GENERAL REGULATIONS GOVERNMENT OF PRIORIES

Transcription

1 CODE OF GENERAL REGULATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF PRIORIES As Rvisd Octobr 7, 1972

2 ANALYSIS OF CODE MEMBERSHIP 1Limitd to crtain Frmasons 2Whr no Council Royal and Slct Mastrs 3Procdur and Convnt Gnral f on ptitions of candidat; lction rgulations 4Whn Crmony of Induction may not b confrrd; objctions 5Validity of objction; procdur on xpiration 6Crtificat of mmbrship, whn issud 7F for duplicat crtificat 8Ptitions from jurisdictions whr no Priory; status of such mmbrs 9Rquisits to rtain mmbrship in Priory 10Applicant must ptition Priory having jurisdiction ovr his plac of rsidnc 11Priory may waiv jurisdiction 12How jurisdiction waivd OFFICERS 13Officrs of Priory, nams, titl, rank, lction or appointmnt, trm 14Additional officrs spcifid by By-Laws; Trusts 15Any mmbr of Priory ligibl to offic 16Dath or disability of Prior, procdur 17Tim of lction; procdur if not hld at Annual Conclav 18Officrs must b installd, tim 19Dath of officr othr than Prior, procdur 20Officr may hold only on offic; xcption 21Nams of officrs to b rportd 22 Dutis of Prior 23Dutis of othr officrs CONCLAVES 24Dfinition of statd and spcial Conclavs 25Priory to mt at last annually; pnalty for failur 26Rgistrar to giv writtn notic of Annual Conclav tn days prior to dat 27Rgistrar to giv writtn notic of spcial Conclav; limitation on businss 28Quorum; officrs rquird to opn

3 29No Priory may adjourn; how opnd and closd 30Priory may not b namd aftr living prson; rstriction on chang of hadquartrs 31No Priory may incorporat ANNUAL RETURNS 32Tim for filing Annual Rturn 33Contnts of Annual Rturn 34Pnalty for failur to mak rturn and pay fs 35Copy of rturn prsrvd FEES AND DUES 36Priory By-Laws to spcify fs; minimum 37Priory By-Laws may spcify dus 38Priory By-Laws shall dsignat amount and tim of paymnt of dus 39Priory may rmit dus; no othr mthod of xmption 40Suspnsion for non-paymnt of dus; procdur 41Procdur to rstor suspndd mmbr 42No rstoration or rmission aftr dath of mmbr 43Pnalty for invasion of jurisdiction of Priory MISCELLANEOUS 44Knight may dmit, whn 45Procdur to obtain a dmit 46Dfinition of offns against Ordr 47Disciplinary procdur against mmbr 48Crtificat of good standing, issu whn Priory dissolvd 49How Cod amndd 50Whn Cod ffctiv

4 GENERAL REGULATIONS MEMBERSHIP 1 Mmbrship in a Priory shall b limitd to frmasons who hav bn rgularly lctd and installd as Mastr of a chartrd lodg of Mastr Masons and as prsiding officr of a chartrd chaptr of Royal Arch Masons, and as Mastr of a chartrd council of Royal and Slct Mastrs and as prsiding officr of a chartrd commandry, or prcptory, of Knights Tmplar, and shall hav srvd on full trm in ach offic, and who shall b in good standing in all of said Masonic Bodis. 2 In thos Masonic jurisdictions whr no council of Royal and Slct Mastrs xists, prsiding in th lodg, chaptr and commandry shall constitut full rquirmnt for mmbrship, providd that th dgrs of Royal and Slct Mastr ar workd in th Royal Arch Chaptr ovr which th ptitionr prsidd. If a Masonic body and jurisdiction provids that, upon th dath of a prsiding officr, or upon his prmannt rmoval from th jurisdiction, or upon his xpulsion from th Craft, or that his physical or mntal condition, or any othr condition, prcluds his prformanc of th dutis of his offic, and anothr officr is duly installd as prsiding officr and srvs th rmaindr of th trm, such srvic shall b accptd as mting th rquirmnts of 1 of th Gnral Rgulations for that particular body, if th jurisdiction in which h srvd officially dsignats him to b a past prsiding officr of th body. 3 A. Mmbrship in a Priory shall b by invitation. Proposals for mmbrship may b prsntd at any statd or spcial conclav and may b actd on at th sam or any subsqunt conclav. If lctd, th candidat may not b inductd into th Priory soonr than at a conclav hld th calndar day following th day of his lction. B. By-Laws, containing additional rgulations govrning proposals, lctions and invitations not inconsistnt with th gnral rgulations of Convnt Gnral, may b adoptd by a Priory subjct to th approval of th Grand Mastr-Gnral. Ths By-Laws may: (1) Dtrmin th numbr of mmbrs ncssary to rcommnd a proposd candidat. (2) Dtrmin th mannr of lcting a proposd candidat including whthr by: (a) No ballot (b) Scrt writtn ballot Rv. 92 (c) Ballot box (3) Dtrmin th numbr of ngativ vots ncssary to rjct a proposd candidat.

