where did the office of secretary come from in craft masonry and what are his duties

Provision for the office of Secretary appears in the 1723 Constitutions, which called for a brother appointed to keep a book recording all constituent lodges, their meeting times and places, member lists, and official transactions 1. Mackey places the formal creation of the office in 1738 2.

In contemporary lodge administration, the Secretary manages administrative business and official records. Under Rule 144 of the Book of Constitutions, the Secretary is charged with keeping a Minute Book to record the names and particulars of candidates, the attendance and Masonic ranks of all members and visitors, and the minutes of transacted business, as the United Grand Lodge of England states. The Secretary is also responsible for preparing and issuing the formal meeting notice or summons containing the agenda, as the United Grand Lodge of England records, and maintaining an updated list of Trustees whenever a lodge holds property or funds in trust, as the United Grand Lodge of England sets out.