20^th Masonic District
of the Grand Lodge F.&A.M. of Ohio

As most WM or PM's I have often thought of conducting a Table Lodge or something similar. While looking into this I have found some interesting information that I thought would be beneficial to share.

The first thing I have found was that there are two separate entities that can easily be confused. The Table Lodge and a Festive Board. I think that by better defining these two many Lodges can have a better idea of which path they would prefer to take and this may help others meet their goal of providing a social time for their constituents.

According to the Ohio Masonic Code a Table Lodge is a meeting within the Temple but outside the Lodge room where food is served. The TL is tyled in the EA degree though it has a different opening than what is conducted in a tyled Lodge. The Festive Board is actually a part of the Table Lodge. A FB provides opportunities for the meal to be presented, opening comments, toasts, remarks by the Master to be made and short presentations to be given. So taken in perspective, after the TL is opened and specific tasks attended to the FB is presented. After the FB is completed final tasks and the closing are attended to. Now if my understanding is correct, it is possible to have a FB without conducting a TL, but due to the premise of the TL it is not possible to have a TL w/o a FB.

There are 7 toasts that occur during a TL with at least 3 of these required. These toasts pay due respect to Grand Officers, the WM, visiting brethern, EA's or newest members, the OFFICE of the President of the US (not necessarily the Pres.), and one or two more I cannot remember offhand (sorry, too lazy to look it up again right now). The final toast of the evening - and the one I personally find most appropriate, is the Tyler's toast to all worthy distressed MM's. This toast typically concludes the ceremonies and is treated in a manner similar to the DDGM's closing remarks during an inspection in that right after the toast closing ceremonies begin. I highly recommend reading this section of the code for yourself and not rely on the info provided here as being exact.

Another important point to make here is regarding presentations. Presentations should be Masonically oriented. They should not be used to promote specific charities, personal agendas or ideals. Care should be taken to ensure the material is informative. It is hoped the material will be intellectually stimulating since Masonry is supported by education. Finally, it is hoped the material will be thought provoking and initiate discussion among the Brethern.

At the FB, since no specific masonic work is being completed, guests and ladies can be allowed. I have heard of other groups conducting FB "in the manner of a TL" but only to symbolically practice various parts of the ceremonies required for a TL and not in lieu of the TL itself. This gets away of having to prepare meals and clean up after since a FB does not need to take place in a Temple but could be conducted at a local restaurant.

If this is the case, a number of doors are open to WMs or others desiring to conduct some sort of social dinner event for their Lodge. If you have looked at the TL criteria in the Code and feel it is more restrictive than what you were looking for, you may want to consider a FB as a Lodge event instead. If you are looking for the flavor and tradition that Masonry has been steeped in for over 300 years then a TL may be more to your liking.

During my investigations I came accross two articles in particular that you may find interesting.

The first discusses the origin and function of the Table Lodge. http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/godolphin.lodge/html/festive_board.html

The second goes into more detail about conducting a successful Table Lodge http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/table_lodge_history_ritual.htm

Please reply to this post if you have anything to add or correct as I am sure anyone reading this would appreciate knowing your comments.

Thank you.