5 (4) Dtrmin th rquirmnts, if any, for individual mmbr accountability for casting a ngativ vot, whn thr or fwr ngativ vots ar cast whn balloting on a proposd candidat. C. Th Rgistrar of th Priory must crtify to th Grand Mastr-Gnral that any proposd By-Laws rlating to balloting ar not in conflict with th provisions of th Constitution, ruls, rgulations, statuts and/or By-Laws of th Grand Lodg in whos jurisdiction th Priory is locatd. D. Accptanc of invitation to mmbrship shall b mad in duplicat on th form prpard for that purpos by th Grand Rgistrar- Gnral. Upon induction of th candidat, th dat shall b placd on th accptanc of invitation form and on copy placd in th archivs of th Priory and th othr copy forwardd to th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral accompanid by th Convnt Gnral f of svnty fiv dollars ($75.00) U.S. E. No candidat shall b inductd unlss th f prscribd by th Priory has bn paid, but such f shall not bcom th proprty of th Priory unlss th candidat is inductd. Not: Subsction B of this rgulation as adoptd allowd ach Priory, by approvd By-Laws, to dtrmin th mannr of voting; th numbr of ngativ vots ncssary to rjct a candidat; and th rquirmnts, if any, for individual accountability whn thr or fwr ngativ vots ar cast whn balloting on a candidat. 4 Th crmony of induction shall not b confrrd upon a candidat until h has bn lctd. 5 A brothr who was proposd and rjctd shall b ligibl for proposal at any subsqunt conclav of th Priory, whr proposals ar a part of th businss. In a stat, trritory or provinc with mor than on Priory, th Rgistrars of othr Prioris and th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral will b notifid within 14 days following a rjction of a propos. 6 Upon rcipt of th crtification of mmbrship and f th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral shall forward to th Knight a crtificat of mmbrship. 7 Duplicat crtificats shall b issud by th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral upon rcipt of a f of On Dollar ($1.00). Rv Invitations to mmbrship may b xtndd to qualifid brthrn in jurisdictions whr no Priory xists, and th formation of a Priory in any such jurisdiction shall not affct th status of such mmbrship; providd, howvr, that in th Dominion of Canada, invitations to qualifid brthrn, in thos Provincs having no Priory, may b xtndd by on of th Prioris in Canada. If a Knight rsiding in a stat, provinc or trritory having no Priory, wishs to transfr his mmbrship to a Priory subsquntly organizd in such jurisdiction, h may do so without f, if lctd by th nw Priory to b a mmbr throf. 9 To rmain a Knight in any Priory, mmbrship must b maintaind in lodg, chaptr,

