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Lectures of the Degrees – Can they be given on different days from the rest of the Degrees?

Lectures of the Degrees on Different Days

The information on this chart comes from various sources. If anyone has definite information for additions or changes on this chart, please send email to Paul M. Bessel so I can update this chart.

 

State

Does the Grand Lodge allow Lodges to do Lectures on a different day or evening than the rest of the Degree?

Yes No
Alabama

From an email:
In Alabama the EA and MM lectures may be postponed. The “official” reason is “due to the lateness of the hour,” but often it is due to lack of someone who can give the lecture.
The FC lecture cannot be postponed. Without it the candidate never arrives at the Middle Chamber and the lessons given there are considered indispensable. 

Alaska
Arizona

From an email:
The Arizona Masonic Constitution addresses this in two sections. The first deals with esoteric work.
Esoteric Work
Section 59.1 The esoteric work and the ritual heretofore and now recognized and adopted by this Grand Lodge shall be communicated, taught and practiced within this Grand Jurisdiction.  The power to modify or to make any change in said work or ritual rests solely in the Grand Lodge.
No other esoteric work or ritual shall be recognized, communicated, practiced or taught within this jurisdiction except as provided for in Section 59.4.
The second  is found under the duties of the Master of a Lodge.
Duties of the  Master
106.2 To confer all degrees or to insure their conferral in strict accordance with the ritual which has been, or may hereafter be ordained by the Grand Lodge.
106.3 To give, in full, the lectures appertaining to each degree at the time it is conferred, in accordance with such ritual, or see that the lectures are given by another Master Mason who satisfies the requirements of Paragraph 106.7 of this Section.
That said I have been present at a 3rd degree which due to the Masonic tradition of scheduling as many events at the same time as possible resulted in the degree being to be halted at the end of the first section due to the lack of enough people to confer the second section. The candidate received the second section one week later in conjunction with another candidate.
A strict interpretation of the AMC would indicate that we violated section 106.3 but no action was taken and the candidate is now  a Master Mason.
So normally speaking, Arizona requires the lecture to be given at the same time as the main part of the degree is conferred but sometimes parts of  the main part of the degree are not given at the same time.
This apparently is not covered by the Arizona Masonic Constitution. 

Arkansas
California

From an email:
California requires the lecture to be given at the time of the degree.
Per the CA M.C. §25140 Duties of Master.
It shall be the duty of the Master to:
C.    Give, or have given, in full, the lectures appertaining to each degree, at the time it is conferred, in accordance with the ritual;  

Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia

SEC. 81. No Lodge shall confer any degree of Masonry without the lecture appertaining to said degree being given in open Lodge during the same communication.

Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas

From an email:
In Kansas lectures are allowed to be done separately within 30 days. 

Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts

From an email:
In Massachusetts, degrees conferred must be completed at one meeting

Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri

From an email:
From the Missouri By-Laws:
“Section 16.025. LECTURE AND CHARGE. The lecture and charge of a degree shall, whenever practicable, be given at the same communication in which the degree is conferred. The lecture and charge should be given as soon as possible. (1992-83)”
By implication, then, Missouri permits the lecture and charge to be given at a different communication, but discourages it.

Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire

From an email:
It is permitted in New Hampshire, but is not often done.

New Jersey

From an email:
New Jersey C&BL 4-07
” In all cases of conferring degrees, and immediately thereafter the appropriate lecture and charge, or portion thereof appertaining there to must be delivered.”
According to Section 29-12 of the C&BL of the GL of NJ: “A degree must be completed at the same communication at
which it is started.” 

New Mexico
New York

From an email:
It is definitely allowed in my jurisdiction. I took my 3rd Degree early this year. Due to the length of the degree we were given only the first two parts (our Passing and the Hiramic Demonstration.) We were given some study materials over the summer and when the lodge reopened we were given part 3. This was perfectly satisfactory, but we are planning a Saturday degree this year to begin early in the morning and deliver the entire 3rd in one day. It is not so much the length of the meeting that causes problems as it is continuing late into the night when the Brothers may have had a long day at work beforehand and must go back to work the next day.

