The next step after visiting with the Brothers of Sahuaro Lodge and getting to know them is to ask for a petition to join. The petition is a form that is used by Blue Lodges, and is sanctioned by the Grand Lodge of Arizona, which is designed to ask all the questions the Lodge and Grand Lodge needs to know about a potential member. The petition then becomes part of that Brother’s Masonic record as he continues his journey to become a Freemason.

The purpose of the Lodge Investigative Committee is to allow members of Sahuaro to meet a petitioner and for the petitioner to meet several members of the Lodge. The Committee will be assigned by the Worshipful Master of Sahuaro and is a three member team. The committee may offer to meet the petitioner at his home, a public place, or at the Masonic Temple. Once the Investigative Committee reports back to the Master of Sahuaro that the petitioner is under good report, the next step in the process is for the petition to be Balloted on at the next stated meeting.

The final step a petitioner has to take is called the Lodge Ballot. The petition has now been signed by two brothers and investigated by three other brothers who will submit a report. The petition now becomes a Lodge Ballot. The petition is read during a Lodge business meeting and is then Balloted on. All brothers who are eligible to vote will be given the opportunity to accept or reject the Ballot. When the Ballot is returned to the Lodge officers and the Worshipful Master as a clear Ballot – meaning a unanimous vote – the petitioner now becomes a candidate to receive the three degrees of Freemasonry.

At this point the candidate will be assigned a mentor, and they will begin the process of learning about Freemasonry by completing a short candidate education program. At the completion of this program, the candidate will be scheduled to receive the First Degree of Masonry.

The first degree conferred by any Blue Lodge is that of the Entered Apprentice Degree or EA degree. The EA degree is also called the Learner Degree as it is the start of receiving knowledge in Freemasonry. This degree prepares the candidate with the first understandings of Freemasonry. Following this degree, the Mentor will guide the candidate and help him with learning the work of the first degree and in preparing him to show proficiency in the EA Degree. Once a Candidate shows proficiency in the EA degree, he is then scheduled to receive the Fellowcraft Degree.

The second degree conferred for a Candidate in any Blue Lodge is that of the Fellowcraft Degree. The Fellowcraft Degree is an educational degree designed to teach the Candidate about the Freemasons’ views on the sciences. Just as the Entered Apprentice Degree is the learner degree that symbolizes infancy or youth, the Fellowcraft degree emulates manhood. In manhood, we have the opportunity to take the lessons learned in youth and apply them and learn from them. In manhood we better understand these lessons and now readily apply them to daily life with understanding and confidence, in preparation for the Master Mason Degree.

The third and final degree in Blue Lodge Masonry is the Master Mason Degree. The Master Mason Degree is a full experience in the teachings of Freemasonry and is the greatest and grandest of all Masonic Degrees. Of all the Degrees and Orders that may be conferred upon you in Freemasonry, Master Mason is the highest. Once conferred on a candidate, he is considered a Master Mason and then receives full Masonic privileges after showing his proficiency in the Master Mason Degree.