ROYAL ARCH
ROYAL ARCH MASONRY
The Royal Arch is the continuation of Craft Freemasonry. Its members, called Companions, meet in Chapters under a Grand Chapter. Chapters are ruled over by three Principals, who jointly administrate the work.
In England the Royal Arch has four ceremonies: the exaltation ceremony to bring in new members and an installation ceremony for each of the three Principals. The exaltation ceremony is in two parts: a rather dramatic presentation of the principles of the Order followed by three Lectures in which the history, symbolism and principles of the Royal Arch are further explained. Like Craft Freemasonry, the Royal Arch is open to men of all faiths.
The allegory of the exaltation ceremony is based on the Old Testament telling of the return to Jerusalem from the Babylonish captivity to rebuild the city and temple. In clearing the ground of the original temple for the foundations of the second temple, the candidate makes several discoveries which emphasize the centrality of God to man's life and existence and, without transgressing the bounds of religion, lead the candidate to a consideration of the nature of God and his personal relationship with Him, whatever his religion might be.
In English Freemasonry, the Royal Arch is considered the completion of "pure ancient Masonry". In the Craft the candidate is presented with a series of eminently practical principles and tenets which if he practices such, them he may hope to please his God, and to be of service to his fellow man. But man is not simply a practical being, he has an essential spiritual aspect to his nature. That spiritual aspect is introduced in the Third Degree, in which the candidate is led to a contemplation of man's inevitable destiny, and becomes the central message of the Royal Arch. In that sense, "pure ancient Masonry" can be seen as a journey of self-knowledge and discovery with the Royal Arch completing the practical lessons of the Craft by a contemplation of man's spiritual nature, not replacing but reinforcing and supporting what he has learned from his religion.
DISTRICT GRAND CHAPTER
The District Grand Chapter of Royal Arch currently consists of 8 Chapters, which enjoy a total membership of over 300 Royal Arch Masons. The Chapters are distributed throughout the country, from the South to the Southeast region, meeting in 5 locations.
The first six Royal Chapters founded in Brazil since 1935 were considered Unattached Chapters Overseas, that is, a Chapter abroad not attached to a District, which are formed in a group managed directly by the Supreme Grand Chapter in London, and locally by a Grand Inspector appointed by the First Grand Principal. In 1968, in Rio de Janeiro, the District Grand Chapter of South America Northern Division was constituted and installed, with E. Comp. Frank Craymer Toogood appointed as the first District Grand Superintendent.
ROYAL ARCH CHAPTERS
- Guanabara Chapter, 5557, Rio de Janeiro
- Silver Jubilee Chapter, 5560, São Paulo
- Chapter of Wanderers, 5562, Santos
- Centenary Chapter, 5564, Caxias do Sul
- Campos Salles Chapter, 5565, São Paulo
- Royal Edward, 5566, Rio de Janeiro
- Santo Amaro Chapter, 7250, São Paulo
- Santa Catarina Chapter, 9928, Florianópolis
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DISTRICT GRAND SUPERINTENDENTS
1935 - P. Swanson
1953 - E. Cunningham, CBE
1966 - F.C. Toogood
1974 - K.L. Rowland
1989 - M.W. Wiborg
1996 - P. Bodman-Morris
2002 - M.L. Curtis
2021 - J.C. Woodrow