From another email:
I checked the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of New York and in ‘Section 636-Should Be Completed at Single Communication’ it states:
“As a matter of policy and practice and in the absence of an emergency, such as a blackout, fire or illness, a degree should be conferred completely at a single communication.”
I haven’t found any other passages relating to the question.  Yet I know as a matter of practice, and with the apparent approval or at least blind eye to the same, many Lodges that do the Hiramic Drama in full form will sometimes postpone the 3rd Degree Historical lecture to the next meeting to prevent the night’s work from running too late.

North Carolina From an email:
It is NOT allowed in NC.
North Dakota
Ohio

From an email:
I knew that there had been occasions when we had deferred the Degree Lecture to a future meeting. (in order to save time)  But, I actually thought we were taking liberties with GL Code to do this.  So, I dug out my Code book and looked it up.  From what I read, it appears we were perfectly legal.   I have copied the relevant section of the Code below.  The code does not even address the giving of the lectures!  (the lecture is the second section of the EA or FC Degrees and is the third section of the MM Degree in our ritual books)
Generally, we will confer the first section of the EA Degree on each candidate individually, then give the lecture to all candidates at the same time.  Same for the FC Degree.  In the MM Degree, we confer sections one and two on each candidate individually, then give the lecture to all candidates.  It is VERY rare that we have more than one MM candidate at a time, due to the length of the Degree.
“Ohio Code 27.03 Degrees to be Conferred in Entirety  (a)  Lodges shall confer the first section of the Entered Apprentice Degree, the first section of the Fellowcraft Degree, and the first and second sections of the Master Mason Degree, in their entirety on each candidate, individually.  Lodges deviating therefrom will be subject to Masonic discipline.”

Oklahoma

From an email:
Per Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, Article V (Degrees & Advancement) of the Uniform Code, Section U502 “Full Degrees Must Be Given”:  Lodges are forbidden to omit any part of the lectures and explanations when conferring any of the degrees upon a candidate.  It is the duty of the Worshipful Master to give, or cause to be given, the full
lectures pertaining to the degree.  Failure to do so shall render the Master and the lodge subject to discipline.  The explanatory lectures may be deferred for not more than sixty (60) days.
A typical practice in our lodge is to do the lectures after a series of candidates have gone through a particular degree (EA or  MM).  We have the good experience of initiating/raising two or more men within two weeks of balloting.  Rather than giving the lectures for every candidate, we will hold off until the last of the series and require all the candidates to attend the final degree to receive the explanatory lectures.  (The categorical lecture is given at every degree.)
In the case where we expect to initiate/raise only one candidate and do not expect to do another for another month, we will confer everything at that special meeting.
For conferring the FC degree, everything is done that night.

Oregon

Oregon Code Sec. 243.2:  No part of the degree work, lectures or charges of any degree shall be omitted or postponed.

Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas No
Utah
Vermont
Virginia

Sec. 2.07. Lodge to Practice Ancient York Ritual. — Every Lodge shall practice the Ancient York Ritual as taught by the Grand Lodge Committee on Work, who are its custodians. The said Ancient York Ritual consists of the Degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. The ritual of these degrees includes both the floor work and the explanatory lectures as indispensable parts thereof. It is not in the power of the Worshipful Master or any other officer of the Lodge or any of its Brethren to omit any part of such ritual in conferring the degrees.

Washington

From an email:
The Washington Masonic Code states:
Sec. 20.01 B.L. Rules on Conferring. Paragraph 3 states “All Sections and Portions thereof and Lecture of each Degree must be conferred at the same Communication or Communications of the Lodge on the same calendar day,

West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
SUMMARY It appears that Lectures are not always given on the same day as the rest of the Degrees in 7 jurisdictions: Alabama, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma It appears that Lectures are always given on the same as the rest of the Degrees in 10 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, DC, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington
In the remaining 36 U.S. jurisdictions, I do not yet know what their policies are on this subject.

 

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