“The Learning & Development team are delighted to announce that we have had approval from the R.W. Provincial Grand Master and the M.E. Grand Superintendent to make the L&D team a joint resource for the Craft and HRA in South Wales, led jointly by E.Comp. Simon Daniel, PPrGStdB, Provincial L&D Lead for the Holy Royal Arch, and W.Bro. Merrick Jones, PAGPurs, Provincial Grand Orator for the Craft.
This means the team will be able to extend the provision and facilitation of presentations, events and masonic research to the Holy Royal Arch Chapters across the Province. As such, we are also delighted to welcome six Companions to the team to support this important work.
The primary role of the modern Provincial Orator is to explain and discuss, usually as part of formal lodge business, the meaning of the ritual and its rich symbolism; providing an interesting and inspirational method of masonic education, which perfectly complements the nurturing provided by the Provincial Mentoring scheme.
The Orations can be delivered in lodges when candidates have recently been initiated, passed or raised and lodges are actively encouraged to get in contact with the Provincial Orator through the form below and to invite him or one of his team to the Lodge. The Provincial Orator team also actively promulgates information on their services through conventional and digital media. Orations can be given when a Lodge has no ceremony to work, or in accordance with the Provincial Grand Master’s recent initiative, be delivered at a Lodge of Instruction during a regular meeting to enable brethren to learn more of the history and meaning of our ceremonies.
The orations are designed to enhance rather than to replace the lessons contained in the rituals. Some brethren are so engrossed in the task of learning the rituals that their curiosity in the meaning of the words may pass them by. Orations are there to stimulate curiosity.
The orations are individual, freestanding, talks of between 5 and 25 minutes, which each focus on a particular aspect of the Craft and the deeper meaning of the ritual and its symbolism. The topics covered by the orations are as wide and varied as Freemasonry itself. They are not formal lectures and they can be followed by a question and answer session and a discussion which will be facilitated by the Provincial Orator or his representative.
Some talks are also suitable for audiences outside of the lodge, for example at ‘white table’ events.
Feedback is important for the success of the scheme and at the end of the meeting the Provincial Orator or their assistant will ask the brethren what they thought about the oration and the session. This will help to ensure that the material remains as relevant and interesting as possible.