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Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania CARE award

Keith C

Registered User
This past Saturday at the June Communication of The Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania I had the honor of being awarded the Grand Chapter C.A.R.E. Certificat and Jewel. The C.A.R.E. (Captiular Academy of Research and Education) is a three phase program on the History and details of the Three Degrees of the Holy Royal Arch Chapters in Pennsylvania. (as an FYI the "5th Degree", Virtual Past Master, is not permitted to be conferred in Pennsylvania by Royal Arch Chapters as here, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is Supreme over the Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter and reserves the Past Master Degree ONLY for Elected and Installed Worshipful Masters of Blue Lodges.)

The program is open to all Companions of Pennsylvania Royal Arch Chapters and is completed on-line and via E-mail between the participant and their Assigned Mentor in the Program. There is significant reading involved and three tests for each section. On completion the participants are awarded a Certificate declaring them a Pennsylvania "Captiular Master" and the option to be awarded a Jewel of the same. The award can be received at either a Grand Communication from the Most Excellent Grand High Priest and the Chairman of the Capitular Education Committee or in your home Chapter from your District Deputy Grand High Priest. As I am currently my Chapter's Representative to the Grand Chapter and was attending the Grand Communication anyway, I chose to receive it at the June Communication.

Overall it was a very enlightening experience, I learned a great deal about the History and basis of the Three Degrees and of the Origins adn Development of the Holy Royal Arch Chapters in the USA in General and Pennsylvania in particular.

The below is a photo of me receiving the Certificate and wearing the Jewel (next to my PHP Jewel) from Companion M. Vincent Cruciani, PHP, Chairman of the Committee and Grand Principle Sojourner.

CARE award.jpg
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Congratulations !

"the Three Degrees of the Holy Royal Arch Chapters in Pennsylvania"
Interesting.. what are their titles ?

Here, we have
Excellent Master Mason
Companion of the Holy Royal Arch.
They are split over to meetings and you are not considered a member of the Chapter until you have done both.

The EMM has a really interesting history. When HRA was first worked here, they have "Excellent Master", "Most Excellent Master" and "Passing of the Veils" which were initially and sometimes mistaken as the same thing. I can't remember which, but one required the password of Mark Master Mason, another the password of an Installed Master (that's why you have "Virtual Past Master" in some places in the USA). These were standadized into Excellent Master Mason.

Nowadays, the only qualification for applying to the Order is being a MM, but the Ceremony requiring the qualification requiring being a Master (of a Craft Lodge) lives on in another Order, Royal and Select I believe (which I am not a member of, but many really like).
 

Keith C

Registered User
Congratulations !

"the Three Degrees of the Holy Royal Arch Chapters in Pennsylvania"
Interesting.. what are their titles ?

Here, we have
Excellent Master Mason
Companion of the Holy Royal Arch.
They are split over to meetings and you are not considered a member of the Chapter until you have done both.

The EMM has a really interesting history. When HRA was first worked here, they have "Excellent Master", "Most Excellent Master" and "Passing of the Veils" which were initially and sometimes mistaken as the same thing. I can't remember which, but one required the password of Mark Master Mason, another the password of an Installed Master (that's why you have "Virtual Past Master" in some places in the USA). These were standadized into Excellent Master Mason.

Nowadays, the only qualification for applying to the Order is being a MM, but the Ceremony requiring the qualification requiring being a Master (of a Craft Lodge) lives on in another Order, Royal and Select I believe (which I am not a member of, but many really like).
Here in the US the Mark Master Mason Degree is under the Royal Arch Chapter. Though we do have Mark Lodges at least here in PA the Mark Lodges operate under the Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter. So the three chapter Degrees in PA are:

Mark Master Mason
Most Excellent Master Mason
Royal Arch Mason.

Historically one had to be a Past Master to receive the ME Master and HRA Degrees. As this limited the potential membership of RA Chapters they came up with the "Virtual Past Master" Degree as the "5th Degree in Freemasonry." The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania under the "Ancients" forbade anyone not being Elected and Installed as Worshipful Master of their Blue Lodge receiving the Word of the Chair, so the Grand Chapter of PA did not confer this Degree. At the time of the unification of the Ancients and Moderns, no Modern Lodges existed in PA so the Antient rues stood. So in every other Jurisdiction I am aware of in the US Royal Arch Chapters confer 4 Degrees with the "Virtual Past Master" Degree occuring between the Mark Master Mason and Most Excellent Master Mason Degrees.

I would be very interested in observing a "Virtual Past Master Degree" but I can not due to the obligation I took in my Blue Lodge Past Master Degree.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Here in the US the Mark Master Mason Degree is under the Royal Arch Chapter. Though we do have Mark Lodges at least here in PA the Mark Lodges operate under the Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter. So the three chapter Degrees in PA are:

Mark Master Mason
Most Excellent Master Mason
Royal Arch Mason.

Historically one had to be a Past Master to receive the ME Master and HRA Degrees. As this limited the potential membership of RA Chapters they came up with the "Virtual Past Master" Degree as the "5th Degree in Freemasonry." The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania under the "Ancients" forbade anyone not being Elected and Installed as Worshipful Master of their Blue Lodge receiving the Word of the Chair, so the Grand Chapter of PA did not confer this Degree. At the time of the unification of the Ancients and Moderns, no Modern Lodges existed in PA so the Antient rues stood. So in every other Jurisdiction I am aware of in the US Royal Arch Chapters confer 4 Degrees with the "Virtual Past Master" Degree occuring between the Mark Master Mason and Most Excellent Master Mason Degrees.

I would be very interested in observing a "Virtual Past Master Degree" but I can not due to the obligation I took in my Blue Lodge Past Master Degree.
Mark and Chapter are separate here.. so we have three bodies in respect to them:
  1. A Grand Lodge lead by a Grand Master conferring the Three Degrees (but has an "Installed Board of Masters" where only Installed and PMs can be - you might make some guesses about it). That's United Grand Lodge of Victoria (UGLV), we're in Amity with GL PA.
  2. A Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, lead by a Grand Master under which the Mark Degree and Royal Ark Mariners is administered.
  3. A Grand Chapter, lead by a First Principal, where the EMM and Holy Royal Arch are administered.
 

Keith C

Registered User
Interesting!

We have nothing like a "Installed Board of Masters" here.

We do have Mark Lodges but they are under the Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter. The Royal Ark Mariner Degree is under the control of the Allied Masonic Degree Councils here. Membership in an AMD Council is by invitation only and is restricted to those who have been through the Holy Royal Arch Degree.

Our Grand Chapters are headed by a Most Excellent Grand High Priest.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
Interesting!

We have nothing like a "Installed Board of Masters" here.

We do have Mark Lodges but they are under the Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter. The Royal Ark Mariner Degree is under the control of the Allied Masonic Degree Councils here. Membership in an AMD Council is by invitation only and is restricted to those who have been through the Holy Royal Arch Degree.

Our Grand Chapters are headed by a Most Excellent Grand High Priest.
Taking to PM.
 
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