Royal Arch News
An Evening With The Grand Director of Ceremonies...
On Thursday 1 September 2016, the Holy Royal Arch Province of Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire and the Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire Chapter of Installed First Principals, in particular, was honoured to extend a very warm welcome to the Grand Director of Ceremonies, E Comp Oliver Lodge, TD at their September Convocation.
E Comp Oliver gave the Companions attending an insight into the world of the Grand Director of Ceremonies from the day to day duties of the role for Quarterly Communication, Grand Chapter Convocations and Annual Investiture ceremonies. Equally, having been in post since 2009, he shared some interesting anecdotes from his time in post.
It is fair to say that all Companions left with a far better appreciation and understanding of what our Grand Director of Ceremonies does and our Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, E Comp Wayne Williams, took the opportunity to express the gratitude of all those present to E Comp Oliver for a most informative and insightful talk. More than 100 Companions then sat down for a very enjoyable Festive Board. It was, all in all, an excellent evening.
The Three Principals of the Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire Chapter of Installed First Principals are pictured below with the Grand Director of Ceremonies, E Comp Oliver Lodge TD and the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, E Comp Wayne Williams; left to right - E Comp Phil Collins, E Comp Oliver Lodge, E Brian Gebbels, E Comp Wayne Williams & E Comp Trevor Cooke.
Below, the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, E Comp Wayne Wiliams & the Grand Director of Ceremonies, E Comp Oliver Lodge
- Written by: John Fergusson
The ‘Wayne Williams Trophy’ Golf Competition 2016
This event was founded in 2013 to foster relationships between neighbouring Royal Arch Provinces and other Orders within Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire Province as a social event outside of the main Masonic Season. Peterborough Milton Golf Club traditionally hosts the event and we are very fