Des Moines York Rite Meeting

The Des Moines York Rite met January 20 to install its officers for the 2016 year. Eminent Commander Stevin Dahl will lead the group and he announced several upcoming events.

The Des Moines York Rite Festival will be on Saturday, March 12; three of my Blue Lodge brothers petitioned to join so that will make the Festival especially exciting for me. When a Mason joins the York Rite, at least here in Central Iowa, they go through a series of degrees and typically join three groups: the Royal Arch Masons, the Royal and Select Masters, and the Knights Templar. Brothers who join the Royal Arch and Royal and Select Masters are called "companions," and those who become Knights Templar are called "Sir Knights." All of the new Companions and Sir Knights will have an immediate opportunity to learn more about the degrees on Saturday, March 19 when the Des Moines York Rite Bodies host a York Rite school.

Check out the Des Moines York Rite website for more information.

Lodge night at Operative Lodge #308 in Polk City

Operative Lodge #308 in Polk City, Iowa held it's first stated meeting of 2016 on Jan. 11, 2016. A highlight of the meeting was the educational presentation by Sir Knight David Dryer. Dryer spoke on seeking further light in Masonry through the York Rite. His presentation was inspiring, informative, and delivered in the usual style of this dynamic speaker. Several brothers responded after the meeting by filling out petitions to join the York Rite! Sir Knight Dryer is pictured at left.

Companion Adept of the Temple course

The York Rite Sovereign College of North America has developed a self-study course on the York Rite. The course is titled "Companion Adept of the Temple" and consists of a series of self-study open-book exams over the degrees of the York Rite. There are no additional textbooks to buy: all of the study information is available on-line through free google books or web pages.

I just finished the first exam which covered the Mark Master and Past Master degree. I found the questions to be challenging; this is not a simple test in which you look it up and repeat it back. Students need to interpret what they read and apply the information to Masonic concepts in order to successfully complete the exam. At least I think I was successful- we'll see once it's checked and returned!

More information on the course can be found at Chris Hodapp's Freemasons for Dummies blog. The enrollment form is in pdf and is available here at the York Rite Sovereign College of North America website.

2014 Grand Conclave

Here are a few photos from this mornings Grand Conclave of Knights Templar of Iowa:

Temple Commandery #4 Inspection and Arch of Steel

Inspection day arrived for Temple Commandery No. 4 on Saturday, February 23, 2013. The morning began with set-up, of course, and the old adage “many hands make for light work,” while true, doesn’t necessarily apply to the actual weight of items when they’re being hauled down from the fourth floor of the Scottish Rite Center in Des Moines. Still, we did have many Sir Knights helping and while the work may not have been light, it was enjoyable.

The inspection of Temple Commandery No. 4 was the first order of the day. Sir Knight Richard "Butch" Zummak, Past Grand Commander, performed the inspection. This was my first inspection and it wasn’t as intimidating as I anticipated. The more experienced guys helped me out with what to do and what to say, but still, I was nervous: I didn’t want to be the guy costing us points. Last May at the annual Conclave I discovered I had lost a button off of my jacket; the sword belt buckle had cut it off. This time, my wife graciously sewed it on with fishing line and all was well!

After the inspection, we went through the opening of a Commandery. I had a very small part, Treasurer, but still struggled with the line. After opening, we had lunch and prepared for the Order of the Temple. The Order of the Temple wasn’t just an inspection of how well we knew the ritual and work, but also an actual Order of the Temple with five candidates. My part was to play the third guard and although this time I had a few more lines than in the opening, I felt that I did better. The Order of the Temple is one of my favorite Masonic degrees/orders; the religious theme and setting has an impact on me each time I see it. Iowa’s Grand Master, Most Worshipful Bryce Hildreth, was with us Saturday and told the class that he found the Order of the Temple to be one of his favorites, and he has certainly seen a lot of different degrees!

After the class and guests departed, props needed to be stored, and humping all of the props up the stairs to the fourth floor can certainly work up quite a thirst for Sir Knights. Needless to say, refreshments were available, and enjoyed.

The day concluded with members of Temple Commandery No. 4 and other Sir Knights forming an Arch of Steel for the Za Ga Zig Shrine’s Potentate at the Potentate’s Ball. Sir Knight Gregory L. Andersen, Right Eminent Grand Commander of Iowa, led sixteen Sir Knights in the impressive ceremony; a few pictures of which are below.

In all, it was a fantastic day for this Sir Knight. Freemasonry offers many opportunities to improve one’s self, and although I’ve only been a part of the York right for just over a year, I’m finding it to be one of the most important parts of my masonic activities. The religious lessons taught by the Order of the Temple are the most powerful expression of Christian belief that I have experienced in Freemasonry. In addition, since York Rite bodies tend to be more localized and smaller, it’s easier to build close friendships. Plus, you get to wear a sword. Now how cool is that!

 

The pictures below are from the Downtown Des Moines York Rite's Temple Commandery #4 inspection and the Arch of Steel.

York Rite Fall Festival

The Des Moines York Rite bodies hosted the 2012 Fall Festival this past weekend. Over sixteen candidates were knighted including candidates from Ottumwa, South Dakota, and Albia. The Most Illustrious Grand Master of the Grand Council of South Dakota Roger Kehm was among the many guests at the festival.

