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Lord Northampton – responsibility
of Grand Officers to promote the
Royal Arch
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Companions, I welcome you all here this
morning for what is surely the highlight
of the year for Royal Arch Masons and
I congratulate all those I have invested with
their new ranks. Those of you who have
just been invested for the first time will
realise that the honour of being appointed
a Grand Officer brings with it certain
responsibilities.
The most important of these is to
promote the Order to potential candidates.
The Craft initiated 8,862 men last year and
all of them will soon be eligible to join the
Royal Arch. The number of Grand Lodge
certificates issued since the millennium has
fallen on average by less than 1% per year.
Unfortunately, the figures for the Royal
Arch are not so good.
The number of Grand Chapter
certificates issued each year since the
millennium has fallen by 20%, or more
than 3% per year. The Royal Arch is not
for everyone – having a more intimate
and spiritual ethos than the Craft – but there
are many Master Masons out there who
would benefit from joining us if we can
only explain it to them in a meaningful and
inspiring way. That is another responsibility
we all share as Grand Officers.
I am pleased to hear that many Chapters
are now working the new ritual and are
enjoying sharing the work among more
Companions. Not only must we attract
candidates, we must also put more effort
into retaining them. Now that all our
members are entitled to attend Grand
Chapter, let us try and encourage them
to attend our November meetings. I hope
we can do something special to make it
worth their while.
The Second Grand Principal and the
President of the Committee have been
hosting a series of lunches with Grand
Superintendents to discuss many different
aspects of the Royal Arch. I am told that
they have had some lively and constructive
conversations. I said in Grand Lodge last
month that I was beginning to sense a new
optimism among our members in the Craft,
and I hope that can soon be said for the
Royal Arch as well.
One piece of good news is the recent
appointment of the Third Grand Principal
as Dean of St Edmondsbury. It is not only
a great accolade for him personally, it also
brings much credit to pure Antient Masonry
and we wish him every success in his
new post.
Finally Companions, I would like to
thank the Grand Director of Ceremonies
and his Deputies for their usual efficiency
in ensuring the smooth running of our
ceremony today; the Grand Scribe Ezra’s
staff for their considerable efforts in
organising this important event; and all
of you for either coming to be invested
with your new ranks or to support your
friends who have been.
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Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
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