Every lodge has its grace. Most lodges have the same grace. You know the one. “May the Great Architect of the Universe…” and so on. Nothing wrong with it. Solid. Dependable. A bit like that brother who always sits in the same chair.
But Freemasonry stretches across centuries and continents, and somewhere along the way, lodges started writing their own. Some are beautiful. Some are funny. Some are so old nobody can remember who wrote them. All of them deserve to be heard at least once.
Here are six you probably haven’t.
1. The Scottish Grace (Lodge Canongate Kilwinning No. 2, Edinburgh)
This one is older than most things in your house, your car, and possibly your province.
“Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.”
Yes, it is the Selkirk Grace, often attributed to Robert Burns — himself a Mason. Lodge Canongate Kilwinning has used it for generations. Short, warm, and impossible to say without smiling. Burns would approve of the whisky that follows it.
2. The Navy Lodge Grace (Lodge of Friendship No. 206, Portsmouth)
Portsmouth has a long history of naval lodges, and this grace reflects the sea in every line:
“For food upon our table spread,
For comrades near and far,
For those who sail on distant seas
Beneath the evening star —
We thank Thee, Lord, and ask Thy grace
On all who meet this night,
And on the brothers yet to come
Who seek the further light.”
It is not just a grace. It is a quiet remembrance. Every naval lodge brother who hears it thinks of someone specific.
3. The Australian Toast Grace (Lodge Dobroyd No. 259, Sydney)
Leave it to the Australians to keep it brief:
“For what we are about to receive —
May we be truly thankful.
For the company of good men —
May we be truly worthy.”
Two lines for the food, two for the fellowship. That is the balance, really. The festive board was never just about the meal.
4. The Quaker-Masonic Grace (Lodges in Pennsylvania, USA)
Several Pennsylvania lodges, in areas with strong Quaker heritage, use a silent grace. The Worshipful Master simply says:
“Brethren, let us pause in gratitude.”
Then silence. Thirty seconds. Sometimes longer. No words at all. Each brother with his own thoughts. When the Master breaks the silence with a single knock, the meal begins. It is startling the first time you experience it. After that, it is hard to go back to anything else.
5. The Humorous Grace (attributed to lodges in Lancashire)
Lancashire brethren have always had a talent for saying something serious while making you laugh:
“Lord, bless this food and bless this lot,
Some deserve it, some do not.
But seeing as Thou art full of grace,
Bless the food and not the face.”
Is it irreverent? Slightly. Would the Great Architect mind? Doubtful. He invented laughter, after all.
6. The Closing Grace (Provincial Grand Lodge of Devonshire)
This is not said before the meal but after. A closing grace — less common but deeply satisfying when done well:
“For good food, good fellowship, and the privilege of labour
In the service of the Craft,
We return thanks to the Most High
And carry His blessing from this table to the world beyond these walls.”
That last line — from this table to the world beyond these walls — is the whole point of the festive board in one breath. We do not eat together just to eat together. We eat together so that when we leave, we carry something with us.
Your Lodge, Your Grace
If your lodge uses the same grace it has used for decades, there is nothing wrong with that. Tradition has its own gravity, and gravity keeps things steady.
But if you fancy something different one evening — bring one of these along. Read it out. See what happens. The worst that can occur is a good conversation over the soup.
And if your lodge has its own grace that nobody else has heard, send it in. The Tyler keeps a record of these things.
Related reading: Songs Lodge Forgot: Five Masonic Ballads Worth Reviving · Confessions of a Lodge Mentor