250 Year Old Royal Arch Sign

In a Scottish paper, the Montrose Review, an article, entitled, Royal Arch plaque needs some TLC, describes a pub called the Royal Arch Bar in Montrose, Scotland, which has an interesting sign in need of some work.

FTA:

The ornate carved curiosity was made in France and erected in its current position by the captains of French sailing ships. French sailors arriving in Montrose at the time were Freemasons and they used to meet in the building which was then a coffee house.

One hundred years later the premises became a public house but the owners kept the sign and called the pub the Royal Arch...

This structure is more than 300 years old and perhaps should be in a museum instead of subjected to traffic pollution. Maybe a copy could be made to hang in the town?

You can get a really good view of the sign here.

The Royal Arch Chapter in Montrose, Enoch Royal Arch Chapter Montrose No. 3, doesn't appear to meet there but it's still pretty cool and an obvious part of our history.

We have left many relics and many of them are disappearing. I'm still saddened that we continue to lose them but I am encouraged that the public sees the value in protecting them. Perhaps we need to work more closely with the public in preserving our shared history.

What do you think of the plaque? How do we protect our past? Leave a comment below.

Hip-Hip-Hooray!

My wonderful readers,

I am happy as a clam, as proud as punch, laughing like a hyena, yeah, I think that's it. Anyway, tonight is the big night for Corinthian Chapter No. 33. We will be conferring the big degree, the most sublime degree of the Royal Arch, on 10 worthy brothers. It has been a long road but we are almost there.

I am so proud of all the hard work my Chapter has done. All ten will then be greeted into our Cryptic Council on the 16th of February. And perhaps, a Commandery is also in their futures as it is mine.

This is also my last night as High Priest, after a two year stint. When I started, our membership was at 32. Today, we'll have more than 50 companions. All the congrats go to my team of officers and companions who have jumped in and really done a lot to make our Chapter emerge from the doldrums of slumber.

I have most of my parts ready and hopefully, we can all make this a memorable degree. The Royal Arch is my second favorite degree after the Entered Apprentice degree. The lessons and information one gets from this degree will stick with the candidate for as long as he is a Mason. The American Royal Arch degree is chock full of themes that tie together everything that Masonry means and what it stands for.

I am just so proud and I can't wait to see what the future holds for our Chapter. In the words of Stan Lee, "Excelsior!"

One of the Best Masonic Weeks... Ever

It's been awhile since I posted last. I have been extremely busy with my family, my Lodges, my Chapter, and my Council. However, all that work and good cheer has culminated in one of the greatest weeks I have had since I first petitioned my lodge. Where to start? I guess from the beginning.

On Saturday June 23rd, the Grand Chapter met for its Annual Convocation. This year was the 150th Annual Convocation. Our Grand Chapter had some business that it hadn’t had in more than sixty years. Our Grand Chapter chartered not one but two new Chapters, Overseers Chapter No. 103 and Anoka-Shekinah Chapter No. 104. I have now seen two lodges and two chapters receive charters in the state of Minnesota. This should end all the doubtful talk out there that Masonry is dead. There is fervency and zeal in Minnesota Masonry. What a proud day.

Companions of Anoka-Shekinah Chapter No. 103

Companions of Oveseers Chapter No. 103

Oh, oh, oh, and there was that little thing about Corinthian Chapter No. 33, the Chapter that I happen to be the High Priest of, was just award the membership award for last year for the highest net increase in membership. Hughie and I were completely without words... for about a minute. It’s because of the dedication of the companions in Corinthian Chapter and many great friends of the Chapter (James, thank you) that we are thriving. I know we will continue to serve as a beacon for Capitular Masonry with many petitions signed and petitioners ready and willing to jump into this major undertaking.

Okay, now that I’m done talking about Chapter, let me talk about my Saint John the Baptist’s Day. My wife and I woke up and got ready early on Sunday. Our son woke up just a little later. We were getting ready to go to church. But this wasn’t just a normal Sunday, this was June 24th, the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist, one of two patron saints of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. We hopped into the car and drove to Faribault.

