give a two min description of a grand lodge certificate

A Grand Lodge Certificate is an official document issued by a Grand Lodge to a Master Mason upon receiving the Third Degree or joining from another Constitution 1. It serves as documentary evidence of a Mason's registration and standing on the roll of the Grand Lodge, as the United Grand Lodge of England states, and provides collateral evidence of worthiness when visiting lodges or seeking charitable aid 1. Chetwode Crawley traced the origins of the Master Mason's certificate to an English regulation of 1663 and a 1728 rule of the Grand Lodge of Munster, noting that Laurence Dermott introduced the practice to the Antients Grand Lodge before the Moderns adopted it in 1755 1.

While possession of the certificate entitles a Master Mason to visit lodges where he is eligible, its accidental loss or absence through misfortune does not strictly debar a Mason from lodge privileges if his good character can be otherwise established 12. Lodges have on occasion permitted a visiting brother without a certificate to enter upon taking a solemn affirmation of his standing, though commentators have noted that such indulgences carry risks 2. Under current regulations recorded by the United Grand Lodge of England, the document must be submitted to the Grand Secretary if a brother resigns his membership, and lodges are strictly prohibited from wrongfully detaining it.