York Rite

What is the York Rite?

The three degrees of the Blue Lodge tell the beginning of a story. The York Rite completes it, through three allied bodies a Master Mason may join in turn:

• The Chapter (Royal Arch Masons) — the recovery of that which was lost; many Masons consider the Royal Arch the true completion of the Master Mason degree.
• The Council (Royal & Select Masters) — the “Cryptic” degrees, filling in the story’s hidden chapter.
• The Commandery (Knights Templar) — the chivalric orders, drawing on the traditions of the medieval crusading knights.

I’ve had the privilege of presiding over all four York Rite bodies — Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Commandery — and today I serve as Treasurer of the three below. If you’re a Master Mason curious about further light, come visit; the meeting schedule is right here.

Manasota York Rite Bodies (District 2)

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Further reading: I gave a talk at Trinity Commandery on the Knights Templar and the invention of international banking — KTs and Promissory Notes. And there’s always the York Rite Poem.

Not yet a Mason? The York Rite comes later — here’s where it all starts.