I entered the Faribault Masonic Temple not really knowing what to expect. I’m a member of two lodges and Faribault No. 9 happens to be one of them. We had been throwing out an idea of reviving an old tradition of Masonry. There is documented evidence that Masons would, on the Feast Day of Saint John, process to a house of worship. We finally felt that we should and could do something like this. We received special dispensation to open our lodge, call to refreshment and process to Our Merciful Savior Episcopal Cathedral.

I’m not an Episcopalian. However, I do know about Our Merciful Savior because of its connection to a very prominent Minnesotan. Our Merciful Savior served as the cathedral for Bishop Henry Whipple. Bishop Whipple is best known for pleas of clemency to President Lincoln for 303 Eastern Dakota men who had been put on trial and sentenced to die as a result of the Dakota Wars that raged through the state of Minnesota. President Lincoln commuted 264 sentences but allowed 38  prisoners to be hung in the largest mass executions in American history. The memory of that sad day remains in Minnesota even now. Here is a copy of his letter to President Lincoln. This was a man holding to his principles against the hostile winds of Manifest Destiny.

Here's a video about Bishop Whipple and the Cathedral:



Going back to the Procession, I found it amazing that a mere twelve brothers could do something as historic as this. With our piper at the head of the line, our Master next to the Chaplain holding the Holy Bible, we began marching down the street. The walk was beautiful and the downtown quite empty. As we crossed Central and saw the Cathedral’s bell tower in view, I finally felt the historic nature of this event.

We entered the Church to the sounds of of a bagpipe echoing off the vaulted ceiling. Again, I had never seen an Episcopalian service before so it was a very new and richly rewarding experience to see how others worship G-d. The Worshipful Master was introduced and invited to give a few words. Worshipful Master Jimmy gave a short and respectful address explaining who we were and why we were there.

After the Church service ended, we assembled and processed back to the Masonic Temple. Of course, now the sleepy town had awoken and it was fun to see the confused faces as we walked back to the door. We closed the lodge, changed cloths, and had a picnic at the park across the street from the church.

Assembling Outside of the Church Before Processing in

Sorry for the, “and this one time at band camp” feel of this post. Right now, all I can think of is what we have done not what it means yet. I’m still wrapping my head around this. Everything we did was positive and it’s hard for me to get fully grasp right now.

We are starting to plan our next year’s Saint John’s Day procession. My hope is that we make this an annual event. Thanks to Our Merciful Savior Cathedral for allowing us to join you, thanks to all the brothers who attended and as always, a special thanks to the families that came, especially my wife, the love of my life.

The Royal Arch and its Place in our Craft

I’m now serving my second term as High Priest of Corinthian Chapter No. 33 R.A.M. Because I've been serving long enough to understand the intricacies of the Capitular system, I feel I can start to make critiques and present potential improvements to the Royal Arch. The American system, and to some extent the Canadian system, follow the so-called Webb order of conferral. (Webb had nothing to do with it but many RAMs describe the capitular system this way.)

Let’s be honest for a moment, the order in which the Capitular degrees are conferred do not relate to each other. In fact, they’re a mismatch of four degrees that have nothing in common. Yes, I know that’s shocking... well, unless of course you’ve seen all four degrees.

In the original formation of the Royal Arch, the degree was closely tied to the Master Mason degree. Currently, in the United States and many other Chapters in the world, the Royal Arch is conferred as the last of seven degrees, three related (the first three Craft degrees) and three unrelated degrees (the Mark Master, Past Master, and Most Excellent Master) making for a very strange story told to the candidate.

I propose something that should be done in the interest of saving the Royal Arch from the slow death that it’s crawling towards; I propose that we have Royal Arch Chapters confer only one degree, the degree for which Chapters were initially created. Dropping the so-called preparatory degrees of the Chapter, which are, in actuality, not preparatory in anyway to the Royal Arch, will allow Chapters to focus on what's important. 

The Mark Master and Royal Arch degrees are separate and distinct. They should be separate and distinct because of the lessons they teach. The Royal Arch is the completion, the degree that gives us that which was lost. As Master Masons, we strive for that goal. The Mark Master is a side degree, a beautiful and interesting degree, but it remains a side degree. (To all my Scottish readers, I apologize as I realize that the Mark Man and Mark Master degrees are a part of your Fellow Craft degree)

The Royal Arch is a degree built and designed in many different parts. It’s complex. The staging requires many players who guide the candidate into the realm of further light. And, in my life, it holds a very special place in my heart. In my opinion, more education can be taken from the Royal Arch degree than in almost any other degree.

