Who's Ritual is it??

(Part 1. part 2 is Here)

The Ritual is a dynamic document. It should be consistent with the times in which we live. We didn’t even have an official one until 1907 and it was not the one submitted by our Founders. The one accepted was written by members of the PA Beta chapter. It has undergone numerous changes since that time – both in the way it is “performed” and in the content. Until relatively recently, two things have remained consistent: it has always stayed true to our Cardinal Principles, Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love; and each change that has occurred has been discussed and voted on at Grand Chapter Conclave before any change was instituted. Thus, over the past 100+ years a number of things have changed AND a number of things have not.

An interesting bit of information was recently discovered by our editorial staff. After decades, Sig Ep no longer has a National Committee on Ritual. Who now is to be the Guardian of this ineffable document, to evaluate recommended changes, to see that such changes are appropriately ratified by the Grand Chapter, and then appropriately disseminate these changes globally to our chapters? Guess it really doesn't matter as due process has not been properly exercised in well over a decade. Were you aware that some substantive changes have been made in our Ritual and instituted without ratification by the Grand Chapter?

For a little”modern” history…. When we embarked on the Balanced Man Program over 15 years ago, the Grand Chapter granted the Balanced Man Development Committee permission to “prototype” the existing Ritual, in order to adapt it to the schema of the program. That was apparently taken as a carte blanche to independently and texturally alter our most sacred document without bringing any of the changes to the GC for ratification. In the beginning, the Ritual was not going to be performed differently in BMP versus non-BMP chapters. However, because of the complaints from non-BMP chapters about how long it took to initiate a large new member class, the BMP Development Committee broke it into “modules” to fit Sigma, Phi, and Epsilon Rites of Passage. This carte blanche has continued, incorporating other dialogue and substance that has not been fully discussed and ratified by the Grand Chapter.

In reading the most current “edition” of our Ritual, were it not for the Crest on the Cover, in parts it would be almost unrecognizable as Sig Ep. Fortunately the basic intent of the Ritual has not been altered (yet). But.... is that what will be next? Whether you are comfortable or not with the changes that have been made in well over a decade is irrelevant. What is germane here is that protocol for altering this document, as specified in the By-Laws and Policies and Procedures under which we as an organization are governed, has not been followed.

Is it no wonder, then, that we have chapters out there that don’t use the Ritual at all or have their own “double secret” rituals (e.g., Hook ‘em horns. Cliff Jumping. Number 9.)?

I am Il Doge and I approved this message.