Royal Arch Quiz-1

                                                                             

This is the first of five installments of questions and answers that will be posted covering all the degrees of the Royal Arch. At the beginning of each month I will post the quiz, and at the end of the month the answers will be posted. For a complete description of my thoughts. Please see my September 15th posting.

Royal Arch Quiz Night

General Information

P.G.M. Tom Hendrickson

1.    Name the four degrees of the Royal Arch Chapter?

1)                                                    

2)

3)

4)

2.    Define the word Capitular

3.    The first three Masonic Degrees are often referred to as the Blue Lodge degrees.

In the York Rite the four Capitular degrees are often referred to as the ________ Degrees. Often referred to as _____ Lodge.

4.    In the United States the York Rite is a series of degrees that were collected together into a progressive system. It is also known as the _____________Rite.

5.    Where in the United States and what Lodge is the first Royal Arch recorded in the United States in 1753? I’ll give you a hint….it was George Washington’s Lodge.

6.    In the 1700s Grand Secretary Lawrence Dermott of the Antients Grand Lodge characterized the Royal Arch as “the root, heart and marrow of masonry and the capstone of the whole masonic system.

In your own words what do you think he meant by that?

Royal Arch Education

I have had the wonderful opportunity this Summer to sit and study the Degrees in the Royal Arch.
During this time of study I thought of a way to share it in a easy format and can be fun to learn.

Its a five part learning that takes the form of a Trivia Test...I don't like the word Trivia but I think you'd better understand the concept. There are five parts Introduction-covers general Royal Arch Trivia to get you started, Mark Master, Past Master Virtual, Most Excellent, Royal Arch.

I meant it to be used in your Chapter Meeting as a form of Educational instruction. It should take about 15 to 25 minutes depending how spirited the conversation gets. You can break up into teams, appoint  a Quizmaster and keep score. Or you can have someone give the question and everyone shout out the answer. Id encourage having your Ritual handy and look up the ones you don't know.

Its a very good way for the new Companion to learn in a friendly environment, and for the older Sages a good way to stay sharp.

I plan on placing the Quiz on my blog at the start of the month. The answers will appear at the end of the Month. This way if you are wanting to do this at home or your office you can do your own research and wait to see how you did.

Now...I have not reveled anything that we consider the secrets. I used publish materials, and I checked my Minnesota Ritual which is in compliance to the Grand Chapter. Believe me as a lover of the Craft I believe and live my Obligation.

The quiz has a different number of questions on each quiz. Anywhere from five to nine. Some you may find easy others you may have to look up. This is not a PH.D or the Companion Adept or even the Master Craftsman, its a simple  way for you to  learn more about the Royal Arch without buying an expensive book and spending hours of your time.

I hope you enjoy it and Good Luck...Oh by the way tell me how you did!

 How the Royal Arch Completes the Story

By Thomas Hendrickson P.G.M.

In the 1700’s the Royal Arch was regarded as the Root, Heart and Marrow of Freemasonry.

For those of us in Freemasonry, symbolism is part of our way of life.  It causes us to take an extra moment or two to reflect upon something to find the greater meaning which is far more personal and meaningful than having it spoon fed to us in a 20 second sound bite.

We all interpret things differently so for me this is how I interpret these symbols.

The Root is a symbolic representation of our origins and in unseen ways the tree is supported and finds nourishment.

The Heart is used to symbolize the flow of life itself.  In ages past the heart was believed to be where the soul resided

.

The Marrow refers to the essence of life. Bone Marrow is a spongy tissue found inside the bones.  It produces the red and white blood cells along with platelets and adult stem cells which are essential for humans to live.  When I would visit the blood center to donate blood, I heard it referred to as the very essence of life.

So after reflecting on the descriptive words of Root, Heart and Marrow I believe the Brothers of our ancient craft believed strongly that the Royal Arch was important, essential and indispensable to the craft degrees.

My question is, how did the Royal Arch become so important?  What was the purpose of the Royal Arch?

We know that in England during the 1600’s, there were two degrees.  The Entered Apprentice and The Fellow Craft.  Up until 1717 some lodges were working one comprehensive degree, while others were working two degrees.  The Master Mason degree started appearing around 1730 (we know that the legend or Hiram was known around 1700).

It was determined by many that the Master Mason degree was incomplete. The candidate was left with an unfinished temple and a substitute word.  The candidate is left with more questions than answers.  I know that when I left the lodge room I said to my Masonic mentor, “How did they lose the word”?

It is easy to see that some speculative degree writers may have seen an opportunity to carefully weave the completion of the story from the same Hiramic legend used in the craft lodges to provide the completion of the story.  Thus the Royal Arch was born.

In England there were two major factions of Freemasons, the Ancients and the Moderns.  The Ancients considered the Royal Arch essential to Freemasonry. The Moderns officially disavowed the Royal Arch and in their official announcements they were very straight forward and blunt of their dislike for the Royal Arch.

As time went on the Moderns discovered many of their lodges were working the Royal Arch degree and many of their members

were belonged to Royal Arch Chapters. They were in amazement when they learned that many of their prominent members were Royal Arch Masons

.

