LUMEN
Edición #1 • Agosto 2014 • Página 6
In 1896, the Government authorities ordered the Alcaldes (mayors) of the various towns
to attend the meetings of Masonic lodges, a right conferred on them by the “Ley de
Asociaciones”…and although some mayors did not take advantage of this right, while
others were Masons and could lawfully attend, many lodges were closed on the account
of this situation, and on December 27, 1896, the Grand Lodge ordered work stopped in
order to avoid suspicion on the part of the Government that Masonry had anything to do
with the political activities that were then taking place in the Island.
This state of affairs continued until the arrival of the American troops in 1898, when the
lodges which had been closed started again their work, since the former secrecy which
had been necessary now could be dispensed with.
On February 27, 1899, the Grand Lodge met in Mayaguez and decided to transfer its seat
to San Juan, where Past Grand Master Palmer was then residing after his return from the
United States, where he had spent several years. On April 2, 1899, pursuant to the
agreement reached in Mayaguez, the Grand Lodge established its headquarters in San
Juan, and Past Grand Master Palmer was elected Grand Master for the fifth time. He
continued his work of securing recognition for the Grand Lodge with the same zeal which
he had previously displayed; in this task he was assisted by American masons residing in
san Juan, who helped him to secure recognition from many Grand Lodges of the United
States. At this time St. John the Baptist Lodge was reorganized in San Juan to work in the
English language and under the York Rite, being subject, however, to the Grand Lodge of
Puerto Rico, whose territorial jurisdiction was already undisputed and universally
recognized by the leading American and European Grand Lodges (énfasis provisto en el
original).12
Hay que aclarar, no obstante, que la última aseveración del escrito citado representa la
postura que la GLSPR ha asumido desde su fundación con relación a la legalidad de su
jurisdicción sobre el territorio masónico de Puerto Rico, pero no era del todo correcta en el
momento histórico en el que ocurrieron los hechos. Aunque Palmer le dio siempre una alta
prioridad a la búsqueda de reconocimiento de otras Grandes Potencias Masónicas a la GLSPR,
como veremos más adelante, el Gran Oriente Español (GOE) mantenía un reclamo jurisdiccional
sobre la Isla, lo cual propició un diferendo que duro cerca de tres décadas en resolverse
definitivamente.
El tema del traslado fue tratado también por Juan Palacín Mejías (quien llegó a ocupar los
puestos de Gran Secretario y Gran Historiador de la GLSPR) en una biografía sobre la vida y
obra masónica del Gran Maestro Rafael Arrillaga (1894-1899).
12
Ramírez Pabón, Rodolfo, “Freemasonry in Puerto Rico”, en Denslow, Ray V., Freemasonry in the
western hemisphere, Edición del Autor, 1953, Págs. 354-346.