Petitions for relief to Masonic charitable bodies must be submitted through the petitioner’s Lodge, which will then forward the petition with a report to the relevant charity. Rule 191A outlines that notice to Lodge members applies primarily to those residing locally, with reasonable efforts made for others. Rule 191B mandates that every Brother provide an email and postal address for service of notices, ensuring timely updates on any changes. Specific documents, such as summonses and notices related to disciplinary actions, must be in writing and signed, although electronic submissions may be accepted if acted upon. Rule 191C allows for electronic submission of returns as directed by the Board of General Purposes. Rule 191D specifies that petitions for various warrants must be submitted in written form and signed by all subscribers. Notably, previous rules regarding the Board of Benevolence and the Rulers’ Forum have been deleted.
December 4th, 2025
February 10th, 2026
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Every petition to the Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Grand Charity, the Masonic Foundation for the Aged and the Sick, and the Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys (or while they are in operation as individual bodies, the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls, the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys and the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution) submitted through a Lodge to which the petitioner belongs or belonged or to which the late member of the Craft on whom the petitioner depended or was dependent, as the case may be, belonged, shall be considered by the Lodge. Every Lodge receiving such a petition shall forward it to the Charity concerned with a report thereon. Rule 191A: Service of Notice Wherever service of a notice on members of a Lodge is required in these Rules the Rules appertaining to such service shall be taken to apply to those members of the Lodge residing in the country in which the Lodge meets. All reasonable efforts shall be made to comply with such Rules in respect of members of the Lodge residing elsewhere but failure to do so in respect of such members shall not invalidate the service of such a notice. Rule 191B: Notice (a) Every Brother must supply to Masonic authority an email address and a postal address to which notices or other documents may be sent to him (“an address for service”). The address may be that of the Brother concerned, or of someone authorised by him to receive service on his behalf. (b) Every Brother must thereafter ensure that any change to an address for service, including revocation or variation of any authority to receive service, is notified forthwith to Masonic authority. (c) for the purposes of this rule only, notification to Masonic authority is made when: (i) a Brother updates his Masonic record on the membership database operated by the Grand Secretary; (ii) two days after his Lodge Secretary receives the updated data from the Brother; or (iii) if he is not a member of any Lodge, two days after the Grand Secretary receives the updated data from the Brother. (d) Any document within paragraph (e)(i) below must be in writing and bear the name of the person issuing it, but need not be signed, and will be sufficiently served if sent by email to an address for service which is an email address and if sent by post to an address for service which is a postal address. A document within paragraph (e)(ii) below addressed to a Lodge or all its members will be sufficiently served if the same conditions are satisfied, but insofar as such a document is sent to an individual Brother under the respective Rules it must be sent by post. Service may be proved by a copy of a sent email or a copy of the letter certified by the individual who posted it. (e) The documents to which Rule 191B(d) above applies are: (i) any summons to any Lodge or Brother to appear before (A) the Grand Lodge; (B) the Grand Master or his Deputy or Assistant; (C) the Board of General Purposes; (D) any Metropolitan, Provincial or District Grand Master (or any Brother nominated by him); or (E) any Grand Inspector; or (ii) any notice or document to a Lodge or an individual Brother in connection with (A) any motion under Rule 105(b) that the Master Elect be not installed; (B) the removal of any Officer of a Lodge under Rule 120; (C) the permanent exclusion of a Brother under Rule 181 (f) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (a) to (e) above, if the Grand Secretary or any Lodge or Brother shall receive any such notice or summons or document and shall proceed to act upon it as though it had been issued in compliance with those provisions he or the Lodge as the case may be shall not thereafter be entitled to treat it as invalid in reliance only upon the fact that it was not in compliance with those provisions. Rule 191C: Whenever any return or form is required by or in consequence of any Rule of the Book of Constitutions to be submitted to the Grand Secretary it shall be permissible if (but only if), and to the extent that, the Board of General Purposes from time to time so directs for that return or form to be submitted in such electronic format as the Board may approve. Rule 191D: (a) Every petition or memorial to the Grand Master for a Warrant of Constitution, a Warrant of Confirmation, a Warrant (or Warrant of Confirmation) for a Centenary Jewel, a Warrant (or Warrant of Confirmation) for a Bi-Centenary Bar or a Certificate of Amalgamation shall be submitted in written form, using in every case in which it is applicable the printed form from time to time supplied by the Grand Secretary, and shall not be entertained unless the actual petition or memorial received by the Grand Secretary has been signed by every person subscribing to the same. (b) Whenever it shall be necessary in accordance with any Rule: (i) to summon any Lodge or Brother to appear before (A) the Grand Lodge; (B) the Grand Master or his Deputy or Assistant; (C) the Board of General Purposes; (D) any Metropolitan, Provincial or District Grand Master (or any Brother nominated by him); or (E) any Grand Inspector; or (ii) to send any notice or document to a Lodge or an individual Brother in connection with (A) any summons under Rules 74 or 234; (B) any motion under Rule 105(b) that the Master Elect be not installed; (C) the removal of any Officer of a Lodge under Rule 120; (D) the permanent exclusion of a Brother under Rule 181; (E) any disciplinary proceedings or any dispute falling within the provisions of Rule 184; (F) any appeal under Rule 185; or (G) any plea for clemency, such notice, summons or document shall be sent in written form and shall not be valid unless the actual notice or summons or, in the case of any document, the letter covering the same, received by the Grand Secretary or the Lodge or Brother has been signed by the person issuing the same. (c) Whenever in this Rule it shall be a requirement that any document be signed, the signature shall be an original signature personally affixed in his own handwriting by the individual concerned and in no case shall it be permissible to use a facsimile signature or to transmit the document by electronic means. (d) Notwithstanding paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Rule, if the Grand Secretary or any Lodge or Brother shall receive any such notice or summons or document as is mentioned in paragraph (b) by electronic means and shall proceed to act upon it as though it had been issued in compliance with the provisions of such paragraphs, he or the Lodge as the case may be shall not thereafter be entitled to treat it as invalid in reliance only upon the fact that it was not issued in written form and duly signed. The Rules concerning the Board of Benevolence (192 to 215) were deleted in toto in 1980 when the Grand Charity came into being. The Rules concerning the Rulers’ Forum (216 to 222) were deleted in toto in 2012.