6 council and commandry/prcptory xcpt whr th Council dgrs ar confrrd in th Chaptr. In th vnt a Knight loss his mmbrship for any caus, in any of th forgoing bodis, h shall forthwith b suspndd from mmbrship in his Priory and may b rstord to mmbrship only upon proof of rstoration to mmbrship in all of th forgoing bodis and upon mting th prsnt voting rquirmnts in th Priory and upon paymnt of all dus owing by him to th Priory as providd in 42 of th Gnral Rgulations. In th vnt that a Knight voluntarily obtains a dmit from on or mor of th forgoing bodis and thraftr fails to affiliat with anothr similar body or bodis within on calndar yar of th dat of such dmit, his mmbrship in his Priory shall b forfitd. 10 An invitation to mmbrship can only b xtndd by th Priory having jurisdiction ovr th trritory whr th candidat has his lgal rsidnc without rgard to th location of th York Rit Bodis ovr which h has prsidd, providd, howvr that if on or mor of th bodis ovr which h has prsidd wr locatd in a trritory ovr which som othr Priory has jurisdiction, th Eminnt Prior and/or Rgistrar of that Priory must dtrmin if th on proposd had compltd his trm of offic and was in good standing at th tim, bfor th invitation can b xtndd. Rv Any othr Priory may xtnd an invitation to mmbrship by and with th consnt and waivr of th Priory having jurisdiction ovr th candidat. 13 Dual mmbrship is authorizd in a Priory having xclusiv or concurrnt jurisdiction ovr th ara in which th mmbr rsids. Such mmbrship shall b by invitation. Proposals for dual mmbrship may b prsntd at any statd or spcial conclav and may b actd upon at th sam or subsqunt conclav. If lctd, th rgistrar must notify th rgistrar of th parnt Priory of th action, snding a copy of such action to th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral. Dual mmbrship must b continuously maintaind in both Prioris unlss th mmbr obtains a dmit from th othr Priory. Dual mmbrs shall njoy all rights and privilgs of othr mmbrs, including th right to vot and hold offic, providd that no mmbr shall srv as Prior of mor than on Priory at on and th sam tim. 14 Any mmbr of a Priory may b lctd an honorary mmbr of anothr Priory by unanimous favorabl ballot of all mmbrs prsnt at any statd or spcial conclav of th Priory. Honorary mmbrs shall pay no f or dus and shall not b ntitld Rv. to 92 vot or hold offic in th Priory of which h is an honorary mmbr. OFFICERS 15 Th officrs of a Priory shall b: Eminnt Prior Knight Dputy Prior Knight Wardr Knight Trasurr Knight Rgistrar Knight Prlat Knight Orator Knight Hrald Who shall tak rank in th ordr listd abov. All officrs shall b lctd for a trm of on yar, providd, howvr, that if th By-Laws of th Priory so provid, th Knights Prlat, Orator and Hrald

7 may b appointd by th nwly lctd Prior, at th tim of his installation, for a trm of on yar. 16 A Priory may, by its By-Laws provid for th appointmnt by th Prior of othr officrs and for th lction or appointmnt of Trusts. Such officrs or Trusts nd not b installd. 17 Any mmbr of a Priory may b lctd to offic, providd that th Prior may not succd himslf; providing furthr that a Prior, having succdd to that offic through th dath or disability of his prdcssor, may b lctd to succd himslf for a priod not to xcd on full trm. 18 In cas of th dath or disability of th Prior, th Dputy Prior shall b installd in th offic of Prior. If th priod thus srvd by th nw Prior shall xcd on half yar, h will bcom a Past Prior. 19 Th lctiv officrs of a Priory shall b chosn at th Annual Conclav of th Priory. Th trm of offic shall commnc immdiatly. If th lction b not hld at th tim spcifid for th Annual Conclav, th officrs last installd shall continu in offic until th nxt Annual Conclav unlss th Grand Mastr-Gnral, for good caus, ordr an lction and installation and st a dat for th holding throf. 20 All officrs namd in 15, lctd, r-lctd or appointd, or namd in th warrant of a nw Priory, may b installd on th day of lction or at th tim of th conscration of th Priory, in opn Priory, or in public by vot of th Priory, by a Prior or Past Prior in good standing. No officr may b installd by proxy or in privat. If any officr is not prsnt to b installd, th Prior shall call a spcial conclav of th Priory at th arlist convnint dat for th installation of such officrs. 21 If any officr, othr than th Prior, shall di during his trm of offic, th Prior may by Rv. 92 appointmnt fill th vacancy for th rmaindr of th trm, unlss th Grand Mastr-Gnral, for good caus, shall ordr an lction and installation to fill such vacancy. 22 No Knight may srv mor than on lctiv offic in a Priory at th sam tim, xcpt that th offics of Rgistrar and Trasurr may b hld by on and th sam Knight. 23 Th Rgistrar, upon th lction of officrs of th Priory, shall forthwith transmit to th Grand Mastr-Gnral and Grand Rgistrar-Gnral, a list of such officrs with th post offic addrsss of th Prior and Rgistrar within fourtn (14) days. Rv Th Prior of a Priory, whn prsnt, shall prsid at all Conclavs of th Priory, s that th dutis of th Rgistrar and Trasurr ar faithfully and punctually prformd, appoint and b an x officio mmbr of all committs. 25 Th othr officrs shall prform such dutis as ar gnrally considrd propr for thir offics in Masonic bodis. CONCLAVES 26 Th mtings of a Priory shall b known as Conclavs. Statd conclavs ar thos hld at tims fixd by th By-Laws. Spcial conclavs ar thos calld pursuant to 29.

