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Why do we hold stated meetings on the MM degree only?

Bloke

Bloke

Premium Member
Brother_Steve said:
I have to be a full member to vote. However, we recently started being able to open on and conduct business on any degree we so choose.

The only issue is making sure the EA and FC masons do not vote. We assign a PM or a mentor to sit with them on the north side of the Lodge.
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Here, EAs and above have long had the right to vote in their Lodge. What is radical, is a few years ago, we also gave them the right to vote at proceedings of GL.
 
jrnteach

jrnteach

Registered User
In my lodge and I believe in most CA lodges we open stated meetings on the EA degree. We do however open installation of officers as MM beforehand and then close the MM lodge after the installation.

EA and FC don’t vote though.
 
Warrior1256

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
Brother JC said:
Actually, it’s set by each grand lodge. Even if my lodge was filled with nothing but MMs we would still be required to open in the First.
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Here in Kentucky we are required to open on the MM degree. However, each year at the Grand Lodge Session opening on a lesser degree is brought up for a vote. At first the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of staying the course on opening on MM only. However, each year the vote is getting narrower and narrower.
acjohnson53 said:
and work your way up....
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In our case we work our way down.
Scoops said:
Only if there's work to be done in the higher degrees,
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In our case only if there is work to be done on a lesser degree.
 
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Canadian Paul

Canadian Paul

Registered User
Like all lodges here, we always Open in the First Degree and will conduct our business etc and then close in that degree. One pecularity of our ritual is that, if we have Passed or Raised the lodge to confer a degree, instead of Reducing back to the First Degree to close the Lodge, we will close in the last degree we were working in. This can cause some confusion among our visaitorsin giving signs, etc. during the closing!
 
Mark Stockdale

Mark Stockdale

Premium Member
Canadian Paul said:
Like all lodges here, we always Open in the First Degree and will conduct our business etc and then close in that degree. One pecularity of our ritual is that, if we have Passed or Raised the lodge to confer a degree, instead of Reducing back to the First Degree to close the Lodge, we will close in the last degree we were working in. This can cause some confusion among our visaitorsin giving signs, etc. during the closing!
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That's how we do it in Scotland as well.

Sent from my 6055P using My Freemasonry mobile app
 
Todd M. Stewart

Todd M. Stewart

Premium Member
In Nebraska we opened in MM only. Here in Iowa we open in the Degree of the lowest attending Brother. I found this regarding the Baltimore Convention in a Short Talk Bulletin written by Allen E. Roberts.

"The Committee considered it an “impropriety” to transact “business in Lodges below the Degree of Master Mason, except as such that appertains to the conferring of the inferior Degrees and the instruction therein.” It credited the Grand Lodge of Missouri for bringing this to the attention of Freemasons everywhere. The Committee went on to say “Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts are not members of Lodges, nor are they entitled to the franchises of members.”

http://www.masonicworld.com/education/files/artfeb02/convention that changed freemasonry.htm
 
Scoops

Scoops

Registered User
Todd M. Stewart said:
"The Committee considered it an “impropriety” to transact “business in Lodges below the Degree of Master Mason, except as such that appertains to the conferring of the inferior Degrees and the instruction therein.” It credited the Grand Lodge of Missouri for bringing this to the attention of Freemasons everywhere. The Committee went on to say “Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts are not members of Lodges, nor are they entitled to the franchises of members"
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That's not at all the case here under UGLE. EAs and FCs are full, dues paying members of our lodges with all the rights membership confers. Hence we open in the First and transact all masonic business, other than conferring higher degrees and installation, in the First.


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Bloke

Bloke

Premium Member
Todd M. Stewart said:
In Nebraska we opened in MM only. Here in Iowa we open in the Degree of the lowest attending Brother. I found this regarding the Baltimore Convention in a Short Talk Bulletin written by Allen E. Roberts.

"The Committee considered it an “impropriety” to transact “business in Lodges below the Degree of Master Mason, except as such that appertains to the conferring of the inferior Degrees and the instruction therein.” It credited the Grand Lodge of Missouri for bringing this to the attention of Freemasons everywhere. The Committee went on to say “Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts are not members of Lodges, nor are they entitled to the franchises of members.”

http://www.masonicworld.com/education/files/artfeb02/convention that changed freemasonry.htm
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As Bro Scoops says - that is also not the case here in Victoria Australia - All including EAs are voting member of the Lodge.
 
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