Evening Brethern I am here to tell that it is very boring being stuck at FT Drum New York. Came down for Christmass and got stuck due to weather in Chicago. I will be here another week due to weather and air lines reservations. anybody know how to get a hold of a lodge in the area. I already email them without a response.
What does the GL of Alaska say on the matter? The GL of WI Code says that I cannot contact another jurisdiction without going through our GL. Otherwise, just find the bar they hang out at! LOL
Winter, Are you saying that I would have to contact GL to (get what? A letter?) BEFORE I visit a lodge listed on the Grand Lodge website in AZ or NM or CA? I would REALLY like that clarified. And do they have something in place to expedite the whole procedure? I HEAR about Brothers visiting Lodges in IL, IN, OH etc while traveling and have not heard ANYONE mention that particular caveat.
Yes, as a WI Mason, we are supposed to notify the GL of our intent to visit outside our jurisdiction. It doesn't alway work that way. I have been traveling and run into Brothers who invited me to a Lodge meeting.
Holy Smokes! That's pretty tight control! Do they want Masons from outside WI to go thru them to visit a WI lodge?? The guys I met on FB from Wilmot, WI weren't worried about the GL. Our membership cards have printed on the back pretty much the same verbage I was given in letters from my Grand Secretary when visiting overseas. Sheesh! The NY GL website Welcome - Grand Lodge of New York has a Lodge Locator (in a box, on the right, look at the bottom link). Ft Drum has 22 lodges within 50 miles. Good luck, happy visiting! S&F
We all know how much I love digging into the obscure portions of the Code. Well, I had to go look this one up again to see what I actually remembered. Most of my understanding of the practice of visitation out of Jurisdiction stems from an incident that happened over a decade ago. When I was WM of my Lodge, a couple Brothers took a trip to Scotland and Ireland. Unbeknownst to me, these Brothers while over there start knocking on doors and shaking trees trying to get an invite to a local Lodge meeting. Next thing you know, the Grand Secretary there is calling across the pond wanting to know what the hell these Yanks are doing, which resulted in an interesting phone call from our GM to me that left my butt a wee bit sore because I didn't notify our Grand Secretary so he could notify their Grand Secretary that they wanted to sit in Lodges there. Phunny thing is, I'm poring over the code right now trying to find a justification for the ass-chewing I took and I'm not having a lot of luck. Then again, it's 5:30am.
Well, first: things in our Code may have changed over the years. Second: differing jurisdictions do things different ways and you may not have deserved the butt chewing you got at the time. As a former Secretary with experience in having Brothers visiting foreign lands, allow me to share Uncle Patrick's Tips for the Traveling Mason: 1. Contact your Grand Lodge before you travel and get a patent (also known as a Certificate of Good Standing). This is just basically a form that says that you were regularly initiated, passed and raised. It goes out under the signature of the Grand Secretary of your jurisdiction. I, as Lodge Secretary, have had several of these made up by our GL for traveling Brothers (in fact, my GL eventually sent me a number of blanks pre-signed by the Grand Secretary so I would stop bothering them every time I needed one - I still let them know every time one was issued). I have yet to find the case where anyone, however, actually looked at the patent, but at least then GL can't complain that they weren't notified that you were traveling. 2. Use the internet! Find a Mason or two wherever you're going to be traveling and ask them directly if you can visit their Lodge. You should be welcome wherever you travel, but a little advance notice helps. Then they are not surprised that you show up and sniff around. 3. Be courteous. If you find yourself in a foreign jurisdiction and have made no contact previous to your arrival, make ONE phone call and let it lie. Nothing raises suspicion like the traveling Brother who hassles people in an attempt to get into Lodge. If they do not get back to you, or get back to you too late ... oh, well.
Brothers I have not heard of this in 25 years of masonry inside the United States, Europe yes but not the US this give me even more to talk about at Grand Lodge in February. I Guess I need to contact some Grand Lodge Secrateries to do some research. Thank you for the good info.