8 27 It shall b th duty of ach Priory to hold at last on statd conclav ach yar. Should any Priory fail to mt for two succssiv yars it shall thrby forfit its Warrant and b struck from th rgistr of Prioris. 28 Th Rgistrar of ach Priory, at last tn days prior to th Annual Conclav, shall snd to ach mmbr of th Priory at his last known plac of rsidnc, writtn notic of th tim, plac and purpos of th conclav. 29 Spcial conclavs may b calld at any tim by th Prior. Writtn notic throf must b givn to th mmbrs by th Rgistrar. Th notic shall stat th purpos of th conclav. No businss, othr than that statd in th notic, shall b transactd at a spcial conclav. 30 Th numbr of Knights ncssary to opn a Priory and transact businss is fiv. No Priory, without th authority of th Grand Mastr-Gnral may b opnd or businss transactd thrin unlss thr b prsnt th Prior, or th Dputy Prior, or th Wardr, or a Past Prior. 31 A Priory cannot adjourn; nor may it b opnd or closd in any mannr othr than that prscribd by th ritual of th Ordr. 32 No Priory shall b namd aftr a living prson; nor may it chang its hadquartrs from th plac namd in its Warrant xcpt by authority of th Grand Mastr-Gnral or Convnt Gnral. 33 No Priory may bcom a body corporat. ANNUAL RETURNS 34 Th Rgistrar of ach Priory shall mak an annual rturn as of Jun 30 th to th Convnt Gnral, undr th signaturs of th Prior and Rgistrar, on or bfor th 31 st day of July. Such othr rports as Convnt Gnral or th Grand Mastr-Gnral may, from tim to tim rquir, shall b mad as dirctd. 35 Th Annual Rturn shall contain th following, and such othr information as may b rquird by Convnt Gnral or th Grand Mastr-Gnral: 1. Th nams and dats of all Knights dcasd. 2. Th dat of th Warrant and dat of last conclav. 36 No mmbr of Convnt Gnral shall b ntitld to a sat in that body if his Priory shall hav faild to mak th Annual Rturn prscribd in 35, or shall hav faild to pay any fs or dus rquird by Convnt Gnral 37 Each Rgistrar shall sprad in full upon th minuts of his Priory, or shall bind in a suitabl book providd for that purpos, within 30 days aftr it has bn prpard, a copy of th Annual Rturn. FEES AND DUES Rv Each Priory, by its By-Laws, shall fix th amount of its Mmbrship f, which shall b not lss than Fiv Dollars mor than th f paid th Convnt Gnral. Plural mmbrship fs shall

