Northeast Regional Recorder’s Meeting – March 11, 2021
Submitted by Stephen Balke, General Grand Recorder, Cryptic Masons International

Cryptic Masons International Collar
Photo Credit; MIC John Bridegroom
On March 11, a conference call was held with the Northeast Regional Recorders. A summary of the call is below.
Connecticut
- Grand Lodge –
- Hybrid degrees, some in person.
- York Rite
- No Degree work
- Good amount of virtual meetings
- Hoping to restart in person in April/May.
- Annual Sessions
- Still in planning
- 1st week of June.
- Educational Program – lookout for the link.
Delaware
- Grand Sessions
- March 13, 2021
- Commandery 9:00 AM
- Council 11:00 AM
- Chapter 1:00 PM
- Virtual Meeting
- Mark Irwin – Retiring; Anticipating Bill Lott, with Mark as Deputy.
- Grand Lodge Semi-Annual March 27, 2021
- In-person – moved to Shrine – Seats 7-800 for social distancing (masks)
- Meetings
- Virtual – moving toward in-person.
- Great participation with Zoom.
- Degree work waiting for in-person. (May, maybe).
District of Columbia
- Grand Sessions
- March 20. 2021
- Virtual – Zoom
- Commandery 9:00 AM
- Chapter 11:00 AM
- Council 2:00 PM
- Registration Link
- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeFonY3or4puQmPI_npMtwfhZ7ewxie1DJXNfn94xW7yns3Q/viewform?usp=pp_url
- All meetings are virtual
- No Degree work
- CMMRF Donations AT LEAST $1200.00
- MIPGM Ken Fuller Passed.
- Memorial in Summer in D.C.
Maine
- Governor – May 50% occupancy, June 75%
- MWGM has allowed district travel
- MM Degrees with social distancing and masks/restrictions.
- Chapters/Councils mostly virtual (some in person).
- Two year program
- Presentation at NE Conference
- Whole curriculum
- Link for more information.
- Grand Sessions
- April 23, 2021
- Council Friday
- Chapter Saturday Morning 9:00 AM
- Commandery Saturday Afternoon 1:00 PM
Maryland
- TIM Degree on Saturday April 24, 2021, at the Grand Lodge of Maryland, Special Grand Assembly at 10:00 est. Law School at 9::00 est. Followed by our Council of Anointed High Priests which confers the chair Degree for Chapter. Appears to be several TIM-Elects deemed qualified to be installed as TIM…Must exemplify both Council Degrees, Open & Close from Memory. (with discretion for hardship cases in special Councils circumstances)
- Semi-Annual Grand Assembly on Saturday, May 8, 2021. Live Meeting. Interim Reports, Annual Budget for 2021-2022, Election of Grand Officers for 2021-2021
- Annual Grand York Rite Sessions Friday & Saturday, October 22,& 23, 2021, Ocean City, MD….Hotel is right on the Ocean this year. Same Hotel next year too! Annual Reports, Installation of Officers, Annual Awards.
- School for Secretaries, Recorders, and Treasurers was held on Saturday, February 27, 2021. Virtual Meeting. Posted to the Resources section of the yorkritemaryland.org website. Handouts & full video. Under-attended but well received. Scheduled for 2022 already by popular demand…Live fire exercise!!
- CMMRF Chairman Louis P. Romeo Jr. is working on another annual Raffle..which has been successful for the past two years.
- Councils are open and functioning
- Degrees are being conferred catching up the Chapter Companions. but the cork is still in the bottle in Commandery
- One Council is not functioning at all…considering a forced merger.
Massachusetts
- Beginning to open up.
- Greatest of 3
- 50% Occupancy
- 10 per 1000 square foot
- 25 Members
- Degrees are being done.
- No York Rite degrees.
- York Rite Zoom meetings.
- Think about our business model – how we do meetings
- Zoom forum/venue for Lodge inclusion
- Masons moved to other places
- Visitations
- Succinct topical interactions
- Zoom forum/venue for Lodge inclusion
- Andrew Christos Meninos, MIGM now CMMRF Chair
- Stephen Rubenstein, Ambassador.
New Hampshire
- Annual Sessions –
- New Hampshire Only – May 8, 2021
- Hoping to Zoom the Meeting.
- Banquet July 31, 2021 – In Person.
- New Hampshire Grand Lodge – Meeting – New Hampshire Masons only. (125 limit)
- May 15, 2021
- No Degree work until after Grand Lodge.
