A Principled Way of Life
Freemasonry offers men a principled way of life, a sense of belonging and of personal growth. The principles by which a Freemason is expected to conduct himself are based on tolerance, equality, charity and honour. Freemasons demonstrate these principles by showing tolerance and respect for the opinions of others, behaving with kindness and understanding and practicing charity and care for their community. Freemasons illustrate these principles for new members through ceremonies which utilize the tools of medieval stonemasonry as symbols. Freemasonry recognizes the richness of all cultural beliefs and excludes no individual from membership on the basis of race or politics. Though Freemasons are required to profess a belief in a Supreme Being the specifics of a Freemasons belief are considered to be a personal matter. Freemasons pursue their personal development by working towards the betterment of all humanity through widespread community involvement. Freemasonry offers its support at all levels from local fundraising to international relief efforts such as the Tools for Timor and Eplitiya projects. Freemasons Victoria has been active in the community for over 170 years. It established the Freemasons hospital in 1937 and the Royal Freemasons Homes of Victoria in 1867 for the care of the elderly in our community. Goals
The goals of Freemasons Victoria are:
•Continued self development, self improvement and education
•Ongoing community involvement and charitable work for the betterment of society
•Promoting a better way of life based on ethical and moral standards. Freemasonry is the oldest and largest existing fraternal organisation in the world. It comprises an estimated 5 Million members world wide with over 13,000 in Victoria. Modern Freemasonry traces its organization historically to the late 17th century and proudly preserves the traditions it has inherited from those times. These traditions make Freemasonry unique within the community.
