MOST WORSHIPFUL PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE
OF VIRGINIA FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS, INCORPORATED

GRAND MASTER’S EDICT NO.14-12-08

To: All Owing Allegiance to the MOST WORSHIPFUL PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE of Virginia, F. & A. M., INC.

Know ye by these presents; by virtue of the authority vested in the office of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, I, Larry D. Christian, Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons in the Jurisdiction of Virginia, do hereby declare that the minimum years of age requirement, for any male person to apply for membership in a Prince Hall subordinate lodge of the Jurisdiction of Virginia, shall be 18 years of age. All other requirements, procedures and processes pertaining to application for membership, vouchering, investigation and certification remain as before.

This Edict has been issued under my hand and seal on the 29th day of December 2008. Take due notice and govern yourselves accordingly.

Ordered by: Attested by:
Larry D. Christian Isaac S. Hughes
Most Worshipful Grand Master Right Worshipful Grand Secretary
906 N. THOMPSON STREET, POST OFFICE BOX 14646, RICHMOND, VA 23221-0646
Phone: (804) 359-1111 Website: mwphgl-va.org E-Mail: rwgsmwphglva@aol.com

January 22, 2009

To: All Owing Allegiance to the MOST WORSHIPFUL PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE of Virginia, F. & A. M., INC.

I must report to the Jurisdiction of Virginia that your Masonic leaders have been unsuccessful in attempting to bring resolution to the impasse with the AEAONMS. Many of you are not members of the Shrine and therefore may have little or no understanding of the problems between Shrinedom and Prince Hall Masonry over the past few months.

Several months ago, the Imperial Potentate, who is the head of Shrinedom, issued a "protective order" in an attempt to stop certain practices by several Jurisdictions that he believed impinged upon the rights of its members. The constitution of the Shrine stated that the membership would consist of Master Masons in good standing, who were also members of the Scottish Rite (Consistory) or York Rite (Knights Templar). The "protective order" changed all of that. For the sake of this disclosure, it’s immaterial whether the Imperial Potentate had the authority to violate his own constitution or not. The fact is he decreed that persons no longer had to belong to the Scottish Rite or York Rite and did not have to be in good standing as a Master Mason. Meetings were held between the Imperial Potentate and the Prince Hall Grand Masters at the Conference of Grand Masters. Instead of a "meet and confer" type of gathering, it was a purely confrontational diatribe on the part of the Imperial Potentate. In August 2008, a new Imperial Potentate was installed. The hope was that the new Imperial Potentate would revert back to the original position for Shrine membership. Much to everyone’s surprise, the topic of membership never made it to the convention floor and the new Imperial Potentate stated that he did not intend to change the previous "protective order".

I must admit this Jurisdiction has made some unreasonable demands on the Shrine Temples in the past years. We were willing to concede this point and attempted to heal old wounds so that peace and harmony could prevail. What we encountered, however, was a perverse mood of disrespect for the Grand Master and the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Virginia.

The AEAONMS were welcomed into Virginia based on the fact that its membership would be composed of Prince Hall Master Masons, in good standing with their lodge, and who would also be members, in good standing, of either the Scottish Rite or York Rite of Masonry. Under the present leadership of the Imperial Council of AEAONMS that membership requirement has now changed. In fact, according to a letter dated January 8th, the Imperial Potentate is even attempting to change the English Language by giving his own definition for words rather than Webster’s. According to my dictionary, the words "concordant" and affiliate" mean "existing in agreement" and "to associate or ally oneself" which fits the relationship that existed between Shrinedom and the Jurisdiction of Virginia prior to the "protective order".

As Grand Master, I cannot condone the violation of our Constitution nor accept the disrespect directed to this office. Until the "protective orders" pertaining to membership are addressed and resolved, there will be no relationship between AEAONMS and the Jurisdiction of Virginia.

Larry D. Christian, Most Worshipful Grand Master

Attested:

Isaac S. Hughes, Right Worshipful Grand Secretary

906 N. THOMPSON STREET, POST OFFICE BOX 14646, RICHMOND, VA 23221-0646
Phone: (804) 359-1111 Website: mwphgl-va.org E-Mail: rwgsmwphglva@aol.com