THE GRAND LODGE
AND YOU
Every Grand Lodge
presides over one (and only one) Masonic jurisdiction.
It is the supreme Masonic authority within that jurisdiction. Its authority extends not just to the Lodges under
its control, but also to each of the Appendant and Concordant Bodies within its confines.
Jurisdictions vary
is size and composition. In some places, like
England and Scotland, there is a single Grand Lodge for the entire country. Others, like the United States, have multiple
Grand Lodges, but each has a certain exclusive territory in which it operates. [See the important exception below under PRINCE HALL MASONRY.] Still other places
have multiple Grand Lodges acting within the same territory, each responsible for its own
Lodges. Currently, there are 51 mainstream
Grand Lodges in this country - all 50 States and the District of Columbia.
A Grand Lodge
serves as the administrative center for a Masonic jurisdiction. It sets policies and procedures, ensures that
rules and regulations are being followed, maintains the esoteric work according to the
ancient usages, charters new Lodges, provides information and assistance to its
constituent Lodges, and so on.
Constituent Lodges
are responsible for paying per capita to the
Grand Lodge for its upkeep and maintenance. This
money comes from the annual dues of the membership of each of the Lodges. Each Lodge must also adhere to all of the rules
and regulations adopted by the Grand Lodge. However,
it is important to remember that the authority of the Grand Lodge is derived from the Lodges.
Individual Lodges can exist without a Grand Lodge, but a Grand Lodge cannot
exist without Lodges.
One of the most complicated areas of Masonic jurisprudence, or law, relates to the
standards a Grand Lodge must follow in order to be considered REGULAR. Each Grand Lodge has its own set of standards, and
since there is no central governing authority within Freemasonry, determining REGULARITY
is difficult at best.
Masonic Law is based in part on Anderson's The
Constitutions of the Free-Masons, originally published in 1723. This book was written just six years after the
formation of the first Grand Lodge [See EA: ORIGINS
OF THE FIRST GRAND LODGE] and lists the commonly accepted rules of the time for a
Grand Lodge, Lodge, and individual member. Space
does not permit a comprehensive list of all the relevant issues, but some examples
include: acceptance of candidates, irrespective of their personal religious beliefs; the
Holy Bible, Square, and Compass displayed upon the Altar at all times; the acceptance of
men only; the Hiramic Legend as an integral part of the Third Degree, and so on.
In the late 19th Century, Albert Mackey published a list of 25 Ancient Landmarks of Freemasonry. A Landmark is supposed to be an integral part of
the Craft and can never be changed. Mackey's
list has served as the basis of REGULARITY since its publication, but confusion arises,
because each Grand Lodge determines its own set of Landmarks. Some jurisdictions use all 25 Landmarks as
presented by Mackey. Others have a shorter
list. Still others, like California, refer to
the Ancient Landmarks but do not define them.
REGULARITY is, therefore, a subjective
term. It depends on the perspective of the
one making the determination. Furthermore, a
Grand Lodge may be considered REGULAR by one jurisdiction and IRREGULAR by another!
In contrast to REGULARITY, the concept of RECOGNITION is purely objective. RECOGNITION
refers to the state of amity between two Masonic jurisdictions. The relationship is similar to that between Nation
States, and since each Grand Lodge is sovereign, it decides for itself which Grand Lodges
it will RECOGNIZE and which it will not.
When two Grand Lodge share RECOGNITION, their members are permitted to visit one
another and, in most cases, hold dual membership across jurisdictional lines. The only
Brethren permitted to visit our Lodges are those from RECOGNIZED Masonic jurisdictions. Brethren from UNRECOGNIZED jurisdictions may not
visit a Lodge in our jurisdiction. It is
the responsibility of the Master, or his designee, to make this determination and to
ensure that all visiting Brethren are from a RECOGNIZED Lodge. The book List
of Lodges Masonic is published annually and includes a comprehensive list of every
Lodge in the world which is RECOGNIZED by the Grand Lodge of California. Every Lodge Secretary should have a copy of this
book in his office.
