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Honorary members |
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Rule 167 provides for the election of Honorary Members to the Lodge. Eligibility criteria for election of a Brother as Honorary Member include : 1. He should have rendered some very special service to the Lodge in particular or the Craft in General. Though the Rules do not enumerate what constitutes special service it is to be generally understood that the services must be something extra-ordinary and should be considered by other Brethren as a source of honour and worthy of recognition. Members of the consecrating team of a new Lodge and the founding members who are members of the Sponsoring Lodge who either recommended or carried out all the formalities required for the formation of the new Lodge could be honoured as honorary members. 2. The Brother being considered for honorary membership must be or must have been a subscribing member of a Lodge (not necessarily of a Lodge under the Grand Lodge). In the case of a Brother from a Foreign Constitution the Declaration of allegiance under Rule 163(f) is not necessary. The procedure to be followed in electing Honorary members is prescribed under Rule 167. Accordingly, a. The intention to elect the Brother as Honorary Member should be announced through the summons. b. The election must be by ballot. c. Three or more black balls in the ballot will exclude the Brother. It is in bad taste and certainly embarrassing to the Brother being so honoured to know that he is not welcome by a section of the Lodge. Hence care should be taken to avoid even seeking the consent of the brother being proposed, unless there is definite consensus among members of the Lodge. The Secretary should, in addition, pay attention to the following matters: 1. Before including the intention to ballot a Brother for Honorary Membership in the Summons, the consent of the proposed Brother should be obtained. It may be worth noting that, however high an honour it may be, a Brother might consider himself better if he is a subscribing member with all the appertaining privileges. If the Brother does not hold membership in any other Lodge, deprivation of his status as a subscribing member would disqualify him from becoming and continuing as a Grand or District Grand Officer. 2. The summons should also indicate the reason behind the proposal. Grand Lodge views with disfavour any proposal to make one an Honorary Member because of his inability to pay the dues. 3. Once elected, the name of the Honorary Member should appear on all the subsequent summonses in the order of seniority of the Masonic Rank held by the Brother. 4. An honorary member is entitled to receive the Summons for and to attend all meetings of the Lodge in which he is an honorary member; but he may not attend other Lodges more than once a year if he is not a subscribing member of at least one other Lodge. 5. An honorary member cannot vote on any resolution before the Lodge or hold an office in the Lodge. 6. Only if he had been a subscribing member of the Lodge and was made an honorary member in recognition of his services as a Past Master of the Lodge he may propose or second candidates for admission to the Lodge. 7. The date of his election as an honorary member should be indicated on the Membership Returns to Grand Lodge and District Grand Lodge but should not appear in the list of subscribing members in the subsequent periods. 8. An honorary member being exempt from all kinds of subscription, quarterage and other levies no such amounts should be demanded of or collected from him. 9. If an honorary member joins the Festive Board or Fellowship, in connection with a meeting of the Lodge, he must pay for his meal like any other member. He is not entitled to any freeship by virtue of his being an honorary member. |
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membership |