9 also b statd in th By-Laws. 39 Each Priory may, from tim to tim as providd by its By-Laws, assss such annual dus upon th mmbrs, xcpt honorary mmbrs, as it shall dm xpdint. 40 Th By-Laws of th Priory shall dsignat th amount of such dus and th tim for paymnt and no furthr notic throf to any mmbr shall b rquird. 41 Th Priory, for good caus, may rmit th accrud dus of any mmbr. No mmbr of a Priory shall b xmptd from th paymnt of any dus lvid by his Priory othr than by rmission throf. 42 Any mmbr who is in arrars for any dus lvid by his Priory, for a priod of six months past th dat prscribd for th paymnt of th sam shall b suspndd from mmbrship in th Priory. Th Rgistrar, within thirty days aftr xpiration of such six months priod, shall notify such mmbr, in writing, of his suspnsion. 43 Th paymnt to th Rgistrar, by a mmbr who has bn suspndd for non-paymnt of dus, of all dus owing by him to th Priory shall rstor him to full mmbrship in th Priory. Rv A Knight suspndd for non-paymnt of dus cannot b rstord to mmbrship by paymnt of dus or rmission throf, aftr his dath. 45 A Priory rciving th ptition of and inducting an applicant who rsids within th jurisdiction of anothr Priory, without th waivr of such othr Priory, shall forfit and pay th fs of that Priory whos jurisdiction is violatd to th Priory which lgally hld jurisdiction, and b subjct to such additional pnalty as may b inflictd by Convnt Gnral. MISCELLANEOUS 46 A Knight may, for rasons satisfactory to himslf, and without subjcting himslf to Masonic disciplin, withdraw his mmbrship from a Priory. Until h voluntarily affiliats, h rnouncs all rights and privilgs of th Ordr. Th dus of a knight applying for a dmit must b paid in full bfor th sam can b grantd. 47 Upon application in writing at a statd Conclav of a knight for a dmit, it shall b ntrd on th minuts and if it appars that his dus ar paid in full and that h is not subjct to chargs for unmasonic conduct, th dmit shall b grantd and no action by th mmbrship of th Priory is ncssary. 48 Offnss st out by th Constitution, By-Laws and Gnral Rgulations of this Ordr and any offns against th moral laws or th statuts of th Unitd Stats or any Stat or Trritory throf, th Dominion of Canada or any Provinc throf, th Rpublic of Mxico, or any othr Stat, Provinc or Trritory, shall constitut an offns against this Ordr. 49 In th vnt that a Knight is accusd, in a Priory, of an offns against this Ordr, all procdings to invstigat, charg, try and punish such knight shall b conductd by th Priory pursuant to th applicabl disciplinary rgulations of th Grand Lodg of Masons having jurisdiction

10 ovr th trritory of th Priory in which th knight rsids. Any knight fling himslf aggrivd by th dcision of th Priory, may at any tim within on yar from th dat of such dcision, tak an appal to Convnt Gnral by giving notic throf to th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral who shall promptly advis th Grand Mastr-Gnral of th appal. Th Grand Mastr-Gnral shall thrupon appoint a Spcial Committ to rviw th dcision of th Priory and rport thron at th nxt Annual Conclav of Convnt Gnral. Th dcision of Convnt Gnral on th appal shall b final. 50 Upon th dissolution of a Priory, from any caus, its mmbrs who ar in good standing, upon paymnt to th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral of back dus to Convnt Gnral, if any, shall b ntitld to a crtificat from that Officr stting forth thir standing in th Ordr and such crtificat shall b rcognizd by vry Priory th sam as a rgular dmit. 51 This Cod, or any part throf may b altrd or amndd at any Annual Conclav of Convnt Gnral by a vot of two-thirds of th mmbrs prsnt, providd, howvr, that th mmbr proposing such altration or amndmnt shall submit th sam to th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral at last 60 days in advanc of th conclav of Convnt Gnral. Th Grand Rgistrar-Gnral shall promptly forward such proposd amndmnt or altration to th Grand Mastr-Gnral who shall at onc rfr th sam to th Jurisprudnc Committ for rport to Convnt Gnral. 52 This Cod shall bcom and b in full forc and ffct immdiatly on its adoption by this Convnt Gnral and all prvious Gnral Rgulations and dcisions thrundr not hrin c o n t a i n d a r h r b y r p a l Rv. 72