Consolidation
Abbreviations of Craft Ranks
Book of Constitutions Craft & RA
By Laws
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Consolidation of Lodges
Consolidation of Chapters
Cornerstone Society
Dispensations
Districts
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Framed Photographs
Honours
Masonic Halls
MQ Magazine
Personal 50ths
Photographs - Legal
Procedures
Protocol
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Provincial Tie
Publications and lectures
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Rule 158
Scribes E
Secretaries
Summons distribution
Toast Lists
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
AMALGAMATIONS
1. My Chapter is in difficulty due to falling numbers, how do we contact an Amalgamation Co-ordinator so that we can discus the options open to us?
Answer:
The initial enquiry and request should be made from the Chapter to the Assistant to the Provincial Grand Principal’s of your Area via your District Chairman; a co-ordinator will then be appointed and the Provincial Secretariat advised.
2. Can we amalgamate with a Chapter in another Area?
Answer:
Yes, but the negotiations must involve the APGP’s for both Areas who will
appoint a single co-ordinator acceptable to all parties.
3. Does the older Chapter become the first named in the new name for the Chapter?
Answer:
Not necessarily. For example, in the Craft, when Corinthian Lodge No 3767 (the DaughterLodge) joined St John’s Lodge No 221 (the Mother Lodge) the members of bothLodges were agreeable to the name and number of the “new” Lodge becoming
Corinthian Lodge No 221. This shows that whilst the larger Lodge, Corinthian,
was willing to amalgamate in order to preserve its Mother Lodge it was also
anxious to preserve its identity in the form of its name.
4. Does the size of membership, e.g. stronger Chapter, assume the role of the dominant partner?
Answer:
Not necessarily. Please see the answer above. In some cases the mother-daughter
relationship must be acknowledged and in all cases careful
consideration should be given to the age of the Charters and the prestige of the
lower number.
5. Chains: Does the amalgamated Chapter adopt one set of Principal’s chains or could they be worn on alternate evenings, similarly with the P’s Robes etc.?
Answer:
The Principal’s should always wear the chains of the Receiving Chapter. The chains of the Closing Chapter could either be worn at the same time by the by the Principal’s at the Social Board.
6. Past Principal’s: Do they need to assimilate the respective PP’s into some pecking order, likewise Companions who may be in office and working their way towards the chairs?
Answer:
Yes. They should be taken strictly in date order for the combined membership
of both merging Chapters i.e. date of Initiation for Companions and date of Installation for Past Principal’s, irrespective of which Chapter.
6a. Past Principal’s (continued): Are they each able to celebrate anniversaries that they have may have reached had they remained separate (e.g. Chapter A – 48 years, Chapter B – 95 years – so in two years time the new Chapter will celebrate the Chapter A’s Golden Jubilee and in five years time the new Chapter will celebrate the B’s Centenary)?
Answer:
No. Henceforth they can only celebrate the anniversaries of the Receiving
Chapter – hence the greater importance of careful consideration under items 3
and 4 above. It would be up to them if they “unofficially” acknowledge the more
important anniversaries of the “former” Chapter e.g. Centenaries and the like, by
a special private dinner or some such event. Personal 50th’s and 60th’s would
be unaffected, provided the individual Companions membership of the
Royal Arch/Province remained uninterrupted.
7. Will matters of ritual and Chapter procedure have to be agreed by the members?
Answer:
Yes. This should be negotiated in a generous spirit of “give-and-take” so that
the nuances of ritual dear to both parties can continue to be observed where
practical and provided they do not cause needless controversy. [If agreement
cannot be reached on any particular oddity – which is very unlikely–stick to the
ritual as written]. At the same time, opportunity could be taken to clear away any
inexplicable “tradition”, introduced by some long forgotten DC that now merely
causes irritation and bewilderment, especially to young newcomers.
8. Would the new Chapter assume responsibility for the widows and other dependant’s, etc., of all amalgamated Chapters?
Answer:
Yes: This would be expected of them and they should treat the Closing Chapter’s
widows precisely the same as their own. To acknowledge this, the Closing
Chapter should be prepared to transfer some of their Charity Account to that of
the Receiving Chapter [bearing in mind that henceforth the joining members will
be making their contributions to the combined Charity Account in the same way
as the original members]. The Almoner of the Receiving Chapter will need to write
to the in-coming widows to explain carefully the new situation. It is suggested
that a member of the Closing Chapter, preferably their former Almoner,
accompanies him on his first visits.
9. Honours: Could the Province be slightly more generous through it’s honours policy via Petitions, Discretionary Collars and Promotions?
Answer:
No. Fewer Chapters mean fewer honours to share around. However, with the
strict date order contemplated in item 4 there should be no likelihood of
preference creeping in, but all may have to wait just a little longer [either for
progression through the Chapter Offices to the Chair, or for Provincial honours].
Promotions in Provincial honours should be governed by merit anyway and are
never guaranteed.
