Following is one version of the Masonic Graveside service. There are several variations designed to be used in case of bad weather or if the service is held in the funeral home, church or other location.
Masonic Burial Service
When the procession has arrived at the place of interment and after the clergyman has concluded the religious services, the Worshipful Master will take his station at the Foot of the grave with the Chaplain to his right and the bearer of the Great Lights to his left The Senior Warden will take his place at the head of the grave and the Junior Warden at the South, the three principal officers forming a triangle (if possible). The Deacons -if included-will stand with rods crossed over the Worshipful Master, and the Stewards will stand with rods crossed over the Senior Warden The brethren will assemble around the casket and the Masonic service will begin.
The Chaplain offering the following, or some other suitable invocation
PRAYER AT CEMETERY
ALMIGHTY AND MOST MERCIFUL FATHER!
We adore Thee as the God of time and eternity. As it hath pleased Thee to take from the light of our abode one dear to our hearts, we beseech Thee to bless and sanctify unto us this dispensation of Thy Providence. Inspire our hearts with wisdom from on high, that we may glorify Thee in all our ways May we realize that Thine All-Seeing Eye is upon us, and be influenced by the spirit of truth and love to perfect obedience, that we may enjoy Thy divine approbation here below. And when our toils on earth shall have ended, may we be raised to the enjoyment of fadeless light and immortal life in that kingdom where faith and hope shall end, and love and joy prevail through eternal ages. And Thine, 0 Righteous Father, shall be the glory forever. Amen.
ResponseSo mote it be.
The following exhortation may then be given
The solemn notes that betoken the dissolution of this earthly tabernacle have again alarmed our outer door, and another spirit has been summoned to the land where our fathers have gone before us.
Again we are called to assemble among the habitations of the dead, to behold the "narrow house appointed for the living." Here, around us, in that peace which the world cannot give or take away, sleep the unnumbered dead. The gentle breeze fans their verdant covering; they heed it not. The sunshine and the storm pass over their resting place: and they are not disturbed. Stones and lettered monuments symbolize the affection of surviving friends; yet no sound proceeds from them, save that silent but thrilling admonition, "Seek ye the narrow path and the strait gate that lead unto eternal life."
We are again called upon to consider the uncertainty of human life, the jmmutable certainty of death, and the vanity of all human pursuits. Decrepitude and decay are written upon every living form. "But a spana heartbeata breath fall between the cradle and the grave."
What, then, are all the externals of human dignity the power of wealth, the dreams of ambition, the pride of intellect, or the charms of beauty when Nature has paid her just debt? Fix your eyes on the closing scene and view life stripped of its ornaments, and exposed in its natural weakness; and you must be persuaded by the utter emptiness of these delusions. In the grave all fallacies are detected, all worldly ranks are leveled, all distinctions are done away. Here the scepter of the prince and the staff of the beggar are laid side by side.
Our present meeting and proceedings will have been vain and useless, if they fail to excite our serious reflections, and to strengthen our resolutions of amendment.
Be then persuaded, my brethren, by this example of the uncertainty of human life, of the unsubstantial nature of all its pursuits, and no longer postpone the all important concern of preparing for eternity. Let us each embrace the present moment, and while time and opportunity permit prepare for that great change when the pleasures of the world will be as a poison to our lips, and the happy reflection consequent upon a well-spent life will afford the only consolation.
Thus shall our hopes be not frustrated, nor we be hurried unprepared into the presence of that all wise and powerful Judge, to whom the secrets of all hearts are known. Let us resolve to maintain with sincerity the dignified character of our profession. May our Faith be evinced in a correct moral walk and deportment; may our Hope be bright as the glorious mysteries that will be revealed hereafter and our Charity boundless as the wants of our fellow creatures. And, having faithfully discharged the great duties we owe to God, to our neighbor, and to ourselves, when at last it shall please the Grand Master of the Universe to summon us unto His eternal presence, may the Trestle Board of our whole lives pass such inspection that it will be given unto each of us to "eat of the hidden manna" and to receive the "white stone with a new name" that will insure perpetual and unspeakable happiness at His right hand.
The Lambskin having been removed from the casket the Master holds it up and says:
WORSHIPFUL MASTERThe Lambskin Apron is an emblem of innocence and the badge of a Mason, more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle, more honorable then the Star and Garter, when worthily worn. By it we are reminded of that purity of life and conduct so essential for gaining admission to the Celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe reigns in splendor everlasting. This emblem I now deposit in the grave of our deceased brother. (Deposits it.)
The Worshipful Master, holding the evergreen, continues:
This evergreen, which once marked the temporary resting place of the illustrious dead, is an emblem of our faith in the immortality of the soul. By it we are reminded that we have an immortal part within us, which shall survive the grave, and which shall never, never, never die. By it we are admonished that though, like our brother whose remains lie before us, our bodies too shall soon be clothed in the habiliments of death and deposited in the silent tomb; yet, through our belief in the mercy of God, we may confidently hope that our souls will bloom in eternal spring. This, too, I deposit in the grave.
