PROVINCE OF EAST LANCASHIRE Visiting a Lodge Abroad

Provincial Secretariat, Rossendale Masonic Hall, Ashday Lea, Haslingden Road, Rawtenstall, Rossendale BB4 6QX Telephone : 01706 833170 Email : s ecretariat@eastlancsmasons.org.uk Visit : www.pglel.co.uk Twitter : @pglel Facebook : pglel
Updated July 2023
PROVINCE OF EAST LANCASHIRE Visiting a Lodge Abroad
If you are travelling abroad, there may be occasions where you might wish to visit a Lodge. Many Freemasons do this regularly and have forged links and long-term friendships as a consequence. UGLE recognises many Foreign Constitutions around the world, but not all. This is slightly complicated by those relationships changing with time; what was recognised yesterday, may not be so today. The UGLE website does contain an updated page which lists recognised jurisdictions and can be reached by following this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/about-us/foreign-grand-lodges

The following guidance is provided.

1. Before you travel anywhere, it is highly advisable to establish whether you are able to visit a Lodge in the place you intend to travel to.
2. This is done by determining if the Lodge to be visited is a member of a Constitution in amity with UGLE.
3. The enquiry is made in writing or by email to the Grand Secretary, but via the Provincial Office ( secretariat@eastlancsmasons.org.uk ).
4. If the specific Lodge is not known, state the area or town you propose to visit and the dates.
5. Assuming there are no problems with the above, the Provincial Office will provide you with contact details of the official in the country you wish to visit.
6. Protocol demands that contact from England must be through the Provincial Office to UGLE, thence to the Foreign Constitution and back through the same channels. This procedure does take time and due allowance must be made for this.
7. Alternatively, contact may be made direct with the Foreign Constitution once you are in their territory and not before.
8. If you are a Master Mason, take with you your Grand Lodge Certificate and a letter from your Lodge Secretary stating that you are in good standing with your Lodge and that all your dues are paid. This letter needs to be addressed ‘to whom it may concern’, be dated and written on Lodge headed paper. (In certain Constitutions, they issue a ‘Dues Card’ or similar which proves this. You may be asked to produce such - your letter of good standing, and Grand Lodge Certificate, should satisfy this requirement).
9. If you are not yet a Master Mason then you will not of course have a Grand Lodge Certificate. The letter from your Lodge Secretary will then need to include information as to your rank, i.e. Entered Apprentice or Fellow Craft, together with a request that you be admitted to Lodges open in that particular Degree.
10. As in our own Constitution, be prepared that you might be asked to ‘prove’ yourself.

For newer members who may be uncertain what this might entail, a discussion with your Lodge Secretary and / or DC would prove useful! If you have any further queries, please contact your Provincial Office. But above all, enjoy your visit, make new friends and use the opportunity to make an advancement in daily knowledge. And don’t forget to share your experiences with the members of your own Lodge on your return. Safe journey!