A new ceremony to celebrate the merger of two or more Chapters, denominated
the Amalgamation/Unification Ceremony, is being designed to emphasise the
“one-ness” after the coming together. It is a symbolic kind of re-birth whereby all
the members of the newly formed body are equal in their unity. Thus, when the
ceremony is being planned care must be taken that as many members of both
Chapters participate and that the Offices of the new Chapter are shared between
them. This is particularly important where there are Junior Companions to ensure
that those from both sources are properly progressed. This is where the
“engagement period” is so important, since it gives the opportunity for the
assessment of individual strengths and potentials to take place. Any hint of “us”
and “them” must be avoided and rapidly stopped if in danger of arising.
9a. Honours (continued): What happens about future recommendations for Provincial honours or promotions?
Answer:
By and large this is a theoretical problem that does not actually materialise in
practice. Due to reduced numbers, many members of one or both Chapters will
already be Provincial Officers, probably, or they wouldn’t need to merge. A
combined list of PZ’s from both sources showing which month/year they went
through the First Principal’s Chair should readily define seniority in time, assuming all other factors are equal. A similar list of Provincial Officers will equally show time-seniority, when promotions are considered and the same system can be
employed for Companions “going up the ladder”. It is stressed, though, that “Buggins.
Turn” is not the sole criterion – work done, dedication etc, must also feature
large.
10. Officers of the continuing Chapter: What happens to the Principals and the Elected Treasurer of the continuing/receiving Lodge?
Answer:
The Principals and the Elected Treasurer of the receiving Lodge must
continue in office until the next Installation. If members of the Closing Chapter
were also members of the Receiving Lodge, then appropriate recommendations
could then be made at the business meeting when the elections for Principals and
Treasurer are made.
10a. Officers of the continuing Chapter (continued):
What about the other Officers?
Answer:
Substitutions may be made in all other offices equally between all sources. This
must all be done carefully and by agreement, particularly to facilitate the
progress of Companions through the offices. Avoid, if possible, interruption to
this progress unless accepted by the Companion concerned.
10b. Officers of the continuing Chapter (continued): Which Principals becomes Principals of the combined Chapter?
Answer:
The Principals of the surviving Chapter i.e. that whose number continues, regardless of whether the name is amended or not. It is NOT the Principals of the Chapter whose Charter is to be erased. That is because the Book of Constitutions is quite clear that only a Past First Principal may succeed a reigning “Z” in the event of death or resignation. Once he is a member of the surviving Chapter, however, there would be nothing to prevent one of the Principals of the surrendering Chapter being elected as one of the principals at the next business meeting.
11. For Brethren transferring from one Chapter to another, when does membership of the receiving Chapter commence and that of the surrendering Chapter end?
Answer:
Membership transfers with the vote of acceptance into the receiving Chapter.
Therefore, duality of membership will continue until the closing Chapter is erased
by Supreme Grand Chapter, i.e. even after the closing Chapter may have held its final meeting and effectively ceased to operate. Resignation letters from the
surrendering Chapter will not therefore, be necessary. By careful timing, however,
it should always be possible to ensure that no transferring Companion finds himself
having to pay double dues for the year in question.
12. By Laws Which By Laws must we adopt?
Answer:
The By Laws of the receiving Chapter must, of course, continue. Therefore
proposals to change the By Laws of the receiving Chapter (i.e. dates of meeting,
name of Chapter, etc.) must be running concurrently with the proposed notice of
motion and the further notice of motion regarding the amalgamation.
13. Installations Which Installation date must we adopt?
Answer:
Provided that the appropriate resolutions are made and the By Laws accepted
by all parties, the date of Installation can be changed to suit all members.
14. Honorary Members Can we accept honorary members from closing Chapters.
Answer:
Honorary Members of the Closing Chapters can, of course, be transferred to the
Receiving Chapter, although they will need to be subject to an election by the
Receiving Chapter. The Receiving Chapter can, if it wishes, confer honorary
membership on, say, the ME Grand Superintendent and the Assistant to the
Provincial Grand Principals for the Area, at the time of the Amalgamation
Ceremony.
15. Amalgamation Ceremony:
A copy of the Amalgamation Ceremony is available on the Secretariat Web site.
15a. Amalgamation Ceremony:
Venue
The venue must be sufficiently large enough to accommodate the ceremony
and the members/guests.
15b. Amalgamation Ceremony:
Time of Ceremony
The time of ceremony is determined by the Provincial Grand Scribe E, after
consultation with the ME Grand Superintendent and the Provincial Director of
Ceremonies.
15c. Amalgamation Ceremony:
Printing Templates for the Chapter summons/programmes/toast lists etc. will be included in the administrative documentation.
15d. Amalgamation Ceremony:
Rehearsals
The date, time and place of the rehearsals will be determined by the Provincial
Director of Ceremonies, in consultation with the Receiving Chapter’s Director of
Ceremonies.
Further questions will undoubtedly arise as we continue to organise more amalgamations. The solutions to them can be similarly discussed and recorded for future reference. In this way we will build up a “reference bank” for the future, based on firm experience. If you have any observations or any further questions please email them to secretariat@eastlancsmasons.org.uk - Provincial Grand Scribe E.