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What is York Rite?
Craft Masonry - The Lodge
In the United States, the Three Degrees of Masonry are conferred by Lodges operating under the authority of state-level Grand Lodges. These three symbolic degrees are the foundation of the York Rite system, and in the United States they are worked according to the York Rite manner of ritual, which is why they are often referred to as Ancient Craft Masonry. In some foreign countries, the Scottish Rite versions of the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason degree are worked by the Grand Lodges. This means that all men who have been made Master Masons in the United States are already familiar with York Rite work.
Capitular Masonry - The Chapter
The first body, other than his Lodge, that a Master Mason wishing to pursue the path of York Rite Masonry joins is a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons. The Chapter confers four additional degrees.
Two of these degrees are Ancient in the sense that they preserve practices of the Antients Grand Lodge of England which were divested from the Symbolic Degrees during the union of 1813.
The Mark Master Degree, or Fourth Degree of the York Rite, was originally divided into two ceremonies called Mark Man and Mark Master, and contains elements which are understood to have been originally parts of the Fellowcraft and Master Mason Degrees, and the Royal Arch Degree, or Seventh Degree of the York Rite, is the completion of the Master Mason Degree.
The remaining two degrees are Past Master (Virtual) and Most Excellent Master. Past Master (Virtual) was developed as a necessity to fulfill the prerequisites of the Royal Arch Degree that it be conferred only upon Installed or Past Masters, and the Most Excellent Master Degree is a modern innovation, penned by Thomas Smith Webb, which fills an obvious gap in our story by celebrating the completion of Solomon's Temple.
Cryptic Masonry - The Council
The Council of Cryptic Masons regularly confers two additional degrees upon Royal Arch Masons: Royal Master, and Select Master. These degrees were not strictly part of the original system of ritual worked by the Antients Grand Lodge of England, but have an equal claim to antiquity, and serve well as a commentary explaining the relationship between the legend of the Master Mason Degree and that of the Royal Arch Degree, in addition to offering a great wealth of symbolism in themselves.
Chivalric Masonry - The Commandery
The Commandery of Knights Templar is the last body in the sequence of York Rite Masonry. It is a Christian Chivalric order for Royal Arch Masons, and confers three Orders of Knighthood. (While all previous Masonic bodies do require belief in a Supreme Being, admitting men of all faiths, the Commandery is the only body in York Rite which requires its candidates to take a Christian oath.)
The 1813 Articles of Union stated: "It is declared and pronounced that pure Ancient Masonry consists of three degrees, and no more, viz., those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch. But this Article is not intended to prevent any Lodge or Chapter from holding a meeting in any of the degrees of the Orders of chivalry, according to the constitutions of the said Orders."
We see, therefore, that the Chivalric Orders, while not considered part of "pure Ancient Masonry," were worked by the brethren of the Antients Grand Lodge of England, and owing to this fact the Commandery of Knights Templar finds its placement within the York Rite system.
How to Join
If you're already a Royal Arch Mason living in our area and you'd like to join the Council, please print and fill out this petition and mail it to: Recorder, Rogue Council #23 Cryptic Masons, 320 NW "E" St. Grants Pass, Oregon 97526. If you live elsewhere in Oregon contact the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Oregon, and if you're outside of the Oregon jurisdiction, visit YorkRite.org and find the Grand Council for your jurisdiction.
If you're a Master Mason and you'd like to become a Cryptic Mason, you'll need to begin with the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons.
If you're not a Mason, did you know that in order to become one, a man must take the first step and ask? Maybe you're reading this because you're already interested? If you don't know any Masons to talk to, contact one of our officers, or visit the Masonic Grand Lodge of Oregon, or the Grand Lodge over your jurisdiction. If you make the decision, we wish you well and hope you find what you're looking for in Freemasonry. You have a long journey ahead of you before we'll see you in the Council, but when you are ready, don't forget to come back and visit us!