Purpose and Mission Statement

A singular right of a Master Mason is the right to the Rite of Masonic Burial. Masonic burial services are one of the first and, perhaps, the most important duties of a Lodge to its members.

It is the duty of the Worshipful Master of a deceased Brother’s Lodge to provide for and conduct that last sad tribute of respect for a deceased Brother Master Mason in good standing. However, many Lodges throughout this great state do not have brethren sufficiently proficient and comfortable in the proper presentation of the Masonic burial services. And many Lodges throughout this great state do not have adequate membership available on short notice to provide for proper Masonic representation to pay that last sad tribute of respect to the memory of a deceased Brother,

Therefore, this Memorial Association has been formed for the pur­pose of assisting the Master, Wardens and Brethren of any Lodge, when requested, in the proper display of the last sad tribute of respect to the memory of a deceased Brother Master Mason.

By Laws

Name: The name of this association shall be “The 8^th District Memorial Association.”

Purpose: The purpose of this association is: (a) to provide aid to any lodge who shall request assistance, in the presentation of Masonic burial services for a deceased Master Mason, who is a member of the Lodge so requesting. And (b) to provide for the attendance of brethren of the various member Lodges who have agreed to attend Masonic funerals to pay the last sad tribute of respect to the honor and memory of a deceased Brother Master Mason.

The Association may contract with a telephone calling service, in order that the Associa­tion shall then be able to notify 5 members of each member Lodge, by phone, and provide adequate information so to encourage the attendance of as many members of a Lodge who are available and have agreed to attend Masonic burial services, as is possible and practical, so that families of our deceased Brothers might find comfort in, and the public at large might be favorably impressed, by the Brotherhood of Freemasonry.

The Association may have an exclusive website for the sole purpose of informing the 8^th District Masonic Jurisdiction of Memorial services. Only information pertinent memorial services for brethren will be displayed. The Website will be under the jurisdiction of the President, Vice-President and Secretary. The Website must abide by all the rules and regulations of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons.

The Website Domain will be www.ga8thdistmemorialassoc.org.

Jurisdiction

(The Goal of two Divisions is to establish more Memorial Teams due to the Geographical size of Masonic District)

The jurisdiction of the “The 8^th District Memorial Association” will be the lodges of the “8^th Masonic District of the Grand Lodge of Georgia Free and Accepted Masons.”

The “The 8^th District Memorial Association” will be divided into two separate Divisions named (East and West) consisting of the Lodges.

EAST Division

Philomathea #25

Shannon #404

Nancy Hart #690

Carnesville #186

Lafayette #23

Hiram #51

Primrose#79

Royston #52

Bowersville #595

Lavonia #241

John H. Jones #348

Hebron #564

Grove #652

Howard #138

Lexington #158

West Division

Golden Fleece #6

Dawson #68

Mansfield #489

Pace #558

Generous Warren #20

Chappell #511

Campton #566

Amity #731

Fergus #135

San Marino #34

Madison #376

Rising Star #4

Dewald #343

Wellington #467

Mt Vernon #22

The (East and West) Division will comprise the Officer listed below.

The Divisions will have at least one annual combined meeting for the purpose of planning and discussion determined by the Divisional Presidents.

The divisions are not limited to their geographic area in performing memorial service.

Officers: Officers of the associations divisions shall be the President, the Vice-President and the Secretary/Treasurer. Officers shall be elected annually at a special meeting to be announced by President. Voting shall be by show of hands and election shall be determined by a simple majority of the members present and voting.

Officers Duties

The President: The president shall preside at each meeting, and shall be the spokes­man for the association. The president shall preside until his successor is elected.

The Vice-President: shall, in the absence of the president, assume the duties of the president. The vice-president shall serve until his successor is elected.