The term Clandestine is often misused and should be avoided as much as possible. A Clandestine Lodge is simply one that is not
working with a legitimate charter from a Grand Lodge.
It may have been in possession of such a charter at one time, but for any
number of reasons, it no longer possesses one, and thus, it is considered Clandestine, or
"in the dark." This term is not the
same as IRREGULAR.
In 1783, a free Black man named Prince Hall was made a Mason in Massachusetts by a
traveling Irish Military Lodge. Hall wished
to form a lodge but was denied dispensation by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. He sent his petition to the Grand Lodge of
England, and after 12 years, he received a charter for African Lodge No. 459 on their
rolls.
This Lodge eventually led to the first "Prince Hall" Grand Lodge. Since that time, Prince Hall Grand Lodges have
spread across this country, much like mainstream Grand Lodges. For 200 years, these Grand Lodges were
unrecognized and considered irregular. It is
only very recently that Prince Hall Masonry has started to be accepted by the mainstream.
It should be understood that the separation between Prince Hall Masonry and
mainstream Masonry was not entirely one-sided. Prince
Hall Masons are justifiably proud of their Masonic heritage, and there was some concern on
their part that recognition would lead to their jurisdictions being swallowed up by the
larger mainstream. However, there can be no
doubt that racism played a large part in the gulf between mainstream Freemasonry and
Prince Hall Freemasonry.
In 1989, the United Grand Lodge of England extended recognition to the Prince Hall
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. Connecticut and
Massachusetts soon followed with recognition of their own.
Since that time, many Prince Hall and mainstream Grand Lodges have extended
recognition to one another. As of 1998, 28 of
51 mainstream Grand Lodges were in fraternal accord with their Prince Hall counterparts.
The Grand Lodge of California recognized the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California
and Hawaii, Inc. at our 1995 Annual Communication. We
are now permitted to visit their Lodges, and they are permitted to visit ours, without
restriction. Dual membership is not
permitted, however, because their Masonic Code expressly prohibits their members from
joining Lodges outside their jurisdiction.
We are also in fraternal accord with the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Oregon.
The Grand Lodge of
California was formed in April of 1850 by representatives of five Lodges. Four are still extant: California No. 13 of the
District of Columbia (now California No. 1 of San Francisco); Western Star No. 98 of
Missouri (now Western Star No. 2 of Shasta); Connecticut No. 75 of Connecticut (now Tehama
No. 3 of Sacramento); and Benicia Lodge of Louisiana (now Sublime-Benicia No. 5 of
Benicia). They met between April 17-19 on the
third floor of the “Red House” at the southeast corner of “J” and 5th
Streets in Sacramento. This was five months
before California was admitted to the Union. Our
first Grand Master was Jonathan D. Stevenson, a lawyer from San Francisco and member of
California Lodge No. 1.
From these humble
beginnings, Freemasonry grew rapidly throughout the State.
Lodges from Hawaii soon petitioned and were admitted to the jurisdiction. In 1989, the Lodges in Hawaii withdrew from this
jurisdiction and formed their own Grand Lodge. Currently,
we have approximately 100,000 members and 420 Lodges.
The Grand Lodge of
California is composed of 7 elective and 20 appointive Grand Lodge Officers, Past Grand
Officers, the Masters and Wardens of each Lodge in the State, and the Past Masters of all
Lodges in this jurisdiction.
Our Masonic Law is
codified in a document called the California Masonic
Code (C.M.C.). Every member of a Lodge
and every Masonic organization in this jurisdiction must adhere to the rules and
regulations of the C.M.C.. Failure to do so
may be grounds for disciplinary action. You
are therefore encouraged to make yourself familiar with this important document.
Each October during
Annual Communication, the members of Grand Lodge
meet at the California Masonic Memorial Temple in San Francisco and conduct the business
of the Grand Lodge. During Annual
Communication, resolutions are presented and voted on by the Grand Lodge. Each member of Grand Lodge has one vote, except
the Grand Tiler who has no vote and Past Masters who have one collective vote for their
whole Lodge. Thus, each Lodge in this
jurisdiction has four votes total: one for the Master, one for each of the Wardens, and
one for its Past Masters as a group. All
Master Masons in good standing are permitted to attend these sessions but may not vote
unless they are members of Grand Lodge. Pre-registration
is required and is handled by the Lodge Secretary.
