What Is The Number Of Degrees In The York Rite?

The Royal Arch Masonry is a continuation of craft masonry, with members called companions who meet in chapters ruled over by three principles. The Royal Arch in England has four cer. degrees, with the highest being the Knights Templar, part of the Chivalric Order. The York Rite is divided into three main bodies: the Royal Arch Masons with four degrees, the American Rite, and the Royal Arch Chapter.

The York Rite is a complex organism, with ritual and degree elements predating the Master Mason Degree and the first Grand Lodge itself. Some degrees are referred to as Solomonic or Hiramic and focus on the Temples at Jerusalem. The degrees in the York Rite system include the Mark Master, Past Master (Virtual), Most Excellent Master, and the Holy Royal Arch in the Royal Arch Chapter.

York Masonry is the oldest and best known of all Masonic Rites. It is based on early remnants of Craft Masonry practiced in the early 1700’s. The formation of the first Grand Lodge of England in 1717 specified that the three degrees of Craft Masonry (Entered Apprentice Mason, Fellowcraft Mason, and Master Mason) are considered “York Rite”.

There is no York Rite in the three U.K. Grand Lodges, as there is a single ceremony for Royal Arch, Royal and Select, and then KT. However, many Masonic scholars agree that the narrative of the Craft, as illustrated in the three degrees, is not the whole story.

In Freemasonry, a “Rite” is a collection of “degrees” (initiations), always beginning with the first three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason.

What is the Masonic Templar degree?

The Masonic Order is introduced through the initiation into the Templar Degree, a ceremony that is based on a series of trials and experiences that a pilgrim or crusader might have undergone during their transition into the Order of warrior monks.

What is the 6th degree Mason?

The 6th Degree, Intimate Secretary, focuses on duty, charity, and toleration, requiring individuals to reshape their thinking into charity, self-control, and success. The apron of this degree is white and red, with Hebrew letters YOD HEH in the center and a small triangle containing BETH, NUN, and SHIN. The jewel representing this degree is a gold triangle with the same three letters. The 7th Degree, Provost and Judge, emphasizes impartial justice, protecting person, property, happiness, and reputation.

The apron is white, edged with red, with a key and five rosettes, with a golden key as the jewel. The 8th Degree, Intendant of the Building, emphasizes striving for perfection using God’s inherent love, charity, morality, and kindness. The jewel is a gold triangle with the same three letters.

What is a 7th degree Mason?

The Scottish Rite Masonry has nine degrees, each with its own unique symbolism. The 6th Degree, Intimate Secretary, emphasizes duty, charity, and toleration, urging individuals to be peacemakers. The apron of this degree is white and red, with Hebrew letters YOD HEH in the center and a small triangle containing BETH, NUN, and SHIN. The jewel representing this degree is a gold triangle. The 7th Degree, Provost and Judge, emphasizes impartial justice, protecting person, property, happiness, and reputation.

The apron is white, edged with red, with a key and five rosettes, with a golden key as the jewel. The 8th Degree, Intendant of the Building, focuses on perfection through God’s inherent love, charity, morality, and kindness. The apron is white, with red and green, a balance, a nine-pointed star, and a triangle with Hebrew letters BETH, YOU, and ALEPH. The 9th Degree, Elu of the Nine, reflects truth, candor, and generosity, guiding individuals to use these truths to shape their lives and conduct.

What are the ranks in the York Rite?

Royal Arch Masonry, also known as “Capitular Masonry”, is the first part of the American York Rite system of Masonic degrees. It consists of four degrees: Mark Master Mason, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and Royal Arch Mason. The Mark Master Mason degree is an extension of the Fellowcraft or Second degree, and in some jurisdictions, it is conferred in a lodge of Fellowcraft Masons. The Past Master (Virtual) degree is conferred due to the traditional requirement that only Past Masters of a Blue Lodge could be admitted to Royal Arch Masonry.

