My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Non-Payment of dues

dfreybur

Premium Member
Interestingly, some years ago, Virginia implemented a dues amnesty program. I do not recall all of the specifics. Basically, if a suspended Mason would pay up for one year, then all past years non-payment would be cancelled. The program was a success, and so many suspended Masons took advantage, that the Grand Lodge actually wound up showing a net cash benefit! And many Masons who had been suspended for NPD, got back into Masonry.

Illinois tried that around 5 years ago. Almost all of the brothers who paid the GL fee didn't pay their dues and a couple of years later were NPD again. The few it brought back were worth it to me.
 

Rifleman1776

Registered User
There are elderly brothers in nursing homes. Their wives usually aren't interested in paying their dues. The secretary tells the wives they can ask for a remit and we'll handle their dues from here on in and their husband can have a Masonic funeral, or she can ignore of and there won't be an option of a Masonic funeral because he won't be in good status. Which they select depends on the wife. In jurisdictions where 50 year brother no longer pay this won't happen as much.

If anyone at the Stated meeting knows the brother is unemployed his dues can be remitted or paid by a brother present. I've done that.

It can also happen that a brother's name comes up and he's in the meeting so he writes the check and apologizes for being too disorganized to pay on time. I've done that, too, sigh.


I was secretary for my Royal Arch Chapter for many years. A Brother/Companion getting elderly and ill is the biggest reason we have for suspensions for NPD. Families simply do not consider the good standing as important and ignore notices. There is no choice but to drop the membership after two or more years of silence. What I believe is sad is the Brother cannot have Masonic rites at his funeral because he is not in good standing at death. My currenlt lodge will remit if it is known there is financial hardship or other distress. But that is not the practice everywhere.
 

relapse98

Registered User
What I believe is sad is the Brother cannot have Masonic rites at his funeral because he is not in good standing at death.

It is sad. And in Texas, at least, the Master of the Lodge can allow a Masonic funeral to a brother in that situation.

Article 359, bottom part:
Upon request it may be extended at the discretion of the
Master of the Lodge to worthy non-affiliated Masons if he so determines,
and to worthy suspended Masons who have been suspended
for non-payment of Lodge dues.

We went through a similar excercise at a Grand Master's Conference about being approached about a man who you could not confirm was a Mason in time for the funeral.. do you do the funeral or not? And the answer was try your hardest and if you still come up short, go ahead and do it. If the family believes strongly that he was a Mason in good standing, give them that last 'gift' and not be the tool in the way.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
I believe that here after 2 years of NPD without making some type of arrangements you can be expelled.

This is one of those word distinctions that is important - Suspended is a status that is easy to change because it is from causes like NPD. Expelled is a status that is hard to change because it is from causes like trials.
 

Radical540

Registered User
This is one of those word distinctions that is important - Suspended is a status that is easy to change because it is from causes like NPD. Expelled is a status that is hard to change because it is from causes like trials.
Mr. Freybur...if i didn't know better I'd imagine you have PhD in Linguistics...as you seem to frequently bring in linguistics and semantics into many discussion topics.
Myself?......I take a more pragmatic approach, and take Warrior's comment more literally: expel means expel!
(Expel; a verb- meaning "to drive or force out or away; discharge or eject")
To that point, assuming Warrior's statement; I agree to EXPEL in the formal sense.
 
Top