The brethren then move in procession around the place of interment and one by one drop the sprig of evergreen into the grave, during which the following may be sung:
NEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
Een tho' it be a cross
That raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
Though like a wanderer
The sun gone down,
Darkness be over me,
My rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I'd be
Nearer, my God, to Thee;
Nearer to Thee!
There let the way appear
Steps unto heav'n;
All that Thou sendest me,
In mercy giv'n;
Angels to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to Thee;
Nearer to Thee!
Or if on joyful wing,
Cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot,
Upward I fly,
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
The Grand Funeral Honors are given in the following manner Both arms are extended to the front and downward; both arms are then crossed on the breast left arm uppermost, the palms sharply striking the shoulders; then both arms are extended to the front and upward.
This is given three times; and while it is given the third time the brethren audibly pronounce the following words: When the arms are extended to the front and downward, "We consign his body to the grave;" when the arms are crossed on the breast, "We cherish his memory here;" when the arms are extended to the front and upraised,"And commend his spirit to God who gave it'
The Worshipful Master then continues the ceremony:
The Great Creator, having been pleased to remove our brother from the cares and troubles of this earthly existence to a higher life, thus severing another link from the fraternal chain that binds us together, may we who survive him be more strongly cemented in the ties of union and friendship. During the short space allotted us here may we wisely and usefully employ our time; and, through kind and friendly acts, may we mutually promote the welfare and happiness of one another.
Unto the grave we consign his mortal remains earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; that in that more glorious spiritual body which he now weareth, he may freely pass the outer and inner doors of the sanctum sanctorum, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heaven& For I say unto you: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of His own eternity. The Lord sitteth above the water floods; the Lord remaineth a King forever. The universe is His temple. Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty are about His throne as pillars of His mighty works; for His wisdom is infinite, His strength is omnipotent and His beauty shines through the whole universe in order and in symmetry. The heavens He has stretched forth as a canopy; the earth He has planted as His footstool; He crowns His temple with stars as with a diadem; and from His Hands flow all power and glory. The sun and the moon are messengers of His will, and all His law is concord. If like unto the birds of the air we mount the vaulted blue dome of heaven, He is there; if by shaft, cave, or labyrinth we descend into the depths of the subterranean, He is there also. He is in the dew-pearled dawn of springtime, in the gentle zephyr that fans the cheek at sunset, in the purple and crimson afterglow that beckons the evening stars. If we take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there is His Hand which leadeth us and His right Hand which holdeth us. God is Love and Power, and Truth, and Light. God is everywhere. In His almighty care we rest in perfect peace, and equally in His care rests our departed brother, whom He has deigned to draw nearer to the vision of His eternal beauty.
To his near relatives and loving friends, more deeply heartstricken than any others by this loss, which we all have sustained, we can only respectfully and sincerely tender our most affectionate sympathy, in this their hour of bereavement; commending them with earnest hearts to Him whose strength will uphold us evermore.
PRAYER
Most glorious God, Author of all good and Giver of all mercy, pour down Thy blessings upon us, and strengthen our solemn engagements with the ties of sincere affection. May the present instance of mortality remind us of our own approaching fate; and, by drawing our attention toward Thee, the only refuge in time of need, induce us so to regulate our conduct here that when the moment of dissolution shall arrive at which we must quit this earthly scene, we may be received into Thine everlasting kingdomthere to enjoy that uninterrupted and unceasing felicity which is allotted to the souls of just men made perfect.
And now, 0 Lord, we pray for Thy hand to lead us in all the paths our feet must tread. And when the journey of life is ended,. may light from our immortal home illumine the dark valley and shadow of death; and may voices of the loved ones welcome us to that "house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens' Amen.
ResponseSo mote it be.
The Master then approaches the grave or entrance to tomb and with right hand uplifted says gently:
Quietly may thy body sleep in this earthly bed, my brother. Bright and glorious be thy rising from it. Fragrant be the acacia sprig that here shall flourish. May the earliest buds of spring unfold their beauties on this, thy body's resting place; and here may the sweetness of the summers rose linger latest Though the cold blast of autumn may lay them in the dust and for a time destroy the loveliness of their existence, yet their fading is not final, and in the spring time they shall surely bloom again. So in the bright morning of resurrection thou shalt spring again into newness of life. Until then, dear brotheruntil then farewell.
The benediction may then be pronounced by the Worshipful Master or Chaplain, as follows: (or the deceased minister may be asked to give the benediction)
The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon us, and give us His peace, this day and forevermore. Amen.
ResponseSo mote it be.
END OF SERVICE AT GRAVE
