I would like to introduce you to a very special organization!  One that I know every Master Mason would enjoy being a part of!....That is the Scottish Rite!  The Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry traces its origins to early 18th century France. The term “Scottish” is believed to come from those Scottish Masons who fled to France during and following the Jacobite Rebellion. Many of the earliest degrees in the Rite were believed to have come from Scotland.

Like all good things, it left France and came to America were it was perfected and grew to its current form in Charleston, South Carolina in 1801.

The Scottish Rite is often referred to as the University of Freemasonry. The twenty-nine degrees of this Rite amplify those of the Blue Lodge by offering a broader and deeper geographic, historical, philosophical and spiritual connotation drawn from the greatest teachings of antiquity.

The Scottish Rite in the U.S. is divided into two jurisdictions. The Supreme Council of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite for the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction is located in Washington, D.C., at the House of the Temple, one of the most impressive Masonic structures in the world. It is sovereign over all Scottish Rites in the 35 states south of the Ohio and west of the Mississippi Rivers. The other 15 states are part of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Each state is referred to as an Orient. Individual Scottish Rites, known as Valleys, are located in cities across the state. The first three degrees of the Scottish Rite are conferred in the Symbolic, or Blue Lodge. The other degrees are organized into three bodies consisting of the Lodge of Perfection, Chapter of Rose Croix, Council of Kadosh, and the Consistory.  The Lodge of Perfection includes degrees 4 - 14; the Chapter of Rose Croix includes degrees 15 - 18; the Council of Kadosh includes degrees 19 - 30; while the Consistory includes degrees 31 - 32.  The 33rd Degree is reserved for those who have been recognized for outstanding service to Freemasonry and their community.

If you are a Master Mason in good standing and would like to further your Masonic education, you may contact brothermarty@freemasonry-siouxland.org for more information. Petitions for membership are available here."