a supreme being and who can adhere to the three Masonic principles or "legs of the stool" ."

Those three legs are: Respect for all other human beings whatever their colour or religion: "Anyone who believes in God can join, Christians, Muslims, Jews."

Charity: "Our Grand Charity is the second largest giver to charity in this country after the National Lottery. Over £2 million a year is given to non-Masonic charities, £1 million was given to the Tsunami Appeal. And none of that money is raised from the general public, only from other Masons."

Honesty and integrity in all that you do in life: "You could sum it up as just being a good citizen."

For a return to the pre-war view of Freemasonry, Mr Rink is aware that there is a lot of hard work to be done.

"We really do have to work on the public perception. For instance there are all sorts of stories about secret rituals yet the whole of our joining ceremony can be found on the internet, so it is hardly a secret. I would call it private rather than secret. There is no oath of allegiance either.

"It is a happy ceremony of joining fellow men, a social bond and is followed by a meal where we can enjoy the fellowship of others. Neither politics nor religion can be discussed. There is a Masonic handshake, and I have never used it in 37 years as a Mason. It certainly would not gain an advantage for someone who used it on me."

Mr Rink is aware that the secrecy aspect of Freemasonry has led to stories and rumours about corruption in areas such as the police, business and politics. In fact these attacks on Masonry are one of the reasons why Masons have decided to "come out" as it were.

"We have not been able to answer attacks on us. Books and articles have been written alleging certain practices and we have not answered them when we could easily have done so. Becoming more accessible will not only mean that there will be fewer attacks, but also that we will be able to respond to those who do attack us."

Mr Rink is taking the actions that he is because that is the way that Freemasons today wish to go - although he is in agreement himself - but he does accept that some Masons will struggle to accept the new order.

"Most younger Masons are in agreement with our view that Freemasonry should come out of the shadows although some older members are not in favour. In any case we do not expect it to happen overnight. Gradually, over time, the perception of a secret society will change. Freemasons will reconnect with society.

"In a world where there is a greater following for pop musicians than men of good report, there is a greater need for Freemasonry and its principles than there ever was."

FACTFILE

The overall organisation is the United Grand Lodge of England.

There are 47 Provinces, each has a Provincial Grand Master.

Lancashire, which has more Lodges than any other county is split into two Provinces, West and East Lancashire.

East Lancashire is split into eight areas, each has an assistant Provincial Grand Master.

In East Lancashire there are 345 lodges and 8,000 brethren.

In the Bolton and Bury area, which includes Radcliffe, there are 50 Masonic Lodges.