History of Our First Annual Interprovincial Lodge Day
The first Annual Interprovincial Lodge Day was by all accounts a tremendous success. The Brain Child of Most Worshipful Brother Stephen Allen, Grand Master of Masons in New Brunswick, and Very Worshipful Brother Buddy Trenholm, Grand Director of Ceremonies of the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick. When MWB Allen approached then Grand Master MWB George Grant, Grand Master of Masons in Nova Scotia, and then Grand Master MWB Allison Coles, Grand Master of Masons in Prince Edward Island, both whole Heartedly agreed it was something their members would be interested in participating in. It was subsequently equally endorsed by their successors, MWB Paul Frank Grand Master of Masons in Nova Scotia, MWB William Heffel Past Grand Master of PEI and MWB Paul Montgomery Grand Master of Masons in Prince Edward Island.
Below the Grand Lodge links is the description of how we had first thought the meeting might be held. The organizers did a fantastic job of making our first annual meeting a masonic success!
Grand Lodge New Brunswick
At the Grand Lodge of New Bruswick you can see their pictures and write up on our First Annual Interprovincial Day meeting at Westmoreland Lodge in Port Elgin, NB.
Grand Lodge Prince Edward Island
Here too are scenes from the day.
Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia
Cumberland District Masonic Association
Please check out their website as well.
Suggested Meeting Outline
2014
R.W.Bro. Buddy Trenholm, GDC of the Grand
Lodge of New Brunswick has initiated an
Interprovincial Day for a day of Masonic
Fellowship. The proposal is that in the month of
September the jurisdiction of Prince Edward
Island, Cumberland County District of the
jurisdiction of Nova Scotia and Districts two and
seven of the jurisdiction of New Brunswick, put
aside one Saturday so that the craft can get
together in fellowship and harmony!
On the fourth Saturday of September a
Masonic meeting will take place each year for the
sole purpose of Fellowship. One Lodge will host
the get together (hosting Lodge) for that year with
each of the other jurisdictions appointing a visiting
Lodge from their jurisdiction to attend as the
official visiting Lodge. All Brethren from any
Lodge within all jurisdictions are encouraged to
attend this meeting and all names will be recorded
within the minutes.
The host lodge will open the meetings by
their ritual and one of the official visiting lodges
closing said meeting by their ritual. The other
official visiting lodge would handle the program for
that meeting. Minutes would be kept in an official
book which would travel from year to year for all
of these meetings and will include the names of all
Brethren that are present and what business was
conducted.
At the start off these Interprovincial
meetings we will assemble for greetings and
introductions followed by a meal that would be put
on by the host lodge and a collection will be taken
for cost recovery. The meal would be a hot meal
which would be self-serve followed by desert and
tea or coffee. Following the meal the host Lodge
will then assemble in the Lodge room to open
Lodge and proceed with the day’s events.
The meeting would begin by the host lodge
opening the meeting with only Brethren from
their jurisdiction present in the lodge room. Once
the lodge is open in due form the Master will send
the Senior Deacon out to inform the brethren in
waiting that the Master is ready to receive them
and then he will return to the lodge and inform the
Master that the visitors have been informed. The
two jurisdictions in waiting when informed that
the host Master is ready to receive them, will make
a request to be received and once permission is
given will enter in two columns headed by their
jurisdiction’s Director of Ceremonies or whoever is
acting as such. The jurisdiction that will be closing
the lodge will line up on the North side of the
lodge and the other jurisdiction assuming the
South side. The Director of Ceremonies for each
jurisdiction will then introduce their respective
members. As the seating in the East varies in each
lodge, the senior Grand Lodge officer present from
each jurisdiction will be invited to the east along
with the Masters of the two visiting Lodges. If
there is extra seating in the East the Directors of
Ceremonies of each jurisdiction will direct the
next senior Grand Lodge Officer present to
assume seats in the East until the East seating is
full, with the remaining Brethren introduced and
taking seats on the side lines. The introductions
will alternate from one visiting jurisdiction to the
other until all have been introduced and all
greetings will take place in the East as the
Brethren are introduced. The Grand Master or his
designate for the jurisdiction hosting the meeting
will be in the east when the lodge opens. The
Grand Master or his designate from all
Jurisdictions will remain in the East until all
Brethren have been introduced and greeted.
Once all introductions and greetings are
made the host Lodge will continue with the
business of the day. The minutes of the previous
year communication will be read and confirmed.
The only new business will consist of announcing
the host Lodge for the following year’s
communication and presenting the Master of this
Lodge the picture which will be placed in next
year’s host Lodge. The Craft will then be called
from Labour to Refreshment for the purpose of
allowing the visiting Lodge that is doing the
program to set up and the program will be
presented while at refreshment. The program
should take at least ten minutes and no more than
fifteen minutes. The program can consist of
anything, Masonic Education, History of their
Lodge, Lectures etc.
Once the program is completed the Lodge
will be called from Refreshment to Labour, and the
Master will then hand the gavel over to the Master
who is going to do the closing. The closing Master
will then ask the Officers of this Lodge to vacate
their stations and ask the closing Master’s Officers to assume these stations for the purpose of closing the Lodge. All greeting will be done as per the jurisdiction who is hosting the communication’s closing as they may vary from jurisdiction to
jurisdiction. All Brethren sitting in the East will be given a chance to bring greetings.
Once all greeting are given and the Lodge
is closed, the minute’s book will be brought up to date with all attending Brethren’s name attached and the book will be passed to the following year’s host Lodge Master or his designate.
Note: The progress of hosting Lodge
would be as follows: Next year’s hosting Lodge will be the Lodge that does the closing. Next year’s closing Lodge will be the Lodge that does the program. Next year’s program Lodge will be the Lodge that hosted the current meeting.
The first Interprovincial Day will take
place on September 27th at Westmoreland Lodge No. 44 in Port Elgin, New Brunswick, starting at 2:00pm with the meal at 5:30pm. At the time of going to press the GLNS will be represented by
Alexandra Lodge No.87, Amherst. The PEI lodge has yet to be selected. !
Many cross border meetings take place
amongst the different Jurisdictions in North
America. Hopefully this will be the start of a long, productive and entertaining tradition.