~ Masonic Education ~
By Tom Corbin
My Brothers, you have just been raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason
and have been instructed in the Tragedy of Our Grand Master Hiram Abif. In the
past two months you have heard words like Charity and receiving more Light, it
is my pleasure to instruct you on how to receive more Masonic Light.
Blue Lodges make Masons by Initiating you as an Entered Apprentice, you are
Passed to the Degree of a Fellow Craft and then Raised to the Sublime Degree of
a Master Mason. You can receive more light in the Blue Lodge by coming to its
meetings, by participating in its Degrees, and by going through the Chairs.
There are also many other ways to receive more Light in Masonry, you can read
about Masonry in the many books that have been published or you can join the
Masonic Research Society where you can order books on Masonry and attend their
meetings. They meet in a different lodge every 3 months.
There is also the York Rite. There are 7 Degrees in the York Rite. To become a
York Rite Mason you have to be a Master Mason. The Degrees are put on in a
one-day class usually during a weekend and at the end you will be knighted as a
Knights Templar. The Degrees are given two times a year. The York Rites Charity
is the Eye Foundation. There is also the Cryptic Mason Medical Research
Foundation that the York Rite Masons have established to help in various medical
research. At the present time it is working with doctors in Denver Colorado for
a new type of hearing aid for those who have never been able to hear. The York
Rite meetings here in Charleston, are the third Tuesday of the Month.
There is also the Scottish Rite. There are 29 Degrees in the Scottish Rite that
you can receive which would make you a 32 Degree Scottish Rite Master Mason. The
33 Degree is only given to those who have proven themselves worthy of that
degree. To be a Scottish Rite Mason you must be a Master Mason. The Degrees are
put on in a two or three day class in one or two weekends, usually starting on a
Friday. The Degrees are given two times a year. You can tell the different
Degrees that each Scottish Rite Member has by the color of his hat, black for 32
Degree, red for KCCH and white for 33 degree. Once you have joined the Scottish
Rite, you can also join the Scottish Rite Research Society. Like the Masonic
Research Society they also work on research for more Masonic Light. The Charity
for Scottish Rite Masons is the support of its Language and Learning Centers for
Children. There are a number of these Centers in our State and we are hoping to
secure enough financing to build one here in the Charleston area, soon. The
Scottish Rite, here in Charleston, meets on the forth Wednesday of the Month.
The Shrine, might not teach you more Masonic Light but will teach you
Charity. Charity is the Shrine's main goal. They support the Shriners Children’s
Shriners Hospital. The closest Shriners Hospital is in Greenville SC. To be a
Shriner, you must be a Master Mason. You are initiated into the Shrine on a
weekend starting on a Friday. The Shriners have what they call Units which you
can join and those Units perform different tasks including performing in parades
and the money raised goes to the Hospital.
Being a Master Mason, you can also join the Eastern Star. The Eastern Star is
the largest fraternity that both Men and Women can both join. There are over one
million members in the Eastern Star throughout the World. To join you have to be
a Master Mason but a woman has to have a relative that was a Master Mason. You
are initiated into the Eastern Star in one night. The Eastern Star Chapter that
meets here in our Lodge, meets on the second Monday of the Month.
You have now been instructed on the many ways to increase your knowledge in
Masonry and the Charities that we as Masons perform. Masons contribute over one
million dollars a day to charity. Always remember to contribute only what you can
afford with either time or money. I hope that you will continue to meet with use
by coming to our meetings every first Thursday of the Month and if you desire,
please join in one of the other bodies in masonry. Remember, that Masonry is the
oldest and largest fraternity and our goal is to improve ourselves and help
those around us.
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