While the highest degree in Freemasonry is the 3rd or Master Mason degree, the Master Mason in British Columbia may wish to supplement his knowledge of Freemasonry through membership in one or more other bodies with which our Grand Lodge has declared 'amity'. The following information is provided for the Master Mason who may be seeking further involvement in Freemasonry beyond that provided by his Craft Lodge. The minimum time that must pass before a Mason may join a concordant body is usually six months. Some wait for many years or until they have passed the chairs in their Lodge. It is up to the individual to decide.
1.1 York Rite Masonry
The York Rite consists of the Craft Lodge, the Chapter, the Council, the Preceptory and numerous other groups. The York Rite takes its name from the old English city of York. It is said that Athelstan, a British king, was converted to Christianity in York and that he granted the original charter to the Masonic guilds in that city nearly a thousand years ago. None of the York Rite bodies is a religion. Like the Craft Lodge, The Chapter and the Council are based upon the building of King Solomon's Temple. The Preceptory has a theme of Christian Chivalry.
While the degrees in all concordant bodies have much inherent value
and beauty, those of the York Rite mostly conferred by current officers.
Some of the longer lectures or dramatic parts in the degrees and orders
are performed by ritualists who may 'own' a part for a number of years.
Other parts are performed just once by an officer passing through a particular
chair. The result is that the quality of the work tends to be somewhat
uneven. The prospective member would do well to study where and when the
particular body meets and to learn what he can of the quality of the work
before he joins.
1.2 The Supreme Degree of the Holy Royal Arch
Our three craft degrees in British Columbia are York Rite degrees. The logical completion of the sequence of York Rite degrees can only be acquired through membership in a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. There are three such chapters in Vancouver, one each in North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Langley and Chilliwack. The degrees of 'Mark Master Mason', 'Most Excellent Master' are conferred in Lodges whose officers are those of the Chapter. The Supreme Degree of the Holy Royal Arch is conferred in a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. The work of the Chapter is very closely related to that of the Craft Lodge, and the Freemason finds a warm and comfortable home in and a safe and sacred retreat in the Chapter. The degrees afford historical and philosophical background on the work and meaning of Freemasonry. Some charities supported by Royal Arch Masons in British Columbia include the Keystone of Life Foundation which provides small items of needed medical equipment to hospitals, the operation of an intermediate care facility for seniors, and a bursary program.
1.3 The Council of Cryptic Rite Masons, Royal and Select Masters
A Royal Arch Mason may petition to become a member of a Council of Royal and Select Masters, whose teachings expand further on those of the Craft Lodge and the Royal Arch. There is a Council of Royal and Select Masters in each of Vancouver, North Vancouver, New Westminster and Chilliwack. The degrees are based on the building of King Solomon's temple and include 'Royal Master', 'Select Master', and 'Super Excellent Master'. An interesting side degree governed by the council is the 'Royal Ark Mariner' degree. It is conferred only upon Super Excellent Masters and in a Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners whose officers are those of the Council.
1.4 The Preceptory of Knights Templar
Royal Arch Masons who profess the Christian faith may petition a Preceptory of Knights Templar. The Order of the Red Cross is based upon Old Testament events and is thus pre-Christian in its focus. This order has much in common with the 15th and 16th degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. The Order of Malta and the Order of the Temple have a New Testament orientation and are their lessons are based upon the crusades of the original Knights Templar. Whether there is an actual historical link between the modern Masonic Knights Templar and the historical group of the same name is debatable. Some think there is such a link, others do not. One of the charities of the Knights Templar is a bursary program for divinity students.
1.5 The Allied Masonic Degrees
This group invites Royal Arch masons to study and preserve some of the lesser known 'arcane' degrees of Freemasonry.
1.6 The York Rite Sovereign College of North America
The college consists of invited members who are both Super Excellent Masters and Knights Templar. They provide a resource of ritualists for the other York Rite Bodies for special occasions. There is a college on the lower mainland and one on Vancouver Island. Their main degree is that of Knight of York.
1.7 Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests
This group admits members by invitation who are Installed Masters of their Craft Lodge and Knights Templar. They have control over thirty degrees but usually confer only the 'Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priest' degree. There are two colleges, one in the UK and the other inthe USA.
1.8 The Order of the Red Cross of Constantine
The Order of the Red Cross of Constantine is a concordant body of York Rite masonry. Membership in this body is by invitation only. The order was established in England in 1865. There are two Conclaves in Vancouver, one under the Scottish Constitution and the other under the Canadian.
2 The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite
While in some Jurisdictions the Scottish Rite does practice the first three Craft Degrees, those of our Craft Lodges in British Columbia are recognized and accepted by our Scottish Rite bodies. Thus in British Columbia, as in most of the English speaking world, the Scottish Rite starts its work with the 4th degree, and expands and elaborates on the lessons of the three Craft Lodge degrees. Although some of its degrees have a strong Christian focus, its members represent many different denominations and, as in most bodies of the York Rite, the Holy Scriptures of several different faiths may be found on its Altars. The basic requirement is that of the Craft Lodge, namely belief in the Supreme Being.
The Scottish Rite uses extensive dramatic plays and allegory to emphasize the messages of its degrees. A Freemason, after viewing these dramas, may attain the 4th to 14th degree a the Lodge of Perfection, the 15th to 18th degree in a Chapter of Rose Croix, and the 19th to 32nd degree in the Consistory. The 33rd degree is conferred only in the Supreme Council which selects its own membership. Vancouver and Langley each have a Lodge of Perfection, and a Chapter of Rose Croix. The B.C. Consistory is located in Vancouver. Because there are so many degrees and so many people are required in the conferral of each, there is ample opportunity for participation in the dramas. A member may play one or more parts for many years. The costumes, the settings and the skills of the players make these degrees very memorable. Some seem a bit too long to absorb, and it is only on taking a role that the mason can begin to fully digest the content.
2.2 The Royal Order of Scotland
The Royal Order of Scotland is an appendant body of the Scottish Rite.
Membership in this body is by invitation only. The Order was established in
London around 1741.
3 The Grotto
The Grotto is a social group for Master Masons which was founded in 1889 at Hamilton, New York. It sprang from a series of informal meetings, where Master Masons gathered for relaxation and laughs. There are Grottoes throughout the United States and Canada whose principle charity is the aiding of the cerebral palsy child.
4 The Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
Only after a Master Mason has achieved the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite or is a consecrated Knight Templar in the Preceptory, can he then petition to become a Shriner. The Shrine is the 'umbrella' sheltering a great variety of Shrine 'Clubs' and 'Units' - something for almost every taste and interest in almost every community in British Columbia. The Units provide colourful entertainment for the public and the Shrine ceremonials. The Clubs provide a social outlet in the communities which they serve and assist in raising funds for the World's Greatest Philanthropy - the Shriners Hospitals for Children and the many Shriners Burns Units.
Shriners enjoy life , parades, trips, circuses, dances, dinners, sporting events and other social occasions together. Every effort is made to be sure a Shriner has a variety of activities from which to choose. The approximately 600,000 members have a buoyant philosophy - "Pleasure without intemperance, hospitality without rudeness and jollity without coarseness." The most noticeable external symbol of Shriners is their distinctive red fez. Men from all walks of life and all levels of income find fun, fellowship and relaxation in their individual Shrine Clubs and Units. There are 191 Shrine Temples located in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Republic of Panama.
