Over 35 Almoners from Berkshire Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters gathered at Sindlesham for a Conference to aid them in their role. What is an Almoner? Will be probably the first question you might rightly ask. In Freemasons Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters, there is a member given the trusted role of ‘looking after’ the members and their dependants. This trusted role is as old as Freemasonry in all likelihood. But the term has been used in churches for a very long time, to define a church officer who was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. The term has now fallen out of use in all but Freemasonry.
After an opening message from Peter Oakley the 3rd Grand Principal of Royal Arch in Berkshire; there were talks on the role of the Almoner. What it takes to be a good Almoner. There was even quiz on Masonic knowledge with a prize!
The evening ended with a description of the Care Team and the Almoners key part contributing to that and a round up from Assistant Provincial Grand Master Iain Marnock OBE.