The reason I started thinking about this is that I see Chapter suffering. Chapter is not built in the same way as a Lodge, a Council, a Commandery, or a Valley. Lodge, Council, and Commandery degrees all have a story to tell that flows. Valleys have 29 degrees that can be conferred and can confer many if not all of them because they draw from a large population.

Chapters have some major disadvantages. Chapters meet in lodge buildings. Chapters have smaller populations, like lodges, but with more required degrees. Chapter degrees are a hodge-podge and it’s hard to completely grasp the connection. It needs help to survive.

I have three solutions to this problem (and yes, I believe the Chapter structure is a problem).

1.) Drop the PM degree, transfer the Mark Degrees to a separate organization that remains under the control of the Grand Chapter and make the Most Excellent Degree an optional degree like the Super Excellent.

This is how I would envision this structure: the Chapter would confer one degree, the Royal Arch. The chapter would confer it in grand style because the focus would be on making that one degree great. Anyone who has seen the Royal Arch realizes its importance in the Craft structure. It needs to remain close to the degree it is built to follow, the Master Mason degree. It is an important sequel, like The Godfather: Part II not Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, and we should deliver it in that way.

Furthermore, the Chapter would be given the option of conferring the Most Excellent should it choose to do so. This change would be similar to how the Super Excellent Master is conferred in a Cryptic Council.  The Most Excellent Master needs at least 20 people to make it an effective degree and by making it an optional degree, the hope would be that it would be conferred in grand style. The Most Excellent Master degree deserves better care and attention than that which most Chapters can properly provide. It's a shame that such a beautiful degree is often conferred without costumes, music, and any sense of reverential awe. It deserves more and the only way to do that is to make it an optional degree.

The Mark Master degree would be assigned to a Grand Lodge of Marks, still under the auspices of the Grand Chapter, but with its own Craft structure. In that way, there would be one Mark Lodge in each of the districts or areas of a Grand Chapter’s jurisdiction. The Grand Lodge of Marks would serve the Chapters in the jurisdiction and would confer the Mark degree at set times each year. What's more, this would give more potential Grand Chapter officers a chance to show how well they can run a Grand Masonic Body. We complain about the lack of interest and the lack of jobs; this would allow us to create more of both. The Mark Master degree is a special degree with a very different history from the Royal Arch degree. We should give this degree its due.

This is my preferred structure.

(Side note: I've been accused of hating on the PM degree. I accept that accusation as true. It is an unnecessary degree. It serves as the appendix of old, non-existent requirements for attaining the Royal Arch and has already been dropped by many Grand Chapters throughout the world. What once was necessary is not now necessary. Let’s just move on and focus on that which is important.)

2.) Reverse the order of the degrees and drop the PM degree.

By reversing the order, the Royal Arch degree is placed precisely where it belongs in the story, right next the Master Mason degree. The Most Excellent degree be conferred next and the Mark would be placed last. The importance of the Royal Arch degree would be given proper credence would truly serve as a transition from the Blue Lodge to the Red Chapter. 

If you know anything about the Veils, you will see the importance in placing the Royal Arch next to the Master Mason degree. This method, while not ideal, does serve to give the Royal Arch Mason all the degrees he would need to travel to other Chapters in the country and maintain the close relationship between the Master Mason and the Royal Arch. Again, this is not an ideal solution but could be the easiest to implement.

3.) Transfer the power to confer the Royal Arch and Mark degrees to the Craft lodges.

This has only been done on a local basis and only in one state, Lodge Copernicus in the state of South Australia. This would require a lot of coordination and a lot of Masons having to give up power. I don’t see it happening but I do think that this method would not just encourage but guarantee that all Masons would become Royal Arch Masons. Of course, instead of transferring, one other related approach, which is what Lodge Copernicus has in actuality done, is to receive a charter from the three degree-controlling bodies to establish a lodge that confers all the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry. This is a doable approach only if a Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter agreed and if the rules of each allowed something like this.