Both sides come to understand the situation needed a solution and they stopped the infighting and developed a workable idea.  In October 1809 the Ancients and the Moderns agreed to create a Special Lodge called “The Lodge of Promulgation”.  The purpose of this lodge was to find a common ground and negotiate their differences.  In November 1813 they agreed to merge and signed the “Articles of Union”.

The actual union took place on St. Johns Day on December 28, 1813 at Freemasons Hall, creating the “United Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of England, the very same Grand Lodge that we know today.

Both the Ancients and the Moderns felt that the Royal Arch was such an integral part of pure ancient masonry that it was written in their constitution.

By the solemn Act of Union between the two Grand Lodges of Freemasons of England in December, 1813, it was “declared and pronounced that the pure Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, viz those of the Entered apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and Master Mason including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch”.

The union clearly defined what pure ancient masonry was and created the Royal Arch as an Order to ensure the proper regulation of the Capstone of the Craft degrees.

So the Royal Arch stands on authority to bring the Master Mason into the full Masonic light, by the completion of pure ancient masonic degrees.

So if you completed the first three degrees and desire to be a Master Mason with the complete and intended purpose of the ancient craft you should seriously talk to your local Royal Arch and consider joining.

Why I am a Royal Arch Mason

                                                  

Why I am a Royal Arch Mason

·        I’ve learned the True Word of Master Mason

·        I know how to receive my wages from the Senior Warden

·        I’m a member of the oldest Rite in Freemasonry

·        I didn’t stop at the 2.5 Degree-I went on to complete the Third Degree

·        I wanted to learn all the Secrets of Freemasonry

·        I read the first 3 Chapters-I wanted to finish the book

·        I’ve made many new friends from other local Lodges

·        I’ve participated in some of the most beautiful rituals in Masonry

   Provide by the Royal Arch Masons-Grand Chapter State of New York

     Grand High Priest Piers A. Vaughan 2014

P

After the Third Degree….Now What?

So you just received the Third Degree in your lodge and now you’re a Master Mason.  Congratulations, you now belong to the world’s oldest fraternity.  Over the past several months (or one day) you have been exposed to a tremendous amount of information ranging from history, philosophy, legends, symbols and maybe even some mumbo jumbo.

Expecting you to digest and comprehend that vast amount of knowledge over such a short period of time is unreasonable and is like taking a drink of water from a fire hydrant.

It is common and even expected for the new Mason to seek to understand all three degrees and how they may apply in your journey for more Masonic light.  Some of the stumbling blocks you will encounter may be understanding the many cryptic passages or the symbolism. In addition, you may want to know more information about the origins and foundations of Craft Freemasonry.

Ultimately, you likely will end up having more questions than answers. You may even conclude that you are missing pieces of information or you may feel that you have not gotten the whole story.  Well, you are right; you did not get the full complete narrative in the first three degrees.  As a matter of fact, most students (theoreticians) of Freemasonry agree that the story of the craft presented in the three degrees is incomplete and but that the degrees of the Chapter of the Royal Arch will complete the story for you.

There are many that would have you believe that you can receive the true secrets of the craft in the degrees that are other than the Royal Arch degrees. This is simply not true.  Some say that these other degrees have similarities but different emphasis but again this is not true.

You have already received the symbolic degrees of the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason.  These three Blue Lodge degrees are of the York Rite, so it would be natural that you will want to continue expanding your knowledge in the same tradition?

As a matter of fact, the Grand Lodge of England, thought that the teachings of the Royal Arch were the very essence of pure Freemasonry and very important.  When the Ancients and Moderns were merged in the 1813, creating the United Grand Lodge of England, they included a reference to it in the 1813 act of the Union:

“By the Solemn Act of Union between the two Grand Lodges of England in December 1813 it was declared and pronounced that Pure Ancient Masonry consist of three degrees and no more, via…, those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. Including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch.”

In England today, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, by virtue of his office, is also the top leader of the Grand Chapter of the Royal Arch. 

The Royal Arch is taken very seriously in England.  From my experience, I found the Royal Arch chapters meet in the local lodges on a different night than the regular lodge meeting.  Usually your companions are your lodge Brothers.  When the lodge raises a Master Mason he is entitled to join the Royal Arch “in order to complete his Master Mason degree.” Within a ten mile radius of London there are 3,000 Chapters with approximately 105,000 members (Companions).

The next logical step to complete your Masonic education is the Royal Arch. It will present a complete system that is in complete mutual agreement with the original plan. It will lead you to a fuller understanding of the purpose and spirit of Freemasonry and for the first time you will be able to perceive the completeness of the ancient craft.  You will also have better insight into all the ceremonies from the Entered apprentice to the Master Mason degree. Once you have a clear picture or understanding then you can apply those principles to your life making it all relevant.

As a Royal Arch Mason, you will have completed your education of Craft Freemasonry and your quest for more light continues.

A man is not a Master Mason until he has received the Masters word and he can only receive it in the Royal Arch.