Sovereign Grand Commander

The Sovereign Grand Commander is the highest-ranking officer of The Supreme Council and the chief executive and judicial officer of the Rite within this Supreme Council's Jurisdiction. He is the representative of The Supreme Council when that Body is not in session and is invested with general powers of supervision and administration everywhere within its Jurisdiction.

Sovereign Grand Inspector General

This is the title of an Active Member of The Supreme Council. There is only one Active Member for any one Orient (state, territory, or country). He is the highest-ranking officer of the Rite within his jurisdiction, and, in relation to the Rite, his powers are similar to those of a Grand Master of the Symbolic Craft subject, however, to The Supreme Council and the Sovereign Grand Commander.

Deputy of the Supreme Council

In Orients (states, territories, or countries) that do not have an Active Member, the Sovereign Grand Commander appoints a "Deputy of The Supreme Council." The Deputy has powers similar to those of a Sovereign Grand Inspector General. However, he has no vote in The Supreme Council and holds his office at the pleasure of the Sovereign Grand Commander.

Grand Cross of the Court of Honour

This is the highest individual honor that The Supreme Council bestows. It is voted very rarely to Thirty-third Degree Masons only for the most exceptional and extraordinary services.

Inspector General Honorary of the 
Thirty-Third Degree 

During the Biennial Session of The Supreme Council, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General and Deputies nominate a small quota of members who are Knights Commander Court of Honour to receive the Thirty-third Degree. A committee reviews the nominations, but The Supreme Council must vote upon every nomination. Members unanimously so elected become honorary members of The Supreme Council. The Thirty-third Degree may not be requested. The Degree is conferred solely out of recognition for outstanding services. The only difference between the jewel of the Thirty-third Degree and that for an Active Member of The Supreme Council is that the latter is larger.

Knight Commander of the Court of Honour

The Rank of Knight Commander of the Court of Honour is not a Degree but an Investiture bestowed upon members deserving recognition for faithful services to the Rite.

Master of the Royal Secret

This is the title of a 32o member of the Scottish Rite. The cap of a Master of the Royal Secret is black silk with a black band trimmed in gold. In the center front is a double-headed eagle emblem with a rayed equilateral triangle above in gold.

Fifty-Year Member

Any 14o member of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, who is in good standing and who became a member fifty years prior to the current calendar year is entitled to recognition as such. Such recognition entitles the recipient to receive a proper certificate and to wear a 50-year lapel pin or cap.

For more information on caps, please see the websites below:

Cap Descriptions

Wichita Scottish Rite

When To Wear The Scottish Rite Cap
C. Fred Kleinknecht, Scottish Rite Journal

The Distinctive Regalia Of The Scottish Rite
Pierre G. “Pete” Normand, Jr., Scottish Rite Journal