Q: Ray,
Our lodge chief has inquired about the frequency of Vigil nominations within the lodge. The guide says once per calendar year. We have traditionally held the Vigil Honor selection only once within a 12 month period. Which is correct?
Harry
A: Harry,
Thanks for your question. The Guide for Officers and Advisers says, on page 32, that "A lodge’s Vigil Honor petitions must be submitted as a group, and only once per calendar year." Normally, lodges set a consistent time of year during which the Vigil Honor selection and induction is conducted. The specific dates may vary somewhat from year to year because of things such as holidays and school vacation schedules and it’s thus possible that there could be more than 12 months between one year’s selection meeting and the next year’s meeting. For example, the meetings could be held in late April 2012, early May 2013, late March 2014 and early April 2015. In addition, to comply with the rule quoted above from the Guide for Officers and Advisers, lodges should hold only one Vigil Honor selection meeting per calendar year, and their scheduling of the meeting must take this rule into account. Thus, it’s not appropriate to have, for example, a selection meeting in January and December of the same calendar year.
Ray