May 2012 - Hawthorne-Fortitude Masonic Lodge No. 200

York Rite News & Information Featured Writer Bro. Jacob Lucas
This month, I will begin discussing the Degrees of the
York Rite, as conferred in the United States, in my
Jurisdiction. Where I have been able to locate
information which differs in other Jurisdictions, I will
provide those details. Any errors are mine alone. Please
let me know if you find an error in the information that I
have provided.
In the United States, the first group of Degrees in the
York Rite is in the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. The
first Degree earned in this body is that of Mark Master,
which is seen as a continuation of the Fellow Craft
Degree. In other countries, there may be different bodies
conferring this Degree on Candidates.
For Masons in Lodges under the
United Grand Lodge of England, The
Grand Lodge of Mark Master
Masons of England and Wales and
its Districts and Lodges Overseas,
controls both this Degree and also the
Royal Ark Mariner degree; conferred
in Royal Ark Mariner Lodges, which
operate under a separate warrant.
For Masons in Scotland and under
the Scottish Constitution, as this
Degree is seen as the conclusion of
the Fellow Craft, it can be conferred
in a Craft Lodge. It can also be
conferred in a Holy Royal Arch
Chapter, as it is a prerequisite before a man can be
Exalted to the Holy Royal Arch.
For Masons in Lodges under the Irish Constitution,
Mark Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters share the same
warrant. A man must have this Degree conferred on him
by a Mark Lodge before he is eligible to become a Royal
Arch Mason.
In Australia, depending on the Jurisdiction, the Degree
may be received in a Royal Arch Chapter, or in a Mark
Master Lodge.
I do realize that I am using the incorrect terminology to
describe most of these situations, as the Lodges under
the English, Scottish, and Irish Constitutions generally
refer to the Craft Lodge only. I am referring to Masons
from these Craft Lodges, who move on to “higher
Degrees.” This Degree is usually worked in a separate
Mark Lodge, except where discussed above.
The Mark Master candidate works in the quarries as a
Fellow Craft. The ritual explains how operative Masons
left their personal Mark on each stone worked, created
with a mallet and chisel. During this Degree, the Mark
Master will create his own Mark, which is recorded by
the Chapter in the Book of Marks.
It has been claimed that this is one of the oldest of all
Degrees. The ritual of this Degree builds on that of the
Fellow Craft, and to some, adds additional information
that was missing in that Degree. In Duncan’s Masonic
Ritual, we are informed that
historically, this Degree is of the
utmost importance. Due to the
influence of this Degree, each
operative Mason, at the building
of King Solomon’s Temple, was
able to make his good
workmanship known. As each
workman put his mark on his
own work, a faulty craftsman
would not receive wages not due
him, and those who crafted
suitable work would not suffer
monetarily for sub-standard
work.
The elected officers for a Royal
Arch Chapter are High Priest, King, Scribe, Secretary
and Treasurer. The appointed officers are Captain of the
Host, Principal Sojourner, Royal Arch Captain, Master
of the 3 rd Veil, Master of the 2 nd Veil, Master of the 1 st
Veil, Chaplain, and Sentinel. These titles will be
discussed in more detail in the article on the Royal Arch
Degree.
In this Degree and the others in the Chapter subsequent
to being exalted to the Royal Arch, the High Priest is the
Right Worshipful Master (the same title given in
Scotland or in Lodges operating under the Scottish
Constitution). The King is the Senior Warden, and the
Scribe is the Junior Warden. In these Degrees, these
three principal elected officers sit as they do in the Craft
Lodge, in the East, West, and South, as do the Secretary
(Continued on page 49)
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