Resolutions must
receive a 5/6 affirmative vote for adoption. Legislation
receiving less than 5/6 but greater than a majority of the ballots are carried over to the
next year’s session, where they must receive 2/3 affirmative vote for passage. Resolutions receiving less than 1/2 fail. The Grand Master is permitted to make Recommendations and Decisions, which are
special kinds of legislation and are described below. Legislation which passes is adopted as part of the
California Masonic Code.
Every year, the
results of the Annual Communication are recorded in the Grand Lodge Proceedings.
The Grand Master of
Masons of California is elected for a one year term by the members of the Grand Lodge. Almost without exception, he has served the prior
three years as Junior Grand Warden, Senior Grand Warden, and then Deputy Grand Master.
The Grand Master is
the chief executive officer of this jurisdiction and his powers and responsibilities are
wide and varied. In brief, he may grant
dispensations, convene and preside over any Lodge, arrest the charter or dispensation of
any Lodge, suspend the Master of any Lodge from the exercise of his powers and duties, and
officiate at the laying of cornerstones. The
Grand Master also acts on behalf of the Grand Lodge when it is not in session.
During his term,
the Grand Master is sometimes called upon to interpret the California Masonic Code. He may consult with the Jurisprudence Committee on
the matter, but the final determination is his to make.
This interpretation of the C.M.C. is called a Grand Master Decision and immediately becomes law
within the jurisdiction. At the Annual
Communication next following, all Grand Master Decisions are voted on by the Grand Lodge. They must receive 2/3 affirmative vote for passage
and are subject to the same rules regarding carry-over legislation as any other
resolution.
The Grand Master
may also offer his Recommendations to the Grand
Lodge. These are treated like any normal
resolution brought before the Grand Lodge, except that the Recommendation of a Grand Master often carries a
great deal of influence.
The Executive
Committee consists of the Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master, and the Senior and Junior
Grand Wardens. In the absence of the Grand
Master, one of these other officers presides on his behalf.
The Grand Secretary
is the chief administrative officer of the Grand Lodge.
He has many responsibilities, most especially managing the staff and
day-to-day operations of the Grand Lodge office. He
is also responsible for serving as secretary for various Grand Lodge Boards and
Committees, recording all transactions of the Grand Lodge proper to be written,
maintaining important documents and papers of the Grand Lodge, and conducting the
correspondence of the Grand Lodge. He also
receives Resolutions, Decisions, and Recommendations presented to the Grand Lodge for
Annual Communication, maintains membership statistics, and more.
THE GRAND LECTURER AND RITUAL COMMITTEE
In matters of
ritual, this jurisdiction is divided into four geographical Divisions, each of which is
under the supervision of an Assistant Grand Lecturer, who is appointed each year by the
Grand Master. These four Assistant Grand
Lecturers receive instruction in the ritual and report to the Grand Lecturer, who is an
elective Grand Lodge Officer.
Each of these
Divisions is further subdivided into Districts, which are overseen by an Inspector. Each Inspector is usually accountable for about
four Lodges. The Inspector oversees the
ritual work and is also the representative of the Grand Master within the District. He is authorized to ensure that the administration
of each Lodge in his District is handled properly. Within
each Lodge, an Officers Coach, appointed by the Inspector, sees that the ritual work of
that Lodge is done properly.
The Grand Lodge
maintains a number of Boards and Committees, each of which has a specific responsibility
within the overall structure of the Grand Lodge. Boards
and Standing Committees are mandated by the California Masonic Code. The Grand Master may also convene any number of
Special Committees at his pleasure.
All Members of Grand Lodge Boards and Committees are appointed by the Grand Master and are usually Past Masters, but a limited number of Master Masons may be appointed, as well. Members may only serve for nine years, with five of those as president or chairman, unless the Grand Master feels that circumstances warrant a longer term.