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The Order of the Secret Monitor (OSM) is an appendant order of Freemasonry.
The first known references to the Order of the Secret Monitor are known to be Dutch in origin, being first mentioned in 1778 as the Order of Jonathan and David in connection with an Order of Jesus Christ. [1] However, the Masonic degree as we know it today, arose in the United States around 1850, under various titles – "Brotherly Love," "Jonathan and David," and finally "Secret Monitor", [2] [ unreliable source? ] as a side degree conferred by any Freemason who had received it himself.
It was taken to the United Kingdom by Isachar Zacharie when he returned from America following the American Civil War in 1875. Under Zacharie's leadership a Grand Council was formed in 1887, and the ritual was expanded to include two extra degrees, one of which pertained to the chair of Supreme Ruler. The degree gained in popularity, however, unfortunately for Zacharie, the Grand Council for the Allied Masonic Degrees had empowered their American body (or a similar name) to confer their version of the degree. This resulted in the Allied Grand Council denouncing the Grand Council of the Order of the Secret Monitor, and attempting to assume sole jurisdiction over the degree. However, in 1931 an arrangement was reached between the two orders, which saw the degree of the Order of the Secret Monitor being transferred from the Allied group of degrees. The Order is sometimes known as the Brotherhood of David and Jonathan. A Benevolent Fund was formed in 1901.[ citation needed ]
All Master Masons are eligible for membership of this Order, but must be invited from a member.
The Ancient and Masonic Order of the Scarlet Cord was at one time, an inner appendent order, of which all those who had taken their second degree were eligible for membership. [3] The order was developed in the UK in 1889, and there are six classes or grades of membership. The first three grades meet in a consistory. [4] In 2010, the order was re-established as a separate Masonic order in its own right. [5] The current Grand Summus is Ian Currans. [6]
The Order meets in Conclaves, each with a Supreme Ruler at its head. There are three degrees in the order, as practised in the UK. The first degree, the Secret Monitor in which the legend of David and Jonathan is acted out in the ceremony of induction. The second degree, Prince, the admission ceremony is derived from the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament. The third degree, is the ceremony of installation of Supreme Ruler, and is normally carried out once a year at the installation meeting. [7]
The Order is administered from Mark Masons' Hall, London. [8]
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of two main recognition groups: Regular Freemasonry, which insists that a volume of scripture be open in a working lodge, that every member professes belief in a Supreme Being, that no women be admitted, and that the discussion of religion and politics do not take place within the lodge; and Continental Freemasonry, which consists of the jurisdictions that have removed some, or all, of these restrictions.
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. A Rite is a progressive series of degrees conferred by various Masonic organizations or bodies, each of which operates under the control of its own central authority. In the Scottish Rite the central authority is called a Supreme Council.
The York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named for, but not practiced in, York, Yorkshire, England. A Rite is a series of progressive degrees that are conferred by various Masonic organizations or bodies, each of which operates under the control of its own central authority. The York Rite specifically is a collection of separate Masonic Bodies and associated Degrees that would otherwise operate independently. The three primary bodies in the York Rite are the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Council of Royal & Select Masters or Council of Cryptic Masons, and the Commandery of Knights Templar, each of which are governed independently but are all considered to be a part of the York Rite. There are also other organizations that are considered to be directly associated with the York Rite, or require York Rite membership to join such as the York Rite Sovereign College but in general the York Rite is considered to be made up of the aforementioned three. The Rite's name is derived from the city of York, where, according to one Masonic legend, the first meetings of Masons in England took place.
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The Order of Mark Master Masons is an appendant order of Freemasonry that exists in some Masonic jurisdictions, and confers the degrees of Mark Mason and Mark Master.
The Royal Order of Scotland is an appendant order within the structures of Freemasonry. Membership is an honour extended to Freemasons by invitation. The Grand Lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland is headquartered in Edinburgh, with a total of 88 subordinate Provincial Grand Lodges; of these, the greatest concentration is in the British Isles, with the rest located in countries around the world.
The Knights Templar, full name The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta, is a fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a regular Masonic Lodge, which only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in Christianity. One of the obligations entrants to the order are required to declare is to protect and defend the Christian faith. The word "United" in its full title indicates that more than one historical tradition and more than one actual order are jointly controlled within this system. The individual orders 'united' within this system are principally the Knights of the Temple, the Knights of Malta, the Knights of St Paul, and only within the York Rite, the Knights of the Red Cross.
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Freemasonry has had a complex relationship with women, which can be readily divided into many phases with no demonstrable relationship to each other until the 20th century. A few women were involved in Freemasonry before the 18th century; however the first printed constitutions of the Premier Grand Lodge of England appeared to bar them from the Craft forever.
Robert Macoy was born in Armagh, Ulster County, Ireland. He moved to the United States at the age of 4 months. He was a prominent Freemason, and was instrumental in the founding of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Order of the Amaranth. He also founded what may be the largest Masonic publishing, regalia, and supply house currently active, Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Company.
The Royal Arch is a degree of Freemasonry. The Royal Arch is present in all main masonic systems, though in some it is worked as part of Craft ('mainstream') Freemasonry, and in others in an appendant ('additional') order. Royal Arch Masons meet as a Chapter; in the Supreme Order of the Royal Arch as practised in the British Isles, much of Europe and the Commonwealth, Chapters confer the single degree of Royal Arch Mason.
The Allied Masonic Degrees (AMD) are a series of Masonic degrees conferred by Councils of the Allied Masonic Degrees. The Allied Masonic Degrees form an appendant order of Freemasonry that exists in some Masonic jurisdictions; its degrees are conferred only by invitation. Councils of the Allied Masonic Degrees exist in Great Britain, the United States, Canada, France, Australia and Congo, and their members also educate one another by presenting research papers on Freemasonry.
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The Order of Royal and Select Masters is an appendant order of Freemasonry and frequently referred to as 'Cryptic Degrees'. In England and Wales, the degrees are practiced as a stand-alone organisation of Freemasonry while in some other Masonic Constitutions, they form part of the York Rite.
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