Royal arch masons meet as a chapter, and the royal arch chapter confers. Ritual for the installation of the princepsdutch scottish rite. Revisiting ritual until time or circumstances shall restore the genuine reverend neville barker cryer reproduced by permission of the square magazine. As texas royal arch masons, one of our highest privileges is participating in or observing our beautiful, rich, and symbolic chapter opening ceremonies, and the conferral of the royal arch degree. The royal arch is present in all main masonic systems, though in some it is worked as part of craft mainstream freemasonry, and in others in an. Common to all of freemasonry is the three grade system of craft.
We all have a responsibility to share our wonderful rituals with our brethren. The royal arch ritual, in its early stages, contained many of the features present in our presentday working. Provgchap leaflet buckinghamshire provincial grand chapter. Members of the craft who wish to dig deeper into the study of symbolism of the mark master and royal arch degrees will find this book of great appeal. Why you should join royal arch masonry supreme grand royal. The ark in royal arch masonry our present royal arch ceremony, with some amendments, dates back to the revised ritual version commissioned by the duke of sussex after the union of the two grand chapters in 1817, when he was installed as first grand principal. It admonishes us to be fervent in the exercise of our devotions to god, and zealous in our endeavors to promote the happiness of men. If you are a royal arch mason, i highly recommend you read this book. In fact the arches are one atop of another, similar to the vault of enoch. So originally the master masons degree had the royal arch true word. The law of royal arch masonry in south carolina 1897. Exaltation is the ceremony of joining a chapter roughly equivalent to initiation in the craft and is a powerful. Thus, the holy royal arch continues after the earthly experience of craft masonry and is exemplified by the prospect of building a spiritual life, or second temple, to replace the first, which truly is the fourth and final step in freemasonry.
If a candidate for joining a scottish royal arch chapter has received. Introducing the royal arch this step follows the new freemasons. Warwickshire working of the ra ritual this is the 2006 and latest edition. Vaughan 4 was calling the royal arch degree the very root, heart and marrow of freemasonry. The royal arch exaltation ceremony the proposer should inform the candidate to attend wearing a dark suit, white shirt and collar, black tie and shoes.
In royal arch masonry there are five signs, corresponding in number to the five points of fellowship, in which the master mason is instructed. In royal arch masonry, a particular significant symbol are the banners. It might be an emulation ritual but there are others such as west end. During the conflict between the antientsancients and the moderns 1751 to 18 the ancients were eager to accept and work the primitive form of the royal arch degree. It seems likely that a large number of rituals were then in use and that they were subject to frequent alterations at the whim of rithal individual preceptor.
Whilst it is important to state that no pressure must be put on a master mason to join, he needs to be aware of the royal arch and its place in pure ancient masonry. This includes workings that are able to be shared between companions, thus making the process of. This page contains useful royal arch ritual resources. Since membership in a chapter of royal arch masons is a requirement for membership in york rite councils and commanderys, our companions and sir knights whose primary interests may lie in the council or commandery are encouraged to read and adopt the ideas found here knowing that every new capitular companion is a. Royal arch masons meet as a chapter, and members of the chapter are styled and referred to as companions. Historical introduction, explanatory notes, ceremonies, installation. The masonic system of symbolism, as now constituted, presents us with a triple series of. Sullivan is a master mason and 32nd degree scottish rite mas. Average i would recommend you wait until you are comfortable with the ceremony of craft freemasonry, once you can get more or less from the beginning to the end of a meeting. Grand royal arch captain 6009 greenview oklahoma city, ok. It is common in craft lodges for the new master mason to be presented with the small blue book of ritual that the lodge uses.
The royal arch ritual apart from the installation ceremony, there is only one ceremony in the royal arch ritual, that of the exaltation of a new companion. Yorkshire royal arch masonry, and permission to use his photographs of the wakefield jewels. These events are symbolically detailed in the royal arch, and in allusion to them, the passage of the book of chronicles which records them, is appropriately read during the ceremonies of this part of the degree. In order to keep unreveled the secrets of freemasonry, these rituals can only be read by the possessors of the degree. A lodge summons may give details of an attached chapter, although it is not.
