Well there are a couple of question with this.. ! who has the wisdom of Solomon to dictate to ALL lodges in the state of Texas should be done..? there are a lot of small lodges who are just hanging on..? others in far west Texas that are miles for each other, traveling miles to install brethern.. ! what do you do when you get there with a crowd waiting for installation and you tell him he is not ready..? don't think so...? This is a big state with all different types of lodges.. ! think we should understand that we are ALL brethern and they will do whats best for Masonary.. !
The other part is the Committee on "hope and change" .. ! when you talking about opening and closing a lodge.. ! then why the Lodge of Sorrow..? something they sat around and made up.. ! was a mason for years and never opened a lodge of sorrow... ! our lodge open and closed every lodge the day of the service.. ! and this still can be done.. ! by the funeral master.. ! doesn't have to be done by the sitting master.. ! why the opening and closing of the EA and FC... ! something else they sat around made up.. if you can open a MM lodge and call off..? you don't have to open the EA or FC lodge by itself..?
NO ONE brother has the wisdom to do what is right for every lodge, BUT that is why the Grand Lodge is made up of thousands of brothers, just like you and me. We are all supposed to take a look at our brothers in the rural areas and the lodges in the metropolitan areas, and the lodges in-between. After we take a look , we are supposed to deliberate and try and come up with a system that is good for all of us.
I have traveled miles to install several brothers in the rural areas, and everyone I have installed could open and close all of the lodges.
As for the Lodge of Sorrow, I have conducted well over 200 Masonic funerals in the last 30 years sadly enough, and it certainly is nice in the busy world I live and work in , to just show up at a grave site and conduct a funeral, without having to go to the lodge, open it, and then go back and close it once the service is concluded. The Lodge of Sorrow has been around since around 1981 or 82, and I for one love the system. What is wrong with making changes that are not derogatory to our fraternity and are in fact more conducive to making it possible for more brothers to be present.
On the opening of EA and FC lodges without opening a Masters Lodge, when the proposal first went to the Grand Lodge floor, I was not a proponent, but except for a couple of cases where a lodge or two are getting rusty at calling from labor to refreshment and back, I have not seen any other adverse effects.