Master S Degree, When The W.M. Is Absent

Q: Aboaut 40 years ago in my lodge in New Jersey the W.M. was installed but passed on before he could exercise his duties. The S.W. was acting master for the entire year. He occuped the master/s chair in the east. The rest of the officers moved up a notch. I know that this situation went as far as the D.D.G.M. and more than likely to the G.M. himself. Needless to say this situation does not come up often.

A:Unless the SW was a past master that would not have been legal in UGLE lodges I'm sure. The duty would fall to the IPM who is there for just that purpose, to help and guide the new master or deputise in his absence. I don't think there are many Lodges in the U.S. that have an IPM. The same situation in Oregon would have been resolved with the SW presiding over the first meeting in which the Brethren would elect a new WM. That person would be regularly installed, preferably before the next meeting, and the SW would return to his station in the West and serve out his term. IPM is not an official title in Conn. I know of several cases in which the WM could not complete his year (job transfer, medical reasons) and the SW moved up to take the East. But that's because in Conn, only *elected* officers can run a lodge (WM, SW, JW). A DDGM can open a lodge in an emergency and appoint a PM to take a chair,

but PMs have no special status in Conn. They are not permanent GL members, nor do they have any control over the lodge itself. they must have a IPM (unless it is the first year of a new Lodge - although in UGLE, I believe that a PM is deemed to be the IPM in this case) although they might not be recognised as such. In UGLE, the IPM is not actually an officer of the Lodge but he holds the position by virtue of his Mastership, and retains it until a succeeding Master becomes IPM. A PM may also become the IPM again if the current IPM dies or resigns from the Lodge and the PM in question was the last in the Lodge to have occupied the Chair prior to the current Master