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Mainstream to PHA

adouglas10

Registered User
Greetings all,

I recently moved to Dallas, Tx from Houston and I am contemplating making the switch to PHA. I am currently a member of the Scottish Rite also, could anybody enlighten me on the process of a making the transition?
 

Bro. David F. Hill

David F. Hill
Premium Member
I would first ask the question "Why"? What do you hope to gain or think will be different if you make the change?

Because we do not have plural membership under the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas, to change from one to the other would mean that you would have to resign you affiliation with the Grand Lodge of Texas then petition a Prince Hall lodge, pay the initiation fee, be voted on AND excepted, then go through all the degrees again.

In my opinion, with inter-visitation having been approved, the transference of membership is really a moot point.
 

Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
Wait, so he cant demit from the GLoTX and petition as a demitted MM? That's not plural membership.....why would a MM have to take yhe degrees again
 

Bro. David F. Hill

David F. Hill
Premium Member
Demits are intrastate/interstate but within the same affiliation. My thoughts are that there are some that are curious about one affiliation or the other and to avoid people bouncing back and forth between the two, make sure that he is serious about it.
 

adouglas10

Registered User
Brother Hill I will send you a direct message with my personal reasons for wanting to transfer membership
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
I would first ask the question "Why"?

The reason I know about is limited number of visits. When I moved to Texas and before I affiliated with one of the local regular jurisdictions I visited lodges in both. The local PHA jurisdiction has a limited number of visits. After that it's time to affiliate.

I was stuck with a sad choice. The recognition agreement in my mother jurisdiction says unlimited visits but not cross affiliation. I'm a Past Master and life/endowed member in my mother jurisdiction so I'm not willing to demit. The recognition agreement in Texas did not allow visits yet. So I affiliated in GLofTX and started waiting.

Now I can file the paperwork to visit and let the paperwork wend its away office to office. But as far as I can tell I can't become a regular visitor in a lodge in your district. I like being a regular visitor at a few lodges.
 

Bro. David F. Hill

David F. Hill
Premium Member
We keep going by what we think we know or have heard. The hardest visit is the first but afterwards, the subsequent visits are not so structured. I would check with your Grand Secretary to get the guidelines for visitation.
 

MRichard

Mark A. Ri'chard
Premium Member
I would just wait it out. Visitation has just begun. It is a step in the right direction. Each grand lodge has it own issues to some extent.
 

adouglas10

Registered User
Thank you brothers for your responses. While I understand that visitation has just begun, my main concern in finding a lodge in Dallas is one that is diverse, which I have had difficulty doing under GLoTx
 

MRichard

Mark A. Ri'chard
Premium Member
Have you tried Metropolitan 1182? There is a Prince Hall Metropolitan lodge as well. They had some joint events. Saw some pictures on the Texas Freemasons facebook group. I don't know if it is diverse however.
 

Archangel Raised

Registered User
Brothers, I am heading in the other direction (PHA to mainstream). Being a newly raised MM, I am hungry for more illumination. My PHA blue lodge is stacked with 70-80 year old past masters and my line brothers and I are the new blood (in our 50's) sheesh.

The mainstream lodges are more dynamic and alive. . . and many more events and tiled meetings going on for the new MM to consume.

While I will not abandon my blue lodge (we are our brother's keeper) I seek the light for my own edification.

I think it backwards for the GL of PHA to not allow dual affiliation (jurisdiction CA). . . masonry is dying, and we are it's guardians. It only makes sense to get more brothers into each others respective lodges to fellowship and also to grow the fraternity.

Our CA Grand Session is coming up, and I wish to pose this question to the Grand Counsel. I am curious the thoughts of my brothers.

Travel Light,

Tevis
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Raised last week - Welcome again, and again, to the family thrice adopted brother.

Brothers, I am heading in the other direction (PHA to mainstream). Being a newly raised MM, I am hungry for more illumination. My PHA blue lodge is stacked with 70-80 year old past masters and my line brothers and I are the new blood (in our 50's) sheesh.

It's very easy to find such lodges in any jurisdiction. Degrees bottomed out at least 10 years ago but we are members for life so membership is still near parity in most jurisdictions only now starting to climb again. Many lodges are not seeing petitions.

The mainstream lodges are more dynamic and alive. . . and many more events and tiled meetings going on for the new MM to consume.

You'll find active lodges in both local jurisdictions if you look around. Of course the larger jurisdiction will have more events.

I think it backwards for the GL of PHA to not allow dual affiliation (jurisdiction CA). . .Our CA Grand Session is coming up, and I wish to pose this question to the Grand Counsel.

On the one hand your jurisdiction your rules. I don't get why a jurisdiction would chose to only allow a brother to be a member of exactly one lodge, but I don't have to get it. I just have to follow the rules of any jurisdiction I join or visit.

On the other hand if you want to change it go through the line so you have a vote and start showing up and voting every year. The recognition agreement with GLofCA specified no affiliation because of that rule and it was carried forward to the recognition agreement GLofCA has offered to all other PHA jurisdictions as they are locally recognized.

I remember Hiram #12 MWPHGLofCA doing well, but I'm biased because they are tenants in our building in Pasadena.

In GLofCA there are a number of very active lodge near you. North Hollywood, San Fernando, Burbank, Pasadena all named after their cities. Wisdom in Pasadena, Culver City Foshay in CC are all busy with non-tiled events every month as well as good pipelines of candidates.
 

Archangel Raised

Registered User
Bless you Brother, and thank you for the insight.

I agree on all, and you are exactly right. I will be attending a non-tiled lecture at Hollywood Lodge 355 (mainstream) on Thursday.

. . .grateful for the brotherly love, even if there are still old-guard is standing in the way of progress (on the PHA side).

Hope to meet you soon at on of these lodge events.

Travel light, all!

Tevis
 
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