The Most Excellent Master degree is the most beautiful degree in all of Freemasonry, and freemasons who reach this degree may continue to Cryptic Masonry or go straight to Knights Templar. Honorary Degrees of Valor are also available. In Pennsylvania, this degree is under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and is conferred only to newly elected Masters of Symbolic Lodges.

What are the degrees of the Knights Templar?

Knights Templar, Knights of St Paul, and Knights of Malta operate under a Grand or Great Priory, often with an intermediate level of Provincial Priories. The Grand Master and other officers of both Great Priories hold simultaneous equal office in both bodies. Three degrees are administered in this system: the Degree of Knight Templar (Order of the Temple), the Degree of Knight of St. Paul (incorporating the Mediterranean Pass), and the Degree of Knight of Malta. In England and Wales, the “Great Priory of England and Wales” for the Masonic Knights Templar is administered from Mark Masons’ Hall, London.

What is the highest degree in the Masons?

Freemasonry is a religious organization that originated from the Masonic Lodge, which is responsible for initiating a Freemason. These lodges are controlled by a Grand Lodge, which has national or regional authority for all lodges within its territory. The masonic lodge confers the three masonic degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. There is no higher degree in Freemasonry than Master Mason, but additional degrees are offered to Master Masons, supervised by their own Grand bodies.

The United Grand Lodge of England, the world’s oldest Grand Lodge, defines “pure, ancient Freemasonry” as consisting of the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, including the supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch. This degree is of great antiquity and has a special importance in many masonic systems, including those of the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland, and Ireland, which consider it the completion of the mainstream masonic structure.

How many degrees are there in York Rite?

The York Rite in Freemasonry comprises three cooperative groups that confer ten degrees in the United States: four Royal Arch degrees, three Cryptic Mason degrees, and three Chivalric orders. These degrees add more knowledge, teach more lessons, and provide more opportunities for friendships and participation outside the lodge. The Royal Arch, first introduced in England in 1769, teaches the value of workmanship, honesty, and charity. The Mark Master degree, first appearing in England in 1769, is probably older and focuses on the workmen building King Solomon’s Temple.

What is a 32nd degree mason?

The Scottish Rite degrees, ranging from 4th to 32nd degree, enhance the philosophical teachings of the first three degrees in the Symbolic Lodge. The 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Freemasonry™, also known as the “University of Freemasonry”, uses allegory and dramatic presentation to explore philosophy, history, ethics, and fundamental truths. To attain the 32°, one must be a Master Mason in good standing, apply to the Scottish Rite in their jurisdiction, and witness five Scottish Rite degrees, including the 4° upon initiation, three additional degrees of the member’s choice, and the 32°. Scottish Rite Masons aspire to be guided by six Core Values: Reverence for God, Integrity, Devotion to Country, Justice, Tolerance, and Service to Humanity.

What are the degrees of knights?

The Order of Columbus is dedicated to the principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism. New Knights begin as First Degree Knights, exemplifying Charity. They progress through subsequent degrees, each focusing on another virtue, until reaching the Third Degree. Priests do not participate directly in Degree exemplifications, but rather observe them. The vision of founder Venerable Michael McGivney is the foundation of all Knights, as Catholic men united in faith.

McGivney founded the Order with laymen in the basement of St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, CT. Today, we ask for his intercession, pray for his canonization, and live out the principles he left us as Knights. Charity is the basis of all we do as Knights and as Catholics. St. Paul wrote, “And now there remain faith, hope, and charity (these three), but the greatest of these is charity”.

Who is the highest ranking Templar?

The grand master of the Knights Templar was the supreme commander of the holy order, starting with founder Hugues de Payens. Some held the office for life, while others resigned to monasteries or diplomacy. Grand masters often led their knights into battle, leading to short tenures. Each country had its own master, who reported to the grand master. The grand master oversaw all operations of the order, including military operations in the Holy Land and Eastern Europe, as well as financial and business dealings in the order’s infrastructure in Western Europe. After Pope Innocent II issued the bull Omne datum optimum on behalf of the Templars in 1139, the grand master was obliged to answer only to him.