an introduction to the supreme order of the holy royal arch

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The Royal Arch ritual recounts the story of the three Sojourners, one of whom is the Candidate, who as Master Masons are sent to prepare the ground for theĀ ...
The Royal Arch ritual recounts the story of the three Sojourners, one of whom is the Candidate, who as Master Masons are sent to prepare the ground for the foundation of the building, on the site where the Temple of King Solomon had formerly stood. There in an underground vaulted chamber they discovered the ' long lost secrets ' of a Master Mason. Exactly what are these secrets? Every Mason remembers the very first question put to him at his Initiation. 'In whom do you put your trust?' and also the answer he gave. The Holy Royal Arch ceremony amplifies that answer and seeks to inform and instruct the Candidate on the nature of the Deity and the duties of man.

ROYAL ARCH PROVINCE OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE & HEREFORDSHIRE

Although the Order accepts brethren of various religious persuasions, it cannot be denied that the Royal Arch originally had quite a strong Christian influence and parts of the ritual reflect this fact. The Lectures are most remarkable and provide a moving statement of religious faith. No Companion of the Order can fail of being impressed by their teachings. The appearance of the Chapter Room is especially striking in its colourful splendour and in particular the richly coloured robes of the three Principals. The beauty of the ceremony of Exaltation and its significance to the Craft degrees will have a lasting appeal to the thoughtful Mason. Notes 1. Most Chapters hold three, or at the most four, meetings a year and the annual subscription is generally much smaller than those of Craft Lodges. 2. Any brother wishing to join the Order is recommended to do so no later than about the time he takes Office in his Craft Lodge. This should provide a smooth progression towards the Principals' chairs without clashing with his Mastership in the Craft, although it is now possible for Master Masons to go forward to the three chairs before becoming WM of his Craft Lodge. Further information on the Holy Royal Arch may be obtained from the Provincial Grand Scribe Ezra, whose name, address and telephone number is contained within the Royal Arch section of the Provincial Year Book. 10.05

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SUPREME ORDER OF THE HOLY ROYAL ARCH The Craft and the Royal Arch The Book of Constitutions and Royal Arch Regulations contains within the general laws and regulations for the government of the Craft a Preliminary Declaration: By the solemn Act of Union between the two Grand Lodges of Freemasons of England in December 1813, it was 'declared and pronounced that pure Antient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more. viz., those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch'. " Thus the United Grand Lodge of England has clearly stated that the order of the Royal Arch can rightly be considered as an essential extension of Craft Masonry. It therefore follows that a Craft Mason's knowledge is incomplete until he has been exalted in the Order of the Holy Royal Arch, and for this reason every earnest student of Freemasonry should give serious consideration to becoming a Royal Arch Mason.

Under the English Constitution the Order is governed by the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England, the regulations of which are contained along with the Craft rules in the Book of Constitutions. These General Regulations deal with matters specific to the Order. In cases where special provision is not made, the Order is bound by the rules and constitutions of the United Grand Lodge of England. Royal Arch Regulations rule that:' The Grand Master of Grand Lodge, if an installed First Principal shall be the First Grand Principal and the Pro Grand Master, if an installed First Principal, shall be the Pro First Grand Principal. The Deputy Grand Master if an installed First Principal, shall be Second Grand Principal. The First Grand Principal shall appoint annually the Third Grand Principal. The Grand Secretary, if an installed First Principal, shall be the Grand Scribe E '. Similar regulations apply also to the Grand Treasurer and the Grand Registrar, provided they are duly qualified. A Charter for a Royal Arch Chapter is granted only upon a formal petition from a Craft Lodge and usually takes both its name and number, although membership of the Chapter is not restricted only to the members of that sponsoring Lodge. History & Membership In the 18th century membership was conferred in Craft Lodges only on brethren who were Masters or Past Masters. This was somewhat limiting and so a special ceremony was devised known as 'Passing the Chair' to enable those who had not actually been installed in the chair of King Solomon to qualify for membership of the Royal Arch. The oldest record connecting the Royal Arch with an English Craft Lodge are minutes of a meeting in 1758. at the Crown Inn, which was in Christmas Street, Bristol, when two brethren were 'Raised to the degree of the Royal Arch'.

In 1843, the Royal Arch regulations stated that the qualification for Exaltation was that the Candidate must have been a Master Mason for twelve months. That period has now been reduced to four weeks and upwards. It must be appreciated that the word exaltation has a deep and a meaningful significance. The members of a Royal Arch Chapter bear the title Companion and of those who are either Principals or Past Principals, Excellent Companion Work in the Chapter A Chapter is jointly governed by the First Principal (Zerubbabel) the Second Principal (Haggai) and the Third Principal (Joshua). Other Offices are those of Scribe Ezra (Secretary) Scribe Nehemiah, the Principal Sojourner, the First and Second Assistant Sojourners and the Janitor (or Outer Guard). A complete list of Officers will be found in the Provincial Year Book. Apart from the annual installation of the three Principals, there is a single ceremony where Candidates are Exalted into the Order. Like other Masonic ceremonies the ceremony of exaltation takes its theme from the Holy scriptures. It relates in a somewhat dramatic form the return of the Jews to their native land after seventy years of captivity in Babylon, and of the rebuilding of the Temple destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 598 B. C. In 538 B.C. Cyrus, King of Persia, conquered Babylon and thus expanded his empire to embrace most of Western Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean and the boundaries of Egypt. . King Cyrus was regarded as a noble Ruler, who is thought to have worshiped Jehovah. He issued an edict permitting the Jews to return to their homeland, and to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem. Archaeologists have recently, discovered a cuneiform text recording this event. Many availed themselves of the opportunity to return and drifted back across the desert to Jerusalem. Darius succeeded Cyrus in 520 B.C., when the foundations of the Temple had been laid by Zerubbabel, Prince of the people, Haggai, the Prophet, and Joshua, son of Josedech, the High Priest. By 516 B.C., despite opposition from marauding bands of local tribesmen, the work was completed .