Mentoring Programme of District Grand Lodge of Bombay

RW Bro. Percy Jamshed Faramji Driver
District Grand Master,
District Grand Lodge of Bombay
percydriver@gmail.com


W Bro. Dr. Tejinder Singh Rawal
District Chairman, Mentoring
District Grand Lodge of Bombay
tsrawal@gmail.com





Mentoring Programme of District Grand Lodge of Bombay

Why do we need Mentoring?

It is a sad fact that recent years have seen a steady decline in the number of Freemasons. That is not all; two further worrying trends compound the situation. Many of our newer brethren leave within the first 5 years of their Masonic life and the number of active masons in each Lodge is often declining.

It is this situation that has prompted our District to implement the Mentoring programme. It has the full support of the District Grand Master RW Bro. Percy Driver and is seen as an integral part of the development of Freemasonry in this District, through the recruitment, retention and return of lost members.

How shall we do it?

We are in the process of identifying brethren who will act as Mentors. After the Mentors are appointed we shall be holding workshops for brethren appointed as Mentors and other brethren who are interested in mentoring process. At these workshops, the role of the Mentor is explained and those attending are given a pack with useful information on how to carry out their duties.

What does a Mentor do?

The role of a Mentor is to ensure that a new brother becomes engaged with and integrated into the ideas and aims of our Order.

By “engaged with and integrated into”, we mean someone who is committed to their
Freemasonry; regularly attends their Lodge and takes an active role in Lodge life. By comparison someone who is ‘disengaged or not integrated’ may be a Mason by right of membership, but not in tune with the aims of the Order, not regularly attending and certainly not trying to apply their Masonic learning to their everyday lives.

But isn’t that what the Proposer and Seconder are meant to do?

In an ideal world, the answer to this is YES. Many new masons are fortunate to be proposed by committed and active members, but unfortunately this does not always mean that either the Proposer or Seconder is able to effectively act as Mentor, for a number of reasons, either or both may:
• Hold an office in the lodge and may not be able to spend quality time with their Candidate on a Lodge evening
• Be relatively new to Freemasonry themselves and may not have the experience and knowledge required
• Be unable to attend a Lodge, or, as in some cases, stops attending altogether
It is in such situations that a Mentor is essential, to provide the Candidate with support, advice and above all, friendship.