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QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION
Report of the Board of General Purposes
Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London plan for ceremony
at the Royal Albert Hall
At the Annual Investiture
in April 2002, the MW the Grand Master announced the proposed formation of a Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.
The committee, set up by
the Board with representations from the Committee of General Purposes, has brought forward recommendations for a
detailed scheme.
These have the approval of the Grand Master (and First
Grand Principal). The views of London Masons are being sought on various aspects of the scheme.
The principal recommendations are:
¤ The Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London will be constituted on 1 October 2003 in a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall and the Metropolitan Grand Master will be installed. If Grand Lodge approves the changes to the Book of Constitutions, the Grand Master intends to appoint RW Bro The Rt Hon Lord Millett, PJGW as the first holder of that office.
¤ The Metropolitan Grand Master will rank after Past
Assistant Grand Masters and before Provincial and District Grand Masters, and except in specified instances (the most important of which are listed below) will have the same powers and duties as a Provincial Grand Master.
The organisation of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge and the Metropolitan Area will similarly mirror that of a Provincial Grand Lodge and a Province.
¤ The Metropolitan Grand Master will have power to appoint a Deputy Metropolitan Grand Master, a number of Metropolitan Group Inspectors and Metropolitan Grand
Officers in accordance with a schedule different from, but no larger than, that which applies to the largest Provinces.
There will be no appointments to past Metropolitan
Grand Ranks. Instead the existing structure of annual appointments to Senior London Grand Rank, London Grand Rank and London Rank will be retained, with the addition of a new Junior London Grand Rank, which will provide an opportunity for the early appointment of outstanding Brethren.
¤ Lodges in the Metropolitan Area will pay the same dues to Grand Lodge as Lodges in Provinces, and will
pay separate dues to the Metropolitan Grand Lodge.
A notice of motion to amend the Book of Constitutions to give effect to the proposals was moved by the President of the Board of General Purposes for consideration by Grand Lodge at the next Quarterly Communication on 12 March 2003.
A similar notice of motion is being given in Supreme Grand Chapter in respect of the Royal Arch Regulations.
Annual Investiture of Grand Officers 30 April 2003
So that sufficient accommodation can be reserved for those Brethren who are to be invested and their friends, admission to the Annual Investiture is by ticket only.
Brethren to be invested for the first time may invite to be present with them three qualified Brethren, and those to be promoted may invite two qualified Brethren.
Written application for seats may be made to the Grand Secretary between
1 March and 31 March by Brethren qualified to attend Grand Lodge: Past Grand Officers, Masters, Wardens (not Past Wardens), Past Masters qualified under Rule 9, Book of Constitutions.
If necessary, a ballot for the allocation of seats will be held on 5 April, and tickets posted to successful Brethren around 1 April.
Unsuccessful Brethren
will be notified.
Grand Lodge of India
In September 1992,
Grand Lodge withdrew recognition, for reasons unconnected with regularity, from the Grand Lodge
of India.
The Board has kept
the situation under periodic review and is glad to report that, following an extensive
period of discussion with the Grand Lodge of India, it now feels able to recommend that recognition should be restored to that Grand Lodge.
A motion to restore recognition to the Grand Lodge of India was approved.
Erasure of Lodges
The Board has received reports on three Lodges that have closed and surrendered their warrants. The Lodges are: Polela Lodge No. 3087 (Natal), Coronation Lodge No. 5668 (Surrey) and New Temple Lodge No. 8174 (West Lancashire).
Over recent years, the Lodges have been unable to attract a sufficient flow
of new members and have suffered very poor attendances. The Board
is satisfied that further efforts to save them would be to no avail and therefore has no alternative but
to recommend that they
be erased.
A motion to erase the Lodges from the register was approved.
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MQ Magazine
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