New Jersey
- Successful Sessions
- New Grand Recorder – Gregory LaConte
- New MIGM William Sharp
- New website with registration requirement.
New York
- Opening up –
- Chapter has been meeting
- Council will be opening, and official visits happening.
- Lodge
- Degreework going on – social distancing and masks
- Written modified degrees that are COVID safe.
- Scottish Rite
- Radio Degrees – like you’re on a radio show.
- Remote from home.
- Degreework – still postponed.
- Grand Assembly
- August 21, 2021 (20th evening TBD)
- Hybrid meeting (in person and watching)
- The Desmond Hotel, Albany, NY
- Online Education for Treasurers and Recorders
- Jan 30, Feb 27
- Grand Lodge
- New York Masons only
- May – 1st Week.
- October Meeting for Elections
- New property in New Rochelle, NY
- Henrietta and East Aurora also bought properties for Masonic Homes
- Utica upgrading
- Library is going to virtual
- State –
- Local leadership authority for room size with social distancing.
- Most 50 Members, some 100.
Pennsylvania
- Grand Assembly
- April 19, 2021
- Pittsburg – In person.
- Room and social distancing restrictions.
- No banquet.
- Local bodies still doing Zoom meetings.
- State – still some restrictions on meetings, but in process of opening up.
Rhode Island
- Lodges meeting in person – limited capacity at 40%
- Social distancing/masks
- Grand Lodge
- 3 degree festival on three saturdays in April (3, 10, 24)
- 3rd Monday in May (IP/V undetermined)
- Chapters and Councils
- Meeting in person (with limitations of Lodges).
- Grand Convocation and Assembly (HYBRID)
- March 27, 2021
- Grand Council 9:00 AM
- Grand Chapter 10:00 AM
- Grand Commandery 11:30 AM (Semi-Annual)
- In person – Scottish Rite Building,
- Luncheon – Carved Roast Beef.
- Limited Sessions (necessary reports, awards, MIGM, MEGHP, Installation)
- March 27, 2021
- Planning to institute a Candidate forum for Councils
- One Day Degrees
- Grand Lodge – April
- Grand Chapter – June
- Grand Council – July
West Virginia – No new information.
Vermont
- State Restriction
- One to one if unvaccinated.
- Vaccination numbers going up.
- Chapter/Council/Commandery
- Holding Zoom meetings (but somewhat unenthusiastic)
- Showing the difference between those who like virtual and those that don’t.
- Virtual – primarily social.
- Grand Session
- Rescheduling – in planning stages
- TBD – June 12, 2021 is IN CONSIDERATION
- Hybrid – In person Dais Officers, Zoom for membership
- Working on inventory of Petitioner/Candidate/Degree participant placement
- Planning degrees and Festival work.
- Grand Lodge
- No Degree work.
- Dispensations are dealing with elections and installations, being done by Edict.
- Worshipful Masters are getting Past Master Degrees as soon as practicable.
Virginia –
- Mostly virtual meetings (some in person).
York Rite Leadership
- Masonic Family Member 16yo
- https://yorkriteleadership.org
CMMRF
- Power Point Slides developed with papers as a backup with more information.
- $50,000.00 matchings funds expires April 1, 2021.
Northeast Conference
- Still in place at The Desmond, Albany, NY
- September 10-22, 2021
Conversation – Regions
- Mid-Atlantic model works (Mark Irwin is available to discuss).
General Grand Council
- Dates for the 1st Triennial Meeting
- August 13-14, 2021 – Minneapolis, MN
- First Day – Education, Training, CMMRF, etc.
- GG Assembly – Constitution & Bylaws Changes, Grand and Subordinate Charters, and Ritual approval.
- Grand Council of Germany
- GEKT has been the epitome of York Rite Cooperation. Essentially hosting us.
- Registrations will be one – the GEKT will have a registration, ours will be a part of it.
- Registrations should be available in early March.
- Education speaker for GEKT on Sunday.
- Mid-Term Session – August of 2022 – Budget – Virtual.
- August/September 2023 – General Grand Assembly
- Kevin Sample, Chair.
- Awaiting books being closed for 2020 Triennial from General Grand Chapter.
- Branding – Thank you to RPC John Bridegroom – creating traditional and vibrant artifacts such as certificates, Greeting Patents, Charters, and more.
- Fireside chat – 4th Sunday of every month (except April – due to Holy Week)
- 5:00 PM ET.
- General Grand Council Programs
- YouTube
- New Charters and Patents
- Sign up for the Decryption