Past Master (Masonry)

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A Past Master is one who, having surpassed the position of a Master, can be regarded as highly skilled and experienced. The term is sometimes applied literally to persons who have led any organization or a subsidiary of that organization. It is also used generically for those who have significant experience and are considered experts in their field of study or activity.

In Freemasonry, Master Masons who have "been through the chairs", that is, who have completed a term of office as Worshipful Master of a Lodge, are ranked as Past Masters in the Craft as a whole, and in Grand Lodge in particular. They alone are qualified to participate in certain work of a Lodge. In addition, Lodges commonly appoint Past Masters to certain offices or functions: for example, it is practically essential for a Director of Ceremonies (also known as a Ritualist in some jurisdictions) to be qualified as a Past Master, or he could not attend all the ceremonies; and a Lodge's by-laws often require a proportion of the Lodge's committee members to be Past Masters.

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