The Secretary/Treasurer: shall keep a correct account of the proceedings of the meetings and activities of the association and shall keep a just and true account of the monies of the association and pay them out on order of the association with the consent of the President. The Secretary/Treasurer shall provide both secretary’s minutes and treasurer’s account books for audit, annually, before the annual communication in

Emergent communications may be called for the purpose of conducting such business as may be necessary, provided due and timely notice of the reason for and place of such communication shall have been given. The regular meeting shall be held at various Association member Lodge halls. The time of the meeting shall be 7pm.

The Director: is responsible with (Master determining layout), for directing Brothers where to stand (Past Master on Front Rows), public honors, brethren clothed properly, where and when to put Acacia, procession thru family line, etc. The Director is responsible for appointing assistant directors.

Association Duties: The association secretary shall compile a list of all 8^th District lodges and provide said lodges with the contact information of the Association. The Association may contact a contracted telephone calling service and record the proper message for a funeral service and initiate the calling procedure.

The Association shall maintain a list of Brothers proficient in the presentation of Masonic Funeral Services and, if requested, shall assist the member Lodges in securing one of these qualified Brothers for service presentations.

The Association at Graveside services will try to conform as much as possible to the Burial Service Procession and Layout Guide.

Lodge Duties: Lodge requesting Association assistance shall make every effort to have at least 5 members of their Lodge present for a service for a member of their Lodge.

Lodges requesting the Association for assistance could be called upon to provide the following: Steward and Deacon Staffs and evergreen, aprons and gloves in a quantity sufficient to provide each Mason in attendance.

Lodge Officer’s Duties: In the event of the death of a member of a Lodge requesting assistance, it shall be the duty of the Worshipful Master of that Lodge to contact the association President or Vice President who will then post, on the contracted calling service, the name and all other pertinent information regarding the service for the deceased Brother including the name and address of the funeral home handling the services. The time and place the service is to be held. The burial site (cemetery) location and/or address and, if applicable, the ‘Lodge of Sorrow’ opening time.

IT SHALL BE THE DUTY OF EACH LODGE: to solicit and encourage its Lodge officers and members to participate with the Memorial Association by their atten­dance at regular Memorial Association meetings and all funerals possible. The Lodges shall compile a roster of those of its members who have agreed to attend funeral services. The roster of members who have agreed to attend memorial services shall list the member’s name and day and evening phone numbers.

Further it is the duty of the Worshipful Master to inform and instruct their 5 principal members to notify all the Lodge’s participating Lodge members of pending Masonic funerals and provide said members with pertinent information regarding those services.

It shall be the duty of the deceased Brother’s Lodge of record requesting assis­tance: In order to assure adequate time for communication with the Lodges and brethren regarding a Masonic memorial service, the following must be performed by the Worshipful Master requesting assistance, immediately upon learning of the death of a member of his Lodge.

The following information must be furnished to an association officer.

• o The deceased Brother’s FULL AND COMPLETE name.
• o The deceased Brother’s Lodge name and number.
• o The deceased Brother’s date of birth and death, and dates of EA, FC and MM degrees.
• o The day, date, time and place of funeral services and interment.
• o The Lodge of Sorrow opening time day, date and time.
• o The place Masonic services are to be performed (Church, Chapel or graveside).
• o Whether service may be held inside in case of inclement weather.

The Master, or his appointee, of a Lodge requesting assistance, shall do the following as soon as possible.

• Contact the Family of the deceased Brother and, after offering up Lodge condolences on the loss of their loved one, ascertain that they have, in fact, requested a Masonic burial service.
• Immediately contact the association president or, if unable to reach the president in a timely fashion, the vice president, and supply him with the above information.
• Contact and secure arrangements with the Brother agreeing (or suggested) to perform the Masonic services. (The association officer may identify a Brother or Brothers proficient in the ritual, if requested).
• It is the responsibility of the Master, or his appointee, of the Lodge requesting assistance to telephone the officers of the Association and furnish all required information.

It is the responsibility of the officers of each member Lodge, toattend association meetings and understand funeral and association requirements and procedures.

NOTE: See the Masonic Code of Georgia; Chapter 51-1; 101:109

December 1^st, 2010