Yet many of us are unsure of the teachings that the masters of the veils guard in their stations. From the dimmest dawn of history, man has marked events of importance with song, marching, incense and solemnity. William waples, for his many notes on northeast royal arch masonry and for permission to use two photographs. Thus we preserve a memorial of the vaulted shrine in which the sacred name was deposited. Working with the master mason and his personal mentor the royal arch representative can discuss when is the appropriate time for the master mason to join a chapter. Being a royal arch mason will also require your regular attendance at meetings of your royal arch chapter, usually four per year, as well as some time and effort on your part to study and learn the ritual so that you may participate in the ceremonies as well as gaining an. It will also appeal to nonmembers of the fraternity who are interested in the study of subjects dealing with masonry and the interpretation of ancient. Duncans masonic ritual and monitor york rite of california. The royal arch made its first appearance in england during the 1740s. Entered apprentice, or first degree seven freemasons, viz. Guide to the royal arch chapter john sheville, james l. The royal arch degrees was considered most important in the early years of freemasonry and so dogmatic was the mother grand lodge from which all speculative masonry derives that in 18, when the two grand lodges in england united, a firm and solemn landmark was adopted and placed in the articles of union to guide masons throughout the. The many versions of masonic ritual freemasonry matters.
The author traces the history of the royal arch degree to the earlymid1700s. During the conflict between the antientsancients and the moderns 1751 to 18 the ancients were eager to accept and work the primitive form of. Masonic royal arch aldersgate ritual in pocket size edition. Freemasons book of the royal arch the masonic trowel. Ritual of the first degree english ritual of the second degree english.
In the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god. Royal arch frequently asked questions updated july 2017. Ceremony of installation for a chapter of royal arch masons. The royal arch is present in all main masonic systems, though in some it is worked as part of craft mainstream freemasonry, and in others in an appendant additional order. Secret monitor english prince english supreme ruler english ancient and masonic order of the scarlet cord. Royal arch american royal arch masons ritual us exalatation ceremony freemason collection. The earliest evidence available shows that the candidate was hoodwinked and brought to discover a scroll which contained the words. Jones some of the old chapters bad, and probably may still have, tracingboards, the idea of which came straight from craft usage. In england, there are 12, but in america there are only 4 banners displayed.
Workings the many versions of masonic ritual freemasonry. This article is about the holy royal arch as practiced as a standalone degree. While the royal arch captain is informing the guard, the principal sojourner goes to the altar, salutes with the dueguard and sign, separates square and compasses and returns to his. Royal arch chapter how is royal arch chapter abbreviated. We may assume that the seeds of this new ceremony were germinating for several years before we have records of it, but we cannot date the practice of the royal arch earlier than c. Since membership in a chapter of royal arch masons is a requirement for membership in york rite councils and commanderys, our companions and sir knights whose. Both ugles board of general purposes and supreme grand chapters sgc committee of. They are in word format some are in pdf, therefore readable by any system. The word excellent has been in use in royal arch ritual and custom for more than two centuries, and we shall later meet pointed examples of the word occurring in the 1740s and in the following decades. Mark master mason ritual mark masonry lectures and cathechism. Changes to the royal arch book of constitutions august 2016 rule 66. Wells, pagdc in the early periods of the royal arch there is a paucity of information regarding a ceremonial pattern for. After the darkness of the third degree, it is a colourful, enlightening and memorable ceremony, with profound, challenging, allegorical significance.
The principal bodies royal arch or capitular masonry royal arch masonry is a term denoting the first part of the york rite degrees. Why you should join royal arch masonry supreme grand. For the similar body found in the york rite, see royal arch masonry. But it is to be noted that it is only sparingly used nowadays in the accepted rituals, and a fact that has mainly influenced me it does not form part of the titles of the grand chapters of england, ireland, and scotland.
