the Genuine Secrets
of a Master Mason
time and circumstance will determine when the true secrets will be restored.
As declared in the Constitutions of UGL of NSW & ACT,
the Mark and Royal Arch Degrees complete the series of ‘pure Ancient Masonry’.
It is by completing these degrees in the Royal Arch Degree
that the secrets are indeed restored to him
when the Master Mason is Exalted to the Holy Royal Arch Degree.
The Journey
the United Grand Lodge of NSW & ACT,
that pure Ancient Masonry consists of the following Degrees, and no more,
viz.: Those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft,
and the Master Mason, together with
the Honourable Degree of Mark Master Mason,
and the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch.”
DEGREES
By completing the Degrees of Mark Master Mason and the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch,
you will be assisted in your journey towards heightened understanding and consciousness.
At USGC, we work eleven Degrees and seven Installed Degrees, some of which are amalgamated into one evening of work, depending on the length of each Degree.
Royal Arch Freemasonry’s background begins with the story of the Ark, in 2500 BCE
and concludes with the triumphant return of Zerubbabel to Jerusalem in 518 BCE,
a historical span of some 1982 years.
HOW TO JOIN US
Becoming a Royal Arch Mason will take you on a rewarding and fascinating journey that will greatly enrich your understanding of Masonic history and traditions, and be personally enlightening and fulfilling.
To join the Royal Arch, you must be a Master Mason of at least two years standing (in the absence of special circumstances), in a Lodge under the United Grand Lodge of NSW and the ACT, or a Lodge under a recognised Grand Lodge.
Like Craft Masonry, the Royal Arch is open to men of all faiths.
As in all other Masonic Orders, you will need a proposer and seconder, one of whom is a Member of the Chapter you seek to join.
Talk to Members of your Lodge who are Royal Arch Masons and they will be happy to assist you in joining the Royal Arch.
Alternatively, contact us today to learn more.
Testimonials
THE EGYPTIAN ROOM
The showpiece of the Order, the Egyptian Room, was originally incorporated in 1927 in the Royal Arch Temple built in College Street Sydney. This building stood until late in the 1960’s and after being sold and before demolition the focal point of the Egyptian Room, the frieze, was dismantled and stored until re-erected at the new Royal Arch centre at Petersham in 1977.
The frieze depicts certain scenes or vignettes from the Scroll of Ani dating from the 18th Dynasty; The scroll, a papyrus roll 23.78 metres long and 381 mm wide, was found at Thebes and purchased by the late Egyptologist Sir Wallis Budge in 1888. The Scroll which is now in the British Museum in London, depicts in pictorial form, and by text, the author’s version of the life hereafter based on an ancient beliefs. Another feature in the Egyptian Room is the funerary stele (pictured) which dominates one of the walls of the room and dates from the 20th Dynasty
The vision of leaders of the Order in the early 1920s in creating the Egyptian Room and the engagement of Rayner Hoff to sculpt the vignettes has left a lasting legacy, which is classified by the National Trust. Rayner Hoff was himself a Freemason and later became famous for his work on the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park in Sydney.
66 Chapters accross NSW & ACT
Welcome
Welcome to the home of Mark and Royal Arch Masonry in NSW & ACT, the custodians of two of the five Degrees of Pure Ancient Masonry.
The Mark and Royal Arch Degrees you receive in this Order are the only two Degrees (other than the Craft Degrees) recognised in the Constitution of the United Grand Lodge of NSW & ACT and are acknowledged around the world, along with the three Craft Degrees, as forming the Degrees necessary for a Mason to be able to claim he has completed his journey and is now in possession of all of the Degrees of Pure Ancient Masonry. These Degrees are also a necessary requirement for entry into nine other Masonic Orders in this jurisdiction.
In our Order you have the opportunity to understand more fully the meaning of Masonry being a progressive science when you receive your Mason’s Mark as the Operative Stonemasons, our forefathers, did and importantly when “that which was lost” is returned to you and your search is completed. Members of our Order are assisted on an enlightening journey by enjoying valued companionship as they travel a path through the most interesting, philosophical, colourful and exciting series of Degrees in Freemasonry.
In this Order you will receive eleven important Degrees, all of which will be actually worked with you over an extended period of time – none will be simply conferred.
When you join this Order you will not only enhance your knowledge of Masonry by actual participation in the Degrees but be valued as a Companion and enjoy membership of a fraternity based on friendship as well as gaining profound insights into Freemasonry available only to Mark and Royal Arch Masons.
Robert M. Drake
Most Excellent Companion Robert Drake
First Grand Principal & Grand Master
Right Excellent Companion Don Savage
Deputy First Grand Principal
& Deputy Grand Master