Regularity and
Recognition
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.
Prince Hall Masonry
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
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
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
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.
Boards and Committees
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.
