The governmental organization of the Knights of Pythias is modeled after the Local, State and Federal levels of government in the United States.
On the ‘local’ level is the Subordinate Lodge. Each subordinate lodge has jurisdiction over the territory granted to it by the Grand Lodge, just like the borders of our cities and counties. A lodge may consider it’s territory to be a city, parts of a city, an entire county or even several counties, dependent on its geographical density/location. Territories in Wyoming are obviously different from New York City (more area/less people vs. less area/more people), and so it is in the KP’s. Each Subordinate Lodge elects representatives to serve in the Grand Lodge.
All of our lodges are encouraged to customize themselves to meet the needs of their own communities, giving aid to local charities and being involved in community functions, as they see fit. They can do as much, or as little, as they want, as long as their actions are in compliance with the Pythian principles. The majority of KP lodges do some great work and have fun while doing it.
The map below shows the locations of the Subordinate Lodges in Missouri, and Kansas. Click on a city name at the bottom of the page for information and news on that lodge.
Missouri
Kansas
The Grand Lodge is the ‘state’ level of the KP hierarchy. It meets annually to decide policy and laws to govern it’s own Domain.
Since the Knights of Pythias is International, we call the jurisdiction of a Grand Lodge it’s ‘Domain’. Most domains consist of a single U.S. State or Canadian Province. At one time we covered every state and province in North America, but with dwindling membership we have combined some states into a single Domain (Colorado/Wyoming). In 2002, the Grand Lodge of Missouri took the state of Kansas into our Domain. Kansas lost it's Grand Lodge in the mid-1960's.
The Missouri/Kansas Grand Lodge meets in full session each October to elect officers and committees for the following year and to adopt rules and regulations for the better government of our organization within the state. The Grand Council, comprised of the Grand Officers and Committee Chairmen, also meets each January and July to take care of business that arises between the annual conventions.
The process to becoming a member of the Grand Lodge of any Domain is a long journey that begins with your initiation into a Subordinate Lodge as a ‘Page’. You must then earn the rank of ‘Esquire’, and then ‘Knight’, before you are considered a ‘full-fledged’ member of the Knights of Pythias. If you should rise to the highest position in your lodge, Chancellor Commander, and complete a full year in that post, you are then granted the honor of Past Chancellor. Only Past Chancellors may become members of the Grand Lodge. . Each lodge elects Past Chancellors to represent them at the Grand Lodge sessions.
The Supreme Lodge is our ‘federal’ government, making laws and regulations for the general good of the entire Pythian Order in the United States and Canada. The Supreme Lodge is composed of the representatives from the individual Domains in the USA and Canada. The Supreme Lodge meets in full session every two years.
Click here to check out the Supreme Lodge website, with links to other Grand Lodges.
