The Junior Warden

From About Freemasons

The Junior Warden, along with The Senior Warden and the Master, make up the three uppermost offices of a lodge. Like The Senior Warden, he may open a lodge meeting if the Master is absent. Traditionally, the Junior Warden is in charge of supervising the Craftsman during refreshment breaks, but he also assists The Senior Warden and Master in opening the lodge and taking care of lodge business.

The Junior Warden is seated in the south of a lodge room. This symbolizes the sun at midday, because the Junior Warden is responsible for meal breaks or lunch breaks. Symbolically, the Junior Warden is also in charge of ensuring that Craftsmen do not behave with excess or temperance when on break. Today, alcohol is not allowed in lodges, but this traditional role hearkens back to earlier times, when Masonic Lodges had perhaps fewer rules.

The jewel of office for the Junior Warden is the plumb, a tool used by masons to check vertical alignment of surfaces. This represents correct (or “upright”) actions and behaviors, which are expected of Masons at all times. The jewel of office is a reference of the Junior Warden’s earlier role of policing excess and drinking.

The Junior Warden has several duties:

1) Arranging refreshments, meals, and beverages for breaks and lodge events.

2) Working with the Stewards as assistants to set up breaks and refreshments.

3) Generally helps the Master and Senior Warden in ensuring that the lodge and events run well.

4) To present any charges made against a Mason (usually of bad conduct) to the Master.

5) To keep attendance records. Usually, the Junior Warden is in charge of this as it facilities planning refreshments at other functions.

6) To take part in the Refreshment and Entertainment Committee (almost always as Chairman). The Junior Warden is usually assisted in this duty by the Senior and Junior Stewards.

7) To take part in lodge committees. The Master of a lodge may sometimes request that a Junior Warden take part in a committee or even chair a committee if an extra person is needed.

8) To assist The Senior Warden in that person’s obligations and duties.

9) To take part in lodge functions and events.

10) To travel to the Grand Lodge Annual Communication.

11) To promote the tenets and rules of the lodge. This is, of course, a duty of all the masons of a lodge.

12) To prepare himself for another office in the following year. Just as The Senior Warden often becomes a Master in a year or two, in some lodges it is expected that the Junior Warden will become a Senior Warden when The Senior Warden takes his new office. This is not the case is every lodge. The office of the Junior Warden is elected by secret ballot, just like the offices of the Master and The Senior Warden. If the Junior Warden is in a lodge where he can expect to become a Senior Warden in a year or two, it is expected that he prepare himself for the office of a Senior Warden during his year as a Junior Warden.

Since lodges vary widely, duties of the Junior Warden can vary widely from lodge to lodge. However, in many lodges these would be the expectations of the Junior Warden.