Pictures of the set-up, festival, and banquet are below:

York Rite 2012 Fall Festival

The 2012 Fall York Rite Festival begins this morning with the Mark Master Degree and continues through the Order of the Temple this afternoon. Times and location are below:

Chapter Degrees
7:45 AM  Mark Master
8:30 AM Past Master
9:15 AM Most Excellent Master
10:15 AM Royal Arch Mason

LUNCH 12:00

Council Degrees
12:45 PM Royal Master
1:30 PM Select Master

Commandery Orders
2:15 PM Order of the Red Cross (Short Form), Order of Malta (Short Form)
3:00 PM Order of the Temple

LOCATION:
MASONIC CENTER
519 Park Street
Des Moines, Iowa

A busy Masonic weekend in Des Moines

How does one get to meet both the Governor of the State of Iowa and the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of York in the same weekend? Freemasons in Central Iowa know the answer to that question!

 This weekend the Iowa York Rite College #37 held its annual assembly in Des Moines at which officers were elected, seven new members welcomed, and the Lord Mayor of York made an appearance as part of the cast in the Order of the Knight of York. I was one of the seven new members of the College and I found the degree to be historically exciting and the lectures to be among the most memorable I’ve heard. The cast of the degree included Grand Governor George Harrison, Deputy Grand Governor David Dryer, members of the Lewis and Clark College #199, and York Rite members from around the state of Iowa. After dinner, Iowa Research Lodge #2 met with more than a dozen Iowa Masons joining as new members. More on this event later.

 In addition to Saturday’s festivities, on Friday Iowa Freemasons welcomed Governor of the State of Iowa Terry Branstad as a member of the Des Moines Scottish Rite. Governor Branstad, State Representative Jeff Kaufman, and State Representative Tom Sands joined the Des Moines Consistory in a ceremony attended by United States Senator Charles Grassley, Gary Sissel S.G.I.G., and a large number of Scottish Rite members. The Des Moines Consistory blog as well as  Bailey’s Buddy has more about this event.
(Photo from City of York Public Libraries, http://library.york.gov.uk/uhtbin/cgisirsi/8bQrKeH5JC/YORKIMAGES/194843551/2/8)

Table Chapter

I spent part of this past snowy Saturday at my first Chapter school and Iowa’s first known Table Chapter. The purpose of the school was to provide instruction in the Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and the Royal Arch Degrees. As a new Royal Arch Mason of less than three months, I need all the instruction I can get.

Corinthian Chapter 14 and Ascalon Chapter 139 sponsored the Chapter school and arranged for the Table Chapter afterwards at Christopher’s Restaurant. I had never been to a Table Chapter before so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turns out that no one else had been to one of these before either. Kurt Hoffman and Matt Risberg, the High Priests of Corinthian and Ascalon respectively, jointly planned the event complete with a ritual opening, closing, and seven traditional toasts. The ritual was fascinating and the toasts were inspiring, but the first order of business was introducing distinguished visitors, of course. That is something I have seen before. Actually, I think distinguished visitors were introduced at my initiation as an Entered Apprentice. Regardless, I had a great time at the school and Table Chapter. Kurt and Matt did a fine job organizing the event and I plan to attend more. Even if there is a winter storm warning in effect.

The Masonic Ritual and Civility

My latest projects include memorizing the Door Lecture in the Entered Apprentice degree and reading about the Royal Arch chapter degrees. I came across an interesting piece of writing that illustrates a similarity between these two seemingly disparate topics. This is from the book Lessons in Capitular Masonry by Charles C. Hunt, 1929. In the book, he reprints a talk by Pierre Cushing in 1913 titled The Spirit of Masonry:

"And as with the secrets and Ancient Landmarks of Masonry, so with its ritual and the very language in which it is expressed. What careful provision is made, what agencies are employed, that no change or innovation shall creep in, that unauthorized shoots shall be pruned away as soon as they appear; that all shall be handed on in the quaint dignity and simplicity and beauty in which we receive it from the fathers. No branch of the (church) is more conservative of its ritual than the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons…We need the spirit which it symbolizes and fosters in this age and country, perhaps, as never before. For indeed, it is an age of recklessness in act and speech…"

Cushing’s analysis really makes sense to me. Moreover, he justifies why I need to be careful not to stick in an “of” or make the word “ceremony” plural. The ritual matters. It matters because it symbolically represents dignity, simplicity, and an unbroken connection to a common, fraternal past. We show respect for that past by preserving it.

In addition, Cushing’s argument promotes civility in social discourse. Through the practice of learning the ritual, a Freemason becomes part of a process recognizing the value of tradition which maintains a continuous link, through language, with a time in our culture when incivility was perhaps not unheard of but at a minimum not glorified. Masonic blogs spend a lot of time debating what’s wrong with the fraternity or how it can do a better job attracting new members. To me, as crazy at it may sound, the act of learning the ritual is something that I’m really enjoying. The process of learning it shouldn’t be seen as a weakness of Freemasonry but as a strength. The act itself is symbolic.

Is this only a tenuous link to memorizing the Door Lecture? I think not. Rather than focus on the mundane act of repetition and misreading a ciphered text, learning ritual symbolically represents something more.

Des Moines York Rite Fall Festival

The Des Moines York Rite Fall Festival was Saturday, November 19, 2011. Eight candidates participated and as a member of the class, I can say that it was a long day but a great experience!

We started early at 7:30 AM and finished the Royal Arch degrees just before lunch. The Order of the Amaranth served us a delicious lunch and then we started the Royal and Select Master degrees of Cryptic Masonry. We finished the day by receiving the Chivalric Orders: the Illustrious Order of the Red Cross, Knights of Malta, and finally the Order of the Temple. We finished just after 6 PM. I posted a couple of pictures below.

New website for Iowa York Rite

The website for Iowa York Rite has been redesigned and can be seen here.