Holy royal arch knight templar priest american installation of a high priest english order of the secret monitor. Each keystone comes with a ring which stolkyn uses to prise open with his crowbar. Perhaps the turning point in the dispute came as a result of thomas dunckerley, a natural son of george ii, a keen mason and a traditioner among the moderns, coming out as an enthusiast for royal arch, to which he was exalted. Take notice thereof and govern yourselves accordingly. In the first part of the opening where the three principals take the steps towards the point in the west, the aldersgate ritual closes the feet at the three steps taken, whereas in domatic they do not close on the first and second step but close on the third.
This suggests that the royal arch must have been popular enough at least among the antients to have developed into an independent ritual quite rapidly. A society of royal arch masons is called a chapter, and not a lodge, as in the previous degrees. Sullivan iv is a philosopher, historian, antiquarian, jurist, theologian, writer, and lawyer. In many ways, the royal arch degrees either complete or otherwise provide further elucidation on themes and narratives we find in the three craft degrees. Freemasons book of the royal arch by bernard edward jones. A history of royal arch masonry grand chapter royal arch. He is to ensure that the candidate is conversant with the signs of the three craft degrees and the words given on the five points of fellowship. Royal arch ritual provincial grand lodge of cumberland.
The icm course can be downloaded as a pdf and printed out locally by the. Province of essex royal arch frequently asked questions. In the old irish chapters were boards depicting the symbols not only of the royal arch, but of the craft and a number of additional degrees. The ritual file is protected by a password which is the word of the degree. Even the druids at one time adopted a royal arch degree which iswas remarkably similar. The proposer should inform the candidate to attend wearing a dark suit, white shirt and collar, black tie and shoes. Complete workings of the royal arch ritual pocket edition. This form of the holy royal arch ceremony is intended for those times when there may be no candidate to be. The chapter degrees are beautiful ceremonies which are complimentary to those of the blue lodge. Being a royal arch mason will also require your regular attendance at meetings of your royal arch chapter, usually four per year, as well as some time and effort on your part to study and learn the ritual so that you may participate in the ceremonies as well as gaining an understanding of their meaning and purpose. The title of this paper does not imply that mysticism is confined in masonry to the royal arch alone, and that there is none in the craft degrees. Provincial grand chapter of warwickshire page 1 of 2 the exaltation ceremony setting the scene as the exaltation ceremony is rather complicated and often leaves companions somewhat bemused, probably because we dont hear it as often and its so different to the craft ritual.
The whole system is transmitted to initiates through the medium of masonic ritual, which consists of lectures and allegorical plays. Duncans masonic ritual and monitor grand york rite of california. Installation of officers for a mn chapter of royal arch masons 1 preface. Ritual in this connection, the statement implies that the ark was there all the time under the plate of gold. Some french manuscripts said to date from the 1760s give the skeleton of a ceremony centring on the. On the contrary, as the first principal informs the newly exalted royal arch candidate, the degree he has just taken is but a completion of the third degree in craft masonry, thus inferring that the.
Cryerin this, the first of a series of articles that are to follow with this title, the purpose is to help us all to reencounter phrases in our ritual that are so often and so easily repeated that we may not have realised the full. Surprisingly, little is known of the early royal arch ritual. Wells, pagdc in the early periods of the royal arch there is a paucity of information regarding a ceremonial pattern for installation, but we glean what we can from various minute books, looking for signs that may be classed as. For some this is fine, some men arent phased by anything and happily adapt and take on the extra and different ritual, but for mr. The impact of masonic ritual, philosophy, and symbolism, is our guest in podcast episode 146. The symbolism of freemasonry is found throughout the masonic lodge, and contains many of the working tools of a medieval or renaissance stonemason. When a king was crowned, all of this activity made an impression on the people and made it a talked about event. Going back at least to the early 1800s, mackenzie mentions the grand royal arch, ramsays royal arch, the royal arch of enoch, the royal arch of solomon and the royal arch of zerubbabel and there were and are many others.
Royal arch masonry is the first part of the york rite system of the masonic degrees. The form of a royal arch chapter, when properly arranged, approaches as nearly as circumstances will permit that of a catenarian arch. In the province of gloucestershire and herefordshire about 28. There are two ceremonies in the royal arch that are practiced regularly. Here we have a clear reference to words and ideas with which the royal arch mason is familiar.
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