Structure

The structure originates from the Constitution of the Grand National Lodge of Croatia as the fundamental Masonic document in the Republic of Croatia. All general or special Masonic acts in the Republic of Croatia must be in accordance with this Constitution. The Grand National Lodge of Croatia is an independent, indivisible, autonomous, sovereign, and supreme authority throughout the territory of the Republic of Croatia in terms of managing the degrees of Universal Freemasonry, listed as follows: I Degree – Apprentice, II Degree – Fellow Craft, and III Degree – Master Mason.

The GNLC follows the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in a unique initiation pyramid from the I to the XXXIII degree, and it has developed international cooperation through memberships and charters.

The GNLC is an alliance of Freemasons that strives for the spiritual and moral enrichment of individuals regardless of gender, race, religion, nationality, social status, education, or political affiliation. It nurtures humanism and obliges its membership to universally accept Freedom of Conscience, Faith, and Spirit.

The foundations of Freemasonry are Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood, and Ethics, philanthropy without prejudice, truthfulness, and self-improvement.

The fundamental obligations of every Freemason are silence, secrecy, work, and obedience to the governance of the Order in accordance with the General Rules. A Freemason must respect the laws of the country in which he or she resides and strive for the welfare of their homeland. Freemasonry excludes alignment with any political or religious views.

The GNLC consists of Lodges that operate under its protection, and they open their works under the protection of St. John the Evangelist by placing the Compasses and Square on the open Bible (Holy Book) and in honor of the Great Architect of the Universe.

Constitution

The Lodge is the basic, independent core where regular ritual Masonic Works are held. It is composed of a minimum of seven Brothers and Sisters, at least three of whom are at the Master’s degree. The Lodge is recognizable by its unique name and number, and it is recognized as a Worthy Lodge with its seat in the corresponding Orient.

The Orient is the place where at least one Worthy Lodge has its seat.

A Masonic Province is a territory where multiple Orients have their seats, which may not necessarily correspond to the geographical regions of the Republic of Croatia.

 A Masonic Region represents several Masonic Provinces. It may or may not correspond to the geographical regions of the Republic of Croatia.

Organization

In addition to the Initiation Pyramid, which has symbolic significance, the Grand National Lodge of Croatia has an organizational structure that coordinates the relationships between the governance of the Order. The structure is represented by the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Grand Master (S.G.C.G.M.) and individual Lodges located within the jurisdiction. The organization includes the Grand Governance of the Order, composed of the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Grand Master (S.G.C.G.M.), Deputy Sovereign Grand Commander of the Grand Master, and Grand Master’s Assistant; Magistral Delegates who represent the Grand Master in Masonic Regions and are appointed based on his trust; Provincial Grand Inspectors – Coordinators (with the same function in the Provinces); Honorable Masters representing the Lodges.

Internal organization of each individual Lodge is aligned with Masonic tradition and operates in accordance with the General Rules of the Order. The Lodge has its autonomy within the obedience and is represented and coordinated by the Honorable Master, who is elected every two years and can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.

In accordance with the General Rules of the Order, the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Grand Master (S.G.C.G.M.) is the President of all Lodges, and he controls their activities through appointed Grand Masters’ Assistants, Delegates, and Provincial.

Initiation Pyramid

The Grand National Lodge of Croatia has its own peculiarities that contribute to defining a special role within the wide range of Masonic Obediences worldwide.

The Grand National Lodge of Croatia is a mixed-gender obedience, initiating and recognizing Brothers and Sisters in the same Lodges, acknowledging equal dignity for men and women in their diversity and uniqueness, with the same potential for initiation and participation in Masonic Works and personal development.

The Grand National Lodge of Croatia is dedicated to learning and exploring the boundaries of esotericism, contributing to the preservation of the important Masonic task of continuing and supporting a philosophy that is a synthesis of millennia-long history and civilization.

The Grand National Lodge of Croatia has chosen to recognize and practice only one ritual – the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, which provides a path of wisdom and initiation from the I to the XXXIII degree.

Progression through the Degrees:

33.˙. Sovereign Grand Inspector General

32.˙. Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret

31.˙. Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander

30.˙. Knight Kadosh

18.˙. Prince of the Rose and Cross

14.˙. Grand Elect Mason of the Sacred Vault

9.˙. Elected Knight of the Nine

4.˙. Secret Master

3.˙. Master Mason

2.˙. Fellow Craft

1.˙. Entered Apprentice

The Initiation Pyramid is a form possessed by the Masonic organization and is a symbol of the path that all Brothers and Sisters undertake in their progression towards the knowledge of Natural Laws through continuous work, in accordance with Tradition, inner Wisdom, Knowledge, and the limitations of Truth, with the understanding of the journey of humanity towards its need for Infinity. Freemasonry, in general, has its principles, customs, rituals, and rules that have been lost in the mist of time. With the establishment of Speculative Freemasonry in the world (in 1717), the first written documents emerged, allowing the recognition of the path that various Masonic Obediences in the world have realized by creating their own organizational statutes, thus making their purpose increasingly clearer.

Freemasonry assumes the ability of individuals to explore using their own means in the pursuit of knowledge. All Freemasons, in their pursuit of truth, have participated in different degrees for generations, but through the same process of continuous work. To achieve the highest global goals of Universal Freemasonry (operative testimonies and speculative research), the assumed functional structure of our obedience is particularly significant – the functional association of the Grand National Lodge of Croatia and the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

Indeed, the Grand National Lodge of Croatia has united the goals related to Symbolic Degrees – 1st to 3rd – as well as the Ritual (according to the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite) into a single Initiation Pyramid, creating a comprehensive ontological initiation model with remarkable objective importance.

In accordance with this, this working model, with its uniqueness of ethics and rules and the recognition of women having equal responsibilities as men, offers more than, for example, a sociological-epistemological or evolutionary-adaptive model, encompassing all the characteristics that recognize the metaphor, the laboratory of enlightenment, and the consciousness of the ideal path of knowledge that humanity should embrace for its development.

On one hand, its mode of operation, through this combination of ethics and rules and the recognition of women as equally responsible as men, confirms a millennia-long tradition. On the other hand, it provides all the attributes to be recognized as a metaphor for an enlightenment laboratory, which itself is the ideal path for humanity to recognize the steps to be taken in order to advance its consciousness.