The Chapter of Honour and Friendship, recently hosted a special evening with a talk.
The talk titled The real link between the Craft and The Royal Arch was a wonderful talk presented by Mark Hinsley. It was presented to Freemasons from across the Province of Dorset and many a number of non-members who were keen to find out more about The Royal Arch and how it is linked with the Craft. The talk also delved into the history and current relevance of the order.
The talk covered the link and progression between craft masons and royal arch membership, evident from lodges descended from the ‘ancients’ who, as part of installing their new master conduct a full board of installed masters. In many lodges this does not happen and therefore the ‘obvious’ link and natural progression into royal arch masonry is not so evident.
'Under the Antients the progression from Craft Masonry to Royal Arch Masonry was seamless and logical. The legacy of the Moderns was that in their Lodges the natural progression was broken and the very reason for taking the step from one to the other was removed from the ceremonies'.
More than 60 Freemasons from across Dorset attended this talk, which took place during the regular meeting of the chapter of Honour and Friendship, which meets four times a year on a Friday in Blandford.
Pro Grand Master, Jonathan Spence, in a recent address said,
'The English Constitution is unique in the fact that the Royal Arch is an integral part of our Masonic experience and the strong links between English Craft Freemasonry and the history of the Royal Arch in our Constitution are well documented. The undeniable and intrinsic link between the two means that it is imperative for us to move forward with a coherent, integrated plan for both the Craft and Royal Arch. This way, we can make sure that Freemasonry within the English Constitution remains as special and unique as it always has been. Coherence is absolutely the key in this case and the new Strategy reflects that.'
If you are interested in finding out more about this talk or Royal Arch masonry, please email [email protected] or speak to your lodge Royal Arch representative.
Article Written by
Andrew Ward
Deputy Provincial Communications Officer
Dorset Freemasonry
