Overview of August 2021 Legislation for General Grand Council Constitution & Bylaws: Resolutions 48-04 through 48-05
Submitted by Right Puissant Companion Bill Snyder, Deputy General Grand Master

RPC Bill Snyder
General Grand Deputy Master

Editor\’s Note: All Triennial Legislation has been posted on the triennial website at https://triennial.org/resolutions. The full text of the resolution, sponsor statement, and before and after the text is all available. Future issues will introduce these resolutions with more detail available on the Triennial Site.

Virtual Meetings and Landmarks of Cryptic Masonry

Resolution 48-04 was submitted to clearly authorize the use of virtual or electronic sessions for General Grand Council purposes. As set forth in the Sponsors Statement, “While the precedent has been set by the General Grand Chapter and General Grand Council both holding Virtual Triennial Sessions during the pandemic crisis, it also has become clear that there are benefits to our voting membership when virtual means can be for selected matters such as Cryptic education or distribution of organizational information. Additionally, by providing specifically for Virtual Assemblies, we are ensuring that future General Grand Councils have all available options in the event of a new crisis such as a new world pandemic, catastrophic weather events or seismic events, or the occurrence of military conflicts.” Due and proper notice to the voting membership is a requirement. This is an amendment to the Constitution and requires a 3/4ths approval of the voting membership present and voting.

Resolution 48-05 is also an amendment to the Constitution. This is aimed at promoting a unified York Rite environment for chartered councils and Grand Councils operating outside of the United States and to protect the principles of the American York Rite System. Per the Sponsors Statement: “In the past decade, we discovered that a significant number of our Grand Councils that had been chartered on the International front outside of the United States of America had been subjected to undue influences and domination by other elements of the Ancient York Rite System. These Grand Councils were being forced to operate as much less than co-equal branches of the American York Rite System within those international jurisdictions. The lessons, legends, and principles of the Cryptic Rite were deemed of little value and disregarded by those in the dominant body. The finances and the elections of the Cryptic Rite leadership were not being controlled by the voting membership of that Grand Council, all contrary to the basic principles and landmarks of the American York Rite System. This Amendment to the Constitution memorializes the basic principles and landmarks upon which the General Grand Council was formed in 1880 as well as the practices of all versions of the Cryptic Rite operating within the United States of America. If our Companions outside of the United States of America desire to have the full measure and benefit of the American York Rite System, the Solomonic Rule of Three co-equal elements of that System must be preserved. Necessarily, the basics of justice, mercy, and equity revolve around the reward of merit and effort rather than entitlement or tyranny. With the adoption of this Amendment, all future charters of Grand Councils that will operate outside of the United States of America will be conditioned upon these essential steps for the preservation of Ancient York Masonry. This will ensure fairness in the administration of the American York Rite System throughout the World and the balance that Solomon, King of Israel, Hiram, King of Tyre, and Hiram Abif worked so diligently to achieve in the building of the First Temple.” As an amendment to the Constitution, this will require a 3/4ths approval of the voting membership present and voting.

In a future issue, we will cover Resolution 48-06 regarding some proposed changes on the internal financial structure of the General Grand Council.

If you have a constructive suggestion regarding the wording of any of the proposed Amendments to the Constitution or Bylaws, your suggestion may be sent to the Deputy General Grand Master, William G. Snyder, as the Chairman of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

Please forward questions and suggestions to dggm@generalgrandcouncil.org on or before June 1, 2021, so that appropriate responses and viable Committee amendments may be presented in due course with the support of the Sponsors and issued to the voting membership in advance of the business session on August 14, 2021.