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The Minutes of the Quarterly Communication
of Grand Lodge of 8 June 2005 were confirmed.
The dates on which the Board of General
Purposes will meet in 2006: 7 February,
21 March, 9 May, 18 July, 19 September,
14 November.
Attendance at Lodges under the
English Constitution by Brethren
from other Grand Lodges
The Board considers it appropriate to
draw attention to Rule 125(b), Book of
Constitutions, and the list of Grand Lodges
recognised by the UGLE, which is published
in the Masonic Year Book, copies of which
are sent to secretaries of Lodges.
Only Brethren who are members of
Lodges under recognised jurisdictions may
visit English Lodges. They must produce a
certificate (i.e., a Grand Lodge certificate or
other documentary proof of Masonic identity
provided by their Grand Lodge), should
be prepared to acknowledge that a personal
belief in ...... is an essential Landmark in
Freemasonry, and should be able to produce
evidence of their good standing in their
Lodges. It is the Master’s responsibility
to ensure that the requirements of Rule
125(b) are met.
It is particularly noted that the hazard
of admitting a member of an unrecognised
constitution arises not only in connection
with overseas visitors (or individuals
resident in this country who belong
to an unrecognised constitution overseas).
There are Lodges of unrecognised
constitutions meeting in England, and
care must be taken that their members
are not admitted to our meetings.
Attendance at Lodges Overseas
The continuing growth in overseas travel
brings with it an increase in visits by our
Brethren to Lodges of other jurisdictions,
and the Board welcomes this trend. From
time to time, however, Brethren become
involved with Masonic bodies which Grand
Lodge does not recognise, e.g., in visiting
a jurisdiction which, quite legitimately so
far as it is concerned, accepts as visitors
Brethren from Grand Lodges which are
not recognised by the United Grand Lodge
of England.
In this connection, Brethren are reminded
that it is part of their duty as members of
the English Constitution not to associate
Masonically with members of unrecognised
constitutions, and should such a situation
occur, they should tactfully withdraw,
even though their visit may have been
formally arranged.
To avoid this danger, and potential
embarrassment to hosts, Brethren should
not attempt to make any Masonic contact
overseas without having first checked
(preferably in writing) with the Grand
Secretary’s Office at Freemasons’ Hall, Great
Queen Street, London wc2b 5az, that there
is recognised Freemasonry in the country
concerned and, if so, whether there is any
particular point which should be watched.
The Board recommends that the terms
of this warning should be repeated verbally
in open Lodge whenever a Grand Lodge
Certificate is presented, and be in print
once a year in a Lodge’s summons.
Brethren should also be aware of the
Masonic convention that communications
between Grand Lodges be conducted by
Grand Secretaries. They should therefore
not attempt without permission to make
direct contact with the Grand Secretary
of another Constitution. This does not
preclude direct contact on a purely personal
level between individual Brethren under
different Grand Lodges.
Grand Lodge’s Accounts
Annual Dues, Fees and
Grand Charity Contributions
Although the Grand Lodge’s accounts are
required by Rule 228(c) of the Book of
Constitutions to be circulated to every Lodge
not later than 31st March of the following
year, they are not presented to the Grand
Lodge for consideration until the Quarterly
Communication in June.
The Board considers that if the date by
which the accounts must be circulated were
to be extended to 30th April the process of
preparation and audit could be conducted
in a more efficient and controlled manner
(with a consequent saving in audit fees),
while adequate time would still be available
for Brethren to peruse the accounts before
the Quarterly Communication in June.
The Board also considers that it is in
principle undesirable that the Grand Lodge
be asked to fix the amounts of the Grand
Lodge dues, fees and Grand Charity
contributions without knowledge of the
current state of the Grand Lodge’s finances.
It accordingly recommends that in future
those amounts should be set at the Quarterly
Communication in June when the audited
Accounts will be available.
Notice of Motion was given to amend
the Book of Constitutions accordingly.
Installed Master’ Lodges
As indicated in the Board’s Report to Grand
Lodge in June 2005, it is proposed to exempt
Installed Masters’ Lodges from paying dues
to Grand Lodge and the contribution to the
Grand Charity, except in respect of those
members who belong to no other Lodge.
Notice of Motion was given to amend
the Book of Constitutions accordingly.
Freemasonry and the Media
There has recently been a revival in interest
in Freemasonry on the part of the broadcast
media. The Board believes it timely to
remind Brethren of the general advice
given on this subject on previous occasions.
Whilst it has no desire to prevent
Brethren from voicing their views, the
Board believes that participation, at both
the national and local levels, in broadcast
debates on Freemasonry is best left to
spokesmen who have the background
knowledge and experience to participate
in such events, and, preferably, have been
duly authorised in advance.
Any Brother who is approached to take
part in a broadcast should seek guidance
either from the Communications
Department at Freemasons’ Hall or the
Information Officer appointed by his
Metropolitan, Provincial or District
Grand Master. It follows also that Brethren,
other than those authorised, should
not voluntarily approach the media
to solicit coverage.
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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