Download Petition
Application to become a Mason begins with a local (Symbolic) Lodge. You can petition this lodge a number of ways.
Speak with someone you know to be a mason. Ask a man wearing a Masonic jewelry or other Masonic identification. Telephone directories typically list "Masonic Lodges" in the "Fraternal Orders" section of the "Yellow Pages." You may also use this website's search tools to locate a lodge near you either by town name or zipcode.
You may simply call the Symbolic Lodge closest to you. Of course, lodges will not always have a person available to answer the phone. Most meet in the early evening hours on a weekday. Try calling between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
You can drop a note addressed to the Secretary of the Lodge address listed. If you prefer, however, you may start your Masonic journey at the state level. We call this the Grand Lodge.
Each state's Grand Lodge administrates all Lodges in the state. If you use the form or e-mail from this site, you will contact the Indiana Grand Lodge, who will then process your inquiry down to a local lodge near you.
Once you have expressed an interest, a few members of the Lodge will arrange to visit you at home at your convenience. This gives you and your family an opportunity to ask questions and to find out if Freemasonry is for you and your family.
You will be asked to fill out a form, called a petition, which is then signed by Masons who have met or know you and can recommend you. This petition is shared with the other Lodge members who then vote on your membership.
You will receive further instruction and participate, possibly with other candidates for membership, in three introductory ceremonies called Degrees at the Lodge. These explain Freemasonry and give you the opportunity to experience the Lodge's tradition and fellowship. Everything is dignified. You are not joining a college fraternity where hazing might take place. Rather, you are joining the oldest, largest fraternal organization in the world.