This change could be made more difficult by the existence of the General Grand Chapter but I think they are necessary changes. My intention is to not make the work of the Chapter easy but make it right to encourage the Master Mason to continue his journey. Instead of festivals and high turnover, we need to make the Chapter an important step in a Mason’s life. The Royal Arch degree is just too damn important to let it slip through our fingers.

What do you think? Does Royal Arch Masonry need a change? Leave a comment.

Adding the Capstone to Corinthian Chapter No. 33

As I reported a few months ago, I began my Capitular journey with the Mark Master degree. A Royal Arch Chapter is a great place to extend the tactile learning we as Masons crave. You are a candidate, and you take a physical part in the ceremonies. There may only be four degrees but those four degrees contain some of the greatest lessons a Mason can learn. The Royal Arch degree has been called the most beautiful degree and I am apt to agree.

Now that I've completed my term in the East as Master of Corinthian Lodge No. 67, I've been elected and installed as High Priest of Corinthian Chapter No. 33 which also meets in Farmington. The analog of High Priest in the blue lodge is the Worshipful Master. I'm hoping to ride the train of trying new ideas into my work in Chapter. I will present different ideas on this site for comment and criticism.

One of my first goals is to get the two bodies of the York Rite that meet in Farmington, Corinthian Chapter No. 33, R.A.M. and Northfield Council No. 12, R&SM on the web. I've created a Facebook page that will be used for event planning but also to discuss Royal Arch and Cryptic Council in general and its importance to further light for the Masonic student. Of course, the goal is to one day have a great web presence for York Rite Masonry in the south Metro. We are very close now.

What all Royal Arch Masons should explain to new brothers is not that you are a York Rite Mason. I know this seems counter-intuitive but we should focus on our Chapters before the Council or Commandery is discussed with a candidate. The Royal Arch is Act II of the Master Mason degree, should we be so restrictive of our brothers of other faiths as to restrict them from enjoying the completion of their labors? If a Companions seeks more degrees, then he may go forward but we should focus on the Royal Arch first.

What I'd really like to do is encourage all Royal Arch Masons to come down to Farmington and work to make Corinthian Chapter what we would like it to be. We have many options.

1.) We could work as a "Teaching Chapter". What I envision is a Chapter dedicated to performing degree work even when we have no candidates for the Royal Arch. Other Chapters would be invited to come down and work on whatever degree they would be performing soon. We would read through their parts, discuss what they need to work on, and help degree work throughout the state.

2.) We could work as a "Learning Chapter". The Companions would bring in a paper or presentation about Chapitular Masonry. This Chapter would resemble an Educational Lodge or Lodge of Research. We would ask for papers around the state and have them presented for the betterment of the assembled companions.

3.) We could work as an "European Concept Chapter". I have wondered a lot about using European Concept with Corinthian Chapter. The European Concept is in the family of revitalizing stylistic changes happening within some Masonic bodies. Another similar concept would be Traditional Observance. Two European Concept Royal Arch Chapter already exist and would serve as the model, Meridian Chapter No. 60 of Oregon and Norwood Chapter No. 18 of Edmonton, Alberta. European Concept requires a lot of dedication from the Companions but when the work is done, great things can be accomplished. Thankfully, Corinthian Chapter is open for any change and it would only require dedication from the Companions. Also, because Corinthian Chapter only meets every other 1st Monday from September to May totaling 5 meetings in all, work would be focused on each degree plus one paper and an installation night.

4.) Of course, we, as a Chapter, could use a combination of these concepts to improve the work of the Chapter. Perhaps a paper or presentation will be made during a meeting while we practice the degree that the paper was describing. Perhaps we could host a Festive board. There are many possibilities.

If you are a Companion in Minnesota and live near Farmington, why not pay a visit to Corinthian Chapter? If you want to help to improve Royal Arch Masonry in the South Metro and you are looking for more leadership opportunities in Royal Arch, come on out and affiliate. We have many places and parts that need to be filled and improved. If you're a Master Mason and would like to join the Royal Arch, send an email to highpriest@farmingtonyorkrite.org. We will begin the Mark Master degree on February 7th starting at 7:30 pm. Space is limited to three total candidates, only two spaces remain.