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Welcome to the Ceremonial Team Site

If you are interested in joining the Catawba Lodge Ceremonial team, we are always open to receiving new members, so do not hesitate to contact the team via our Chairman:

Griffin Cook

Our meetings are held monthly at 11400 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte, 28262.

About Us

The Catawba Lodge Ceremony Team of Mecklenburg County Council (Charlotte, North Carolina) has been carrying out the work and words of our Order since the founding of our lodge in 1951. We have, in our 60-year history, been very strong in ceremonies, and we pride ourselves in that. We work hard to uphold that tradition, and we make sure that we perform the ceremonies in the way that Dr. E. Urner Goodman (the founder of the OA) intended them to be performed.

We also pride ourselves in diving very deeply into the symbolism of the ceremonies. Symbolism training is a frequent topic in our meetings, and increases the understanding of the principles and ceremonies to our team members. We strive to perform the ceremonies as closely to the scripts as possible, while also giving all the candidates a powerful experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

If you are a new or old youth member of Catawba Lodge, you can become a member of our team. A good time to join is at Fall Fellowship, but we will always accept new members year-round. If you have ever wanted to perform an OA ceremony, this is the committee for you. Send an email to our chair Griffin Cook, and you will receive a reply as soon as possible. Check out our station during evenings at lodge events, and feel free to talk to any of the people in costume after a ceremony.

FAQs

Q: I'm afraid of the difficulty of memorizing lines. Is this particularly hard?

A: No. In fact, it is one of the easiest parts! With the way we will train you for your part, it becomes very simple.

Q: I don't have much time right now. I'd like to join, but I'm on the varsity (football, baseball, lacrosse, swim, wrestling) team and have practice every day. Can I still do it?

A: Yes you can! You will only be attending one meeting a month as a new ceremonialist, and you will not need to spend all your free time practicing at home, either. It is a big commitment, but it is not highly time-consuming.

Q: I'd like to help the team, but I don't want to perform any ceremonies. How else can I help?

A: You have several options. If you've always wanted to wear the cool costumes, you can serve as a guard of the ring. You will ask incoming arrowman for the Admonition or other information important to that ceremony, and let them in if they are able to answer correctly, or turn them away if they are not. If that's not for you, you can also be a team equipment manager, in which you are in charge of the costuming and making sure that it is in good shape and ready to use. You can also help the ceremonialists in and out of their gear, and supervise the packing up of the costumes. This is a new position that is open to whomever is interested.

Catawba Ceremonies

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Revised: March 16, 2013