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 Entered Apprentice: Origin 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.
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.