It is about time for a Masonic Post. So here goes.
First of all what is a "grand" officer? Well substitute the word "state" for "grand" and you will have it. They have the same title as a local officer but the word grand is added to designate a greater responsibility. For purposes of this article I am not talking about the Grand Master, or similar heads of the Grand Body. They have different expectations. Whether or not they live up to their own particular expectations is not relevant here.
What do they do?
Many of them just go around being "grand." Some of them actually take the charge to be "of service" to the fraternity seriously and you will find them traveling around the state participating in degree work and attending meetings. Some of them just hold the title and show up at the Grand Body Meeting and fill their place and then disappear into the woodwork not to be seen until the next year.
In the Grand Chapter of Eastern Star the Grand Officers are sometimes used to support the Worthy Grand Matron as she travels the state visiting Chapters. Later in the year they become a travelling degree team and go from place to place exemplifying the degrees.
Grand Lodge does that also. They do a lot of "group travel" and put on degrees. I suppose it gives them something to do. Another thing that both groups do is go to receptions. Local bodies put on these to honor the Officer and let them know how proud they are of them. The Grand Chapter OES has "seasons" where they do these things together. First comes the season of Receptions or parties for the new Grand Officers. The next "season" is the school season. District Instructors (the hardest workers) put on schools in all of the Chapters in the state to help people put the degrees on correctly. Grand Officers are expected to attend a majority of these schools. Then the parties and Grand Officer Degree Exemplification season is on the agenda and finally they hold Grand Chapter where new Grand Officers take over and the whole thing starts all over again. Grand Officers are chosen with an idea that they will do good work and will participate in most of these activities.
Grand Lodge does not really have "seasons" but their activities are similar in nature. They travel the state (most years) as a travelling "degree team" and attend receptions and parties designed to make the honoree feel as if he were the most important person on the planet. - Well, not really and I am being a little cynical here. But you will (mostly) find a lot of Grand Officers in the same place. Sometimes these fellows and their ladies become very cliquish and will sit together and not intermingle very much with the Craft. Some Grand Masters give them instructions that they are to "mix it up" with the "regular" Masons.
In the York Rite (unfortunately) not much has been expected of Grand Officers. You see them around sometimes but many of them do not do much. (Note: this is not always the case - some of them get out and visit and DO but many don't) - Grand York Rite Officers are not a Travelling Degree Team. (although 30 years ago then Grand High Priest Dwane Shallamade us all learn our parts and we did put the Royal Arch Degree on as a Team. That is where I learned the Captain of the Host.) They don't have receptions for Grand Officers except for the Head of the Body. One reason for that is that they "recycle" the Grand Officers and many Companions serve multiple years as a grand officer and it would be cost prohibitive for this to happen over and over for the same guy.
One thing they could do but do not do is become "eyes and ears" out in the subordinate bodies for the Grand Heads and those who will be the head in the future. They can visit and meet the members of local Bodies and then report on them. They could recommend future Grand Officers from among the Companions they observed and they could watch for "trouble" spots around the state. Hopefully heading off potential problems before the escalate out of control.
Grand Officers are (or could be) assigned a district of the state. They could organize district activities and coordinate them with other districts so that activity (the life blood of any organization) would increase.
There is a valuable place for Grand Officers in our Bodies for them and I have just "scratched" the surface. Many Grand Officers do these types of things and are a real asset to our organizations. Many do not. Perhaps they should be retired.
Thanks for stopping by, Hugs, j
Well, I may have a peculiar notion about Grand Lodge officers (I have peculiar views about most things, I suppose), but I'm under the impression that Grand Lodge officers are expected not so much to be a degree team (though they do that), but to traverse the state, giving up almost every weekend during a year, and travel to every corner of the jurisdiction meeting with Masons, listening to their concerns, encouraging them in their activities, and sharing ideas from other parts of the state with them. It's not unusual for a Grand Lodge officer to travel 15,000 miles or more during a year--at his own expense, I might add--in pursuit of these duties.
It's also the job of Grand Lodge officers to preside at such public Masonic events as cornerstone ceremonies and Lodge dedications and re-dedications--and for these journeys they are reimbursed at the magnificent rate of 10¢ per mile.
In addition, most Grand Masters choose Grand Officers with some view to representing all geographical areas of the state, and the Grand Lodge officers from a given region are the "go-to" guys for Lodges in their parts of the state.
So, while it may SEEM to be all Third Degrees and receptions, my own experience--a sample of one, to be sure--has been a bit more complicated and a good bit more costly in time and expenses.
And that's more than I needed to write!
Admittedly, 5-10 years ago, it was normal for the Grand Lodge Officers to visit, as a group, 13 Grand Officer receptions and as many as 50 3rd degrees. They truly were a "traveling degree team," which was foolish. Plus they would usually wear tuxedos (white dinner jackets in summer) for all functions. Last year they did about 12 3rd degrees, at least four of which were at Lodges that were struggling and could not do the work themselves. And at many of them, perhaps only half the Grand Officers were in attendance. Definitely a step in the right direction. And tuxedos were worn at three receptions, one rededication (at the request of the Lodge), and the GM's banquet at Grand Lodge. Bib overalls were worn for two of the 3rd Degrees.
BTW, the 10 cent mileage reimbursement is only for functions where Grand Lodge is opened, which limited it to Cornerstone Laying Ceremonies, Grand Lodge funerals, and the annual Grand Lodge communication. (A couple other items are also eligible for reimbursement, but we didn't have any of those occasions last year. Grand Lodge rededications do not involve opening Grand Lodge, so no mileage is paid.)