Fernandina Beach York Rite Bodies
1101 South 14th Street
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
July 23, 2010
Dear Brethren,
A wise man will always have a quest for further knowledge, what we as Masons refer to as light. Each step through the Blue Lodge degrees – Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason – we sought and expected more light in Masonry, and we received it.
When a Brother is Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason, is that all of the light in Masonry that he can hope to receive? The answer is no! He is just beginning his journey in Masonry. Our tradition is so full of teaching and symbolism that it may not be possible for any man to receive and understand all of it in the few short years that we are allowed on this earth, and most of the Masonic knowledge is found in degrees beyond the Blue Lodge.
In the early degrees in most Grand Lodge jurisdictions, we are told that the Temple is not yet completed; we learn that the Master’s word is lost, and a substitute is given to be used until the True Word is found. Therefore, there must be much more to learn in Masonry.
Most of the early Masonic Lodges, both colonial and military lodges, were granted charters from England, Ireland, or Scotland, and they contained a fourth and a fifth degree. Those were the Holy Royal Arch and Knights Templar degrees.
In those early days only Past Masters of Symbolic Lodges were qualified to receive the Royal Arch degree. But that degree was later deemed to be so important to the Craft that Master Masons who had received the Mark Master degree should be able to become Past Masters, thus making them eligible to witness the completion and dedication of King Solomon’s Temple and the Royal Arch degree where the long lost Master’s Word is to be found. These degrees were then taken from the Blue Lodges and established under separate bodies in the York Rite.
First in line in the York Rite are the Chapters of Royal Arch Masons, which include the Mark Master degree, the Past Master degree, the Most Excellent Master degree, and Royal Arch degree. Next in line are the Councils of Royal and Select Masters (Cryptic Masons). The Royal and Select Masters degrees in the Council are two of the most beautiful degrees in Masonry; they disclose how the Word was lost and the secret of its preservation and recovery. Third in the line of ascent in the York Rite are the Commanderies of Knights Templar. This is the Christian body of Masonry, and it includes the Order of the Red Cross degree, the Order of Malta degree, and the Order of the Temple degree. These degrees, or orders as they are called, are the most beautiful and impressive of all; they explain the Christian interpretation of Freemasonry. Every Christian Mason should be a Knight Templar.
For more information about the York Rite – all of the three bodies now meet regularly in Amelia Lodge – you can contact Brother Al Constant, the Fernandina Beach York Rite Bodies recorder, at (904) 277-7698, or you can talk to one of the officers listed below or to any York Rite Mason.
We hope that you will consider this letter to be an invitation to join us in the York Rite and obtain more light in Masonry. There is an application attached, and we would be pleased to have you with us.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Excellent High Priest: John R. Schwartz - (904) 277-8793
Illustrious Master & Eminent Commander, William P. Goldwire - (904 261-6226
