Question About NY Out-of-State Membership

[Lancelot]

Good evening Brethren,

I hope all is well with you all. I have a complicated question, and I'm really not sure what the answer is on this. I'm a MM in Alabama, but desire dual membership with a lodge in New York as well. Family history plays a role here, and will be traveling on occasion and will be stopping in when I'm there. I've know of a few folks who have this privilege, but I'm not sure how to go about securing it. I'm looking at a lodge in the Tarrytown area to give Moreno specific detail. Has anyone done this and can you give me light on this?

Thanks

 

[Ripcord22A]

Usually you have to be present to petition, with a few exceptions such as if you were a member and left in good terms some jurisdictions will let you reaffiliate in abstentia. In fact a member of this board just did thst exact same thing with my current lodge

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[MarkR]

You also need to see if Alabama permits plural membership. Some Grand Lodges don't; you can only belong to one lodge at a time. It can introduce some issues for you to belong in two different states. Something you do that's perfectly acceptable in one state might get you brought up on Masonic charges in the other, so make sure you're fully cognizant of those possible conflicts.

For example, Alabama does not recognize Prince Hall. New York does. If you sit in lodge in New York, and a Prince Hall brother happens to be there, will you be subject to discipline in Alabama for sitting with a non-recognized Mason? I don't know the answer to that, but you should know the answer before you're confronted with the situation, so you can know how you want to handle it.

 

[Bill Lins]

I'll try to help but I'm going to have to make an assumption- that the NY Lodge with which you wish to affiliate is under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New York. If that Lodge is under the Prince Hall GL of NY, what you want to do may not be possible. GL of AL permits dual membership with out-of-state Lodges, while GLoNY permits both dual & plural memberships, so you'd be OK to affiliate with one GLoNY Lodge only.

What I would advise is for you to write a letter to the NY Lodge, giving your personal & Masonic histories and fully explaining your reasons for wanting to affiliate with them. If you personally know any members of that Lodge, be sure to mention that in your letter. Do NOT send your letter directly to that Lodge.

Masonic protocol demands that you present your letter to the Secretary of your Lodge, who should attach a letter of his own, containing his verification of your record and his endorsement of your request (preferably signed by both him & your WM), and forward both letters to the Grand Secretary of your GL (they may have to go through your DDGM, depending on your GL's procedures), who will (possibly after gaining the approval of your GM, again depending upon your GL's procedures) forward them to the GLoNY's Grand Secretary, who will forward them to the Lodge which with you desire to affiliate, for their approval. They may want to or be required to do an investigation, depending on their rules, so don't be surprised if things don't happen overnight.

Whatever their procedure may be, once they have decided either way upon your request, they will reverse the process, sending everything back to their Grand Secretary, who will forward the same to your Grand Secretary, who will send the same back to your Secretary.

Good luck- I hope it all works out for you.

 

[goomba]

You also need to see if Alabama permits plural membership. Some Grand Lodges don't; you can only belong to one lodge at a time. It can introduce some issues for you to belong in two different states. Something you do that's perfectly acceptable in one state might get you brought up on Masonic charges in the other, so make sure you're fully cognizant of those possible conflicts.

For example, Alabama does not recognize Prince Hall. New York does. If you sit in lodge in New York, and a Prince Hall brother happens to be there, will you be subject to discipline in Alabama for sitting with a non-recognized Mason? I don't know the answer to that, but you should know the answer before you're confronted with the situation, so you can know how you want to handle it.

Alabama permits dual in-state membership and plural out of state membership, officially. However, some only read the dual part and only go by that. The unwritten rule about sitting in a lodge with a brother your GL doesn't recognize but the other does (in Alabama at least) is, follow the local rules.

 

[Companion Joe]

I recommend simply touching base with the lodge in NY just to ask questions and get some answers before you start the ball officially rolling.
If I read what you posted correctly, yours is an unusual situation. Normally, when someone has membership in two states, it's because they were raised in one state, moved, and joined a lodge in the new state where they now live. I understand you to say you are staying in Alabama but want membership in the NY lodge for when you are passing through.

You can visit the lodge any time you are traveling through there. You don't have to be a member. My real question is this: is it really worth the price of dues to be a member in absentia? It's not like people there are really going to get to know you or you them, you can't hold office if you are only there every once in a while, and if you are there and eligible to participate in lodge affairs, you probably won't really be up to speed on the discussion. That's just my opinion.

 

[Lancelot]

Thank you for the replies, brethren. I appreciate the input. It's the hope of belonging to a lodge that my ancestor belonged to. The history. The dues aren't a big deal, nor are any of the other matters noted above. The knowledge of belonging there is important to me personally. Perhaps a selfish mission, but it is what it is I suppose.

 

[Glen Cook]

I'll try to help but I'm going to have to make an assumption- that the NY Lodge with which you wish to affiliate is under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New York. If that Lodge is under the Prince Hall GL of NY, what you want to do may not be possible. GL of AL permits dual membership with out-of-state Lodges, while GLoNY permits both dual & plural memberships, so you'd be OK to affiliate with one GLoNY Lodge only.

What I would advise is for you to write a letter to the NY Lodge, giving your personal & Masonic histories and fully explaining your reasons for wanting to affiliate with them. If you personally know any members of that Lodge, be sure to mention that in your letter. Do NOT send your letter directly to that Lodge.

Masonic protocol demands that you present your letter to the Secretary of your Lodge, who should attach a letter of his own, containing his verification of your record and his endorsement of your request (preferably signed by both him & your WM), and forward both letters to the Grand Secretary of your GL (they may have to go through your DDGM, depending on your GL's procedures), who will (possibly after gaining the approval of your GM, again depending upon your GL's procedures) forward them to the GLoNY's Grand Secretary, who will forward them to the Lodge which with you desire to affiliate, for their approval. They may want to or be required to do an investigation, depending on their rules, so don't be surprised if things don't happen overnight.

Whatever their procedure may be, once they have decided either way upon your request, they will reverse the process, sending everything back to their Grand Secretary, who will forward the same to your Grand Secretary, who will send the same back to your Secretary.

Good luck- I hope it all works out for you.

Boy. You Texicans are complicated folk

 

[Bill Lins]

Alabama permits dual in-state membership and plural out of state membership, officially.

According to the List of Lodges Masonic, GLoAL permits dual membership only, either in or out-of-state.

 

[Bill Lins]

Boy. You Texicans are complicated folk

Just doin' it by the book- I'da thought you, of all Brethren, would understand. It's yore kind what made it so complicated, after all!

 

[goomba]

I actually stand corrected Alabama now allows plural membership in state as well.

Edict 17.20 PLURAL MEMBERSHIP - A Master Mason can be
a member of multiple Masonic Lodges in this Grand Jurisdiction,
provided all Lodges record him as a plural member, and his
membership is reported to the Grand Lodge. A plural member can hold
elected office in all Lodges at the same time excluding the first three
Officers and the Secretary. Furthermore a Master Mason of a Lodge
in this Grand Jurisdiction may also hold membership in another Grand
Jurisdiction provided this Grand Jurisdiction is in fraternal relations
with the other Grand Jurisdiction and that said Grand Jurisdiction
legalizes plural membership.

 

[Bill Lins]

Good to know- that apparently has been changed since the book was printed. It would sure be nice it they would send out updates on things like that.