OFFICERS MANUAL
CONTENTS
Applicability and Responsibility
The Officers Manual (formerly the Policy & Procedures Manual) is a collection of documents which describe policies of the Grand Lodge and its committees as well as procedures for accomplishing certain objectives.
Responsibility for maintaining the Officers Manual rests jointly with the Grand Secretary, the cognizant committee and the Grand Master who must approve its contents. In all instances throughout this manual our Constitution, Charges, Rules and Regulations and Nickerson’s Digest of Decisions supersede any contradiction with said documents herein.
Discussion
The Grand Lodge of Connecticut has produced a number of manuals in the past containing ceremonies, instructions to officers, and reference material such as the Resource Guide. With the proliferation of such documents, it is inevitable that there will be duplication. When there is duplication, there will be conflict or confusion because when one document is changed, frequently the other is not updated.
The Officers Manual is intended to provide a single source of the latest correct information on a particular topic.
Each of the documents in the manual has been assigned to a committee or to a Grand Officer for maintenance.
Procedure
Copies of the documents contained in the Officers Manual are available on the ConnecticutFreemasons website, https://ctfreemasons.net and may be downloaded in pdf format for use. They may also be requested from the Grand Lodge Office by sending an email request to grandlodge@masonicare.org and requesting a specific document. The Grand Lodge office will forward the document in pdf format as an attachment to the return email.
Appendix A contains the Table of Contents of the Officers Manual. The Table of Contents identifies the Title of the document, who is responsible for maintaining the document and the date of its revision.
Each responsible committee or Grand Officer should review the documents for which they are responsible on an annual basis. Editable copies of the documents may be obtained from the Grand Lodge office. All changes must be approved by the Grand Master.
Should any person other than a member of the responsible committee note an error or feel that change is needed, they should contact the responsible committee chairman in writing with the details of the change needed and the reasons therefor.
Appendix A
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title | Revised | Responsible Committee |
| Contents | 02.13.17 | Grand Master |
| Affiliation with a Lodge | 05.11.10 | Grand Secretary |
| Attire for Grand Lodge Officers | 08.10.06 | Ritual and Ceremonies |
| Balloting – Suggested Methods | 01.05.15 | Masonic Education |
| Becoming a Mason | 10.20.10 | Grand Secretary |
| Connecticut Property Tax | 10.28.10 | Legal Matters Advisories |
| Connecticut Sale & Use Tax | 06.07.12 | Legal Matters Advisories |
| Formation, Closure, Merger, Consolidation of Lodges, Closure of Corporations | 09.13.14 | Legal Matters |
| Constituent Lodge and Building Assoc. Internal Audit Guidance | 11.06.12 | Legal Matters |
| Constituent Lodge Model Bylaws | 02.14.15 | Legal Matters |
| Dispensations | 03.05.12 | Masonic Education |
| Evaluation / Inspection | 01.31.17 | Masonic Education |
| Fifty Year Awards | 04.22.13 | Grand Secretary |
| Form 990 Annual Reporting Requirement | 10.01.16 | Legal Matters Advisories |
| Friendly Caller Program | 01.22.08 | Community Action |
| Installation of Officers | 12.09.1 | Ritual and Ceremonies |
| Lodge Committees | 09.15.07 | Masonic Education |
| Lodge Fundraising and Donation Guidelines | 09.13.14 | Legal Matters |
| Lodge Meetings | 09.15.07 | Masonic Education |
| Lodge Officers | 09.15.07 | Masonic Education |
| Lodge Visitors | 09.15.07 | Masonic Education |
| Masonic Building Associations Constituent Lodge Temple Corp Model By-Law | 02.15.11 | Legal Matters |
| Masonic Funerals | 10.20.16 | Ritual and Ceremonies |
| Processions and Introductions | 01.31.17 | Ritual and Ceremonies |
| Qualification of the WM, SW & JW | 01.31.17 | Grand Master |
| Related Masonic Organizations | 09.15.07 | Masonic Education |
| Ritual | 01.31.17 | Masonic Education |
| Table Lodge | 09.22.06 | Ritual and Ceremonies |
| The Worshipful Master | 02.13.17 | Masonic Education |
| Welcome and Excusing Guests | 09.13.13 | Ritual and Ceremonies |
