My older son is thinking of joining a lodge and going through the degrees in California, which, I understand, is a "Free and Accepted Mason" state, not an AF and AM state. Can you explain the difference? Would his degrees be recognized in Minnesota, for instance? Would there be a problem, if I wanted to participate in his raising? Are F and AM masons "clandestine"?
Historically, I think this goes back to the formation of the first Grand Lodge in England when there was a schism for about fifty years and one group called itself the "Ancients" and the other group the "Moderns." This was about the time that Masonry came to the colonies and some came as Ancients and some as Moderns. They merged back together to form the United Grand Lodge of England and that was pretty much the end of the distinction. But by then some Grand Lodges over here had started using the A. F. & A. M. designation and some using the F. & A. M. designation. Michigan is F. &. A. M. as is Wisconsin, California, New York, Ohio and several other states. Minnesota is A. F. & A. M. as is Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and several other states. For us out here west of the colonies, I think it had to do with where the first masons came from and what they had back at home.
Today, there really is no distinction between the two other than the historical designation difference and the rituals of the two are largely interchangeable. So as long as your son is joining a lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of California, F. & A. M., with their Grand Lodge office located in San Francisco, then you would be welcome at the degrees and any of their lodge meetings. They are a recognized sister jurisdiction and not considered to be clandestine to those of us under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota. But there are many clandestine Grand Lodges operating in California so you would want to be sure that your son joins a lodge listed in the List of Lodges Masonic, a book published annually by Pantagraph Press. The Grand Lodge of Minnesota mails a copy to every Minnesota lodge once a year so your lodge secretary should have the book.
By the way, congratulations on your son starting his Masonic journey, a proud day for any Mason.
Doug
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Douglas Campbell,
Grand Secretary Emeritus
Every day , before I retired, I would receive a wide variety of questions and comments from Constituent Lodge Secretaries and other officers, many of which are quite applicable to other lodges. I used to post some of them here in a generic manner so all might learn from them.
Douglas Campbell,
Grand Secretary Emeritus
About the Grand Secretary Emeritus
While the Grand Master is the official spokesman for Minnesota Masonry, many of the day-to-day questions about rules, procedures, upcoming events and many other topics can easily be answered by the Grand Secretary. "What makes the Grand Secretary the expert?" This is a valid question. The short answer may be one of institutional memory. With over twenty four years of service as an officer of the Grand Lodge, including twenty one terms as Grand Secretary, having attended almost every meeting and planning session of our Board of Corporate Trustees since 1993, with over twenty five years of service as a Custodian of the Ritual Work, and a Past Chairman of that Board, having served on the Jurisprudence Committee for many years and a Past Chairman of this committee; all would seem to add up to the experience needed to know or be able to find the answers to most questions. And most questions seem to have come up at least once or twice in the past. If you can't find what you are looking for on the Grand Lodge of Minnesota website or in some other way, feel free to contact the Grand Secretary and we will do our best to serve you.
Any views, opinions, or thoughts articulated in postings and/or comments from any contributors to this weblog do not in any way represent the views of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, its constituent lodges, officers or employees.
This Publication is issued with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Minnesota.
While the Grand Master is the official spokesman for Minnesota Masonry, many of the day-to-day questions about rules, procedures, upcoming events and many other topics can easily be answered by the Grand Secretary. "What makes the Grand Secretary the expert?" This is a valid question. The short answer may be one of institutional memory. With over twenty four years of service as an officer of the Grand Lodge, including twenty one terms as Grand Secretary, having attended almost every meeting and planning session of our Board of Corporate Trustees since 1993, with over twenty five years of service as a Custodian of the Ritual Work, and a Past Chairman of that Board, having served on the Jurisprudence Committee for many years and a Past Chairman of this committee; all would seem to add up to the experience needed to know or be able to find the answers to most questions. And most questions seem to have come up at least once or twice in the past. If you can't find what you are looking for on the Grand Lodge of Minnesota website or in some other way, feel free to contact the Grand Secretary and we will do our best to serve you.
Any views, opinions, or thoughts articulated in postings and/or comments from any contributors to this weblog do not in any way represent the views of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, its constituent lodges, officers or employees.
This Publication is issued with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Minnesota.