Grand Master
The presiding officer of a Grand Lodge, elected for a term (commonly one or two years) and holding authority over every Lodge in its jurisdiction during it.
Also searched as: most worshipful grand master · grand master of masons
- How chosen
- Elected by the Grand Lodge, whose members are typically the Masters, Wardens and Past Masters of its Lodges. Most American Grand Lodges have a line of grand officers who advance toward the office, but the rules are each Grand Lodge's own.
The office
Each Grand Lodge is sovereign in its own territory, usually a state in the United States, and the Grand Master is its head. He presides at its communications, issues dispensations, visits Lodges, and appoints most of the grand officers. Maine lists the elected grand officers as the Grand Master, Deputy Grand Master, the two Grand Wardens, the Grand Treasurer and the Grand Secretary.
Most Grand Masters are styled "Most Worshipful." Pennsylvania is the well-known exception: its Grand Master is "Right Worshipful." A brother who has served is a Past Grand Master, P.G.M.
There is no Grand Master of all Freemasonry. No Grand Lodge, and no Grand Master, has authority over another.
Buying for him
If you are buying for a brother elected to grand office, our guide to gifts for Grand Lodge officers covers what fits and what to avoid.
Read next: Gifts for a Visiting Grand Lodge Officer and the "Purple" Visit
Frequently asked questions
What does the Grand Master do in a Masonic Lodge?
The presiding officer of a Grand Lodge, elected for a term (commonly one or two years) and holding authority over every Lodge in its jurisdiction during it.
How is the Grand Master chosen?
Elected by the Grand Lodge, whose members are typically the Masters, Wardens and Past Masters of its Lodges. Most American Grand Lodges have a line of grand officers who advance toward the office, but the rules are each Grand Lodge's own.
What does G.M. stand for in Freemasonry?
G.M. is the abbreviation for Grand Master. The presiding officer of a Grand Lodge, elected for a term (commonly one or two years) and holding authority over every Lodge in its jurisdiction during it.
Sources
Drawn from what Grand Lodges publish about their own officers, the published monitors and Mackey. Duties are described in plain words; nothing here comes from, or goes beyond, any obligated material. Offices, titles and duties vary by jurisdiction, and your Lodge Secretary is the authority for yours.
- Grand Lodge of Maine, Membership card background information
- Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania
- Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry (1873)
- Wikipedia, Masonic lodge officer