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The
General Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons
International was founded in 1797 in
Boston, MA. The Grand
Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Iowa was
formed in 1856.
There
are four degrees in the Chapter of the
Royal Arch. The degrees build-on and
expand the lessons learned in the three
degrees of Ancient Craft (Blue Lodge)
Masonry, and, to a great measure, follow
the form of the earlier degrees. Taken as
a whole, the theme of the Chapter degrees
may be summarized in a single word -
RECOVERY.
During
the degrees of Ancient Craft Masonry, you
were told that you would receive the
Master's Word, the possession of which
would enable you to travel in foreign
counties and receive wages as a Master
Mason. Just as you were about to receive
the Word as a reward for your labors, it
was taken from you and all the Craft, by
death of Grand Master Hiram Abiff. In the
Chapter Degrees you will recover the word.
The
first of the Chapter degrees is that of
Mark Master. During this degree you
portray a Fellow Craft who, finding a
stone of beautiful design substitutes it
for his work and attempts to receive
wages. The work is inspected by three
overseers who, unfamiliar with its design
and import, discard it as unfit for use.
We later learn that the stone is, in fact,
a keystone wrought by Hiram Abiff upon
which the completion of the Temple is
dependent. The degree teaches us to look
for value in all things and to be mindful
of the importance of the contributions of
others, even though we may not, at first,
recognize it. The Mark Master degree is
considered by many to be one of the oldest
degrees in Masonry.
Originally,
the Royal Arch degree could be conferred
upon those Brethren who had served their
Lodge as Master. It was felt that this
prevented many worthy brothers from being
exalted to the Degree of Royal Arch. The
degree of Past Master was created to
confer the symbolic title of Past Master,
thus allowing worthy brethren to pursue
the Royal Arch. The Past Master's degree
was first conferred in England in 1768.
The
Most Excellent Master Degree is the only
degree known to be wholly American in
origin. The degree fills a void in the
story of Solomon's Temple, as it depicts
its completion and dedication. The degree
was first conferred in about 1783. The
Royal Arch Degree is the climax of Ancient
Craft Masonry.
The
Royal Arch degree is the complement of the
Master Mason degree, the unfolding into a
second volume, the history of that which
was lost until its final recovery. Without
the Royal Arch, the Master Mason degree is
like a song half sung, a tale partly told,
or a promise unfulfilled. The degree is
believed to have had its organs in Ireland
in the late 17th or early 18th century.
Lodge records show that it was conferred
in Fredericksburg on December 12, 1753.
Compiled
by the Education Committees of Grand York
Rite Bodies in Iowa - August, 2006 http://www.yorkrite.com/ia/ |
