1. Where did Prince
Hall Masonry come from?
A full history of Prince Hall Masonry is outside the scope of this brief
pamphlet, but will be better addressed in a later communication from this
committee or the Prince Hall Task Force.
Briefly, Prince Hall was a free black man who, along with 14 other black
men in Boston, was initiated by a British army lodge in 1774. They were
given permission to meet as African Lodge 459 by the Grand Lodge of England.
Over time, the men lost touch with their grand lodge and began, as many
other Masonic bodies of the time (including lodges in North Carolina) to
practice their Craft without benefit of grand lodge affiliation.
They were contacted by other black free citizens of the time who wished to
be Masons. Prince Hall and his Masonic Brothers extended their knowledge to
other states outside Massachusetts. They eventually gathered as a group and
formed their own grand lodges.
The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of North Carolina, chartered in 1870, is
descended from these bodies.
2. Has the Prince Hall Grand Lodge
asked for recognition?
No. The national trend toward recognizing Prince Hall Grand Lodges is
widely known. In 1990 the Grand Lodge of Connecticut recognized their
resident Prince Hall counterpart. Other states began to follow suit. In
1996, after lengthy investigation and consideration, the United Grand Lodge
of England pronounced Prince Hall Masonry regular. Since 1990, 27 United
States and most Canadian Provinces have granted some form of recognition to
Prince Hall grand lodges in their jurisdiction. Most of the recognitions are
full and unconditional. The progression made it a natural topic among Masons
in North Carolina.
3. Why is the recognition of Prince
Hall being considered by our Grand
Lodge? A proposal was submitted by Hominy 491 of
Candler. They were joined by
Hiram 40 of Raleigh and Doric 568 of New Bern. Any proposal submitted by a
subordinate lodge must be considered at the next Annual Communication.
4. If approved will they become a
part of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina?
No. They would have no more influence than any other grand jurisdiction we
recognize.
5. What relationship will they have
with our charities?
None. The rules for recommending a resident at our homes in Greensboro or
Oxford will not change. Only a lodge operating under the Grand Lodge of
North Carolina can make such a recommendation. For example, a Mason from the
Grand Lodge of South Carolina residing in this state is not eligible to
enter our Masonic and Eastern Star Home. Nor would a member of Prince Hall
Grand Lodge be eligible. Neither would we gain any control of their
charities.
6. Are we merging with Prince Hall?
No. If recognition is extended and reciprocated, then it is like the
recognition given to, for example, the Grand Lodge of Virginia. Both the
Prince Hall Grand Lodge and our Grand Lodge would remain sovereign over the
lodges each maintains in our state.
7. Is Prince Hall Masonry regular or
clandestine?
Clandestine and regular are terms long bandied about by academics and
legal
minds. They will argue the definitions of these terms for ages to come. In
the real world clandestine means unrecognized, recognized means regular.
Having fraternal relations makes a grand lodge regular.
In your obligation, you made promises about discussions you may have with
clandestine Masons. Your obligation dealt with the recognitions of your
jurisdiction. Those are dependent on circumstances of the times. We may have
recognized the Grand Lodge of Cuba when you were made a Mason, but you are
not now allowed to communicate about the secrets of Masonry with its members
because we withdrew recognition in 1963. We may have regarded the Grand
Lodge of Senegal as clandestine when you became a Mason, but you may now
visit their lodges since our 1998 recognition of them.
Should we recognize the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of North Carolina, they
would no longer be clandestine Ñ they would be regular.
8. Is our formation any more or less
regular than Prince Hall Masonry?
No. The Grand Lodge of North Carolina declared itself in 1787 from lodges
already operating in North Carolina. Following the war with England, these
lodges operated without a central body. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of North
Carolina was chartered by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York in 1870.
9. Do Prince Hall Masons memorize a
catechism?
The Prince Hall Grand Secretary of NC reports that they require memory
work
and return proficiency. Their candidates must learn the first and second
degree before advancing. They do not permit more than one degree in a day,
nor all three degrees in less than 30 days.
10. What are their fees and dues?
Their fees for the degrees average about $65, with lodge dues ranging from
$25 to $100.
11. Are our Grand Lodge Officers
pressing for Prince Hall recognition?
The GL Officers did not initiate the proposed change. One local lodge
submitted the resolution, and was subsequently joined by the two other
lodges. Once submitted, it must be brought before the GL of NC at our next
Annual Communication. Considering the importance, passion, and diversity of
opinions regarding this subject, a task force was appointed to collect
information, share information, and make recommendations for and to the
Masons of the state. Grand Master Thomas W. Gregory has announced his
support of the recognition of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of North Carolina.
12. What if we extend recognition
and they do not reciprocate?
Nothing. Nothing can happen until an agreement between the Grand Lodges is
reached.
13. If the delegates vote to approve
recognition, does that mean Prince Hall
Masons could visit my lodge?
While no compact has been negotiated, if full recognition were granted,
Prince Hall members would qualify to visit a lodge of the Grand Lodge of
North Carolina.
14. Could a Prince Hall Mason
affiliate with my lodge if we pass this?
If full recognition is made, a Prince Hall member would be able join a
Grand Lodge of North Carolina lodge, provided he went through the normal
affiliation process and was elected, just like a Mason from the Grand Lodge
of Vermont or other recognized grand lodge.
15. Isn't recognition really just a
first step toward merger?
No. Each group has its own lodges, officers, and history. Neither Grand
Lodge wishes to give these up. Each would remain autonomous.
16. Which Prince Hall Grand Lodge
are we talking about?
There is only one Prince Hall Affiliate Grand Lodge operating in North
Carolina. The proposed recognition, if approved as written, would only
extend recognition to the Prince Hall Affiliate Grand Lodge of North
Carolina. There are other groups operating in the state which purport to be
Masonic. Neither we nor the Prince Hall Grand Lodge recognize these groups.
17. Some say that they have spoken
with Prince Hall acquaintances and they
don't like the idea either. Why?
Individuals from both Grand Lodges have their own opinions. No single
individual necessarily represents a majority.
18. I've heard Prince Hall Grand
Lodge has no desire to swap recognition, is
that true?
No. Many of their members have expressed interest in Fraternal relations
with our Grand Lodge, including their Grand Master Nathaniel Johnson.
19. Is Prince Hall Masonry in North
Carolina currently recognized by the
Grand Lodge of England?
No. In 1996 the United Grand Lodge of England recognized the grand lodge
from which North Carolina Prince Hall Masonry descended as being regular.
Other United States descendants recognized by the "regular" lodge with
which
they share jurisdiction have been recognized soon after requesting it of
UGLE. Fifteen have been recognized as of this writing.
20. What requirements do Prince Hall
lodges have for admission?
A man must believe in a supreme being, be of lawful age, free born, of
good
moral standing, well respected in the community, and gainfully employed.
21. Do they accept members with
criminal records?
The Prince Hall Code states that no one who has been convicted of a felony
may be initiated or continue membership.
22. Are their modes of recognition
the same as ours?
Such modes of recognition are considered Masonic secrets and not subject
to
discussion by either Grand Lodge or its members. None of the other several
dozen jurisdictional recognitions has reported any problem in this respect.
23. Are their rituals and
obligations the same as ours?
Their ritual, as ours, is derived largely from the work of Thomas Smith
Webb. In the late 1700s and early 1800s Webb popularized much of the work
currently done in American lodges. His work is related to that of William
Preston, a predecessor who spread a version of the work popular in British
lodges today.
24. What about exclusive territorial
jurisdiction?
Exclusive territorial jurisdiction is not universally accepted even by our
own Grand Lodge. We recognize several grand lodges which share the same
geographic territory. For instance, we have fraternal relations with several
grand lodges in Brazil which share territory, some with lodges in the same
city. They include Grande Loja Maconica Do Estado de Sao Paulo and Grande
Oriente Do Brasil among others. We recognize the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts which maintains lodges in Panama, Chile, and Japan where we
recognize other grand lodges. The United Grand Lodge of England maintains
lodges in India, as well as several African and South American nations which
have grand lodges of their own which we recognize and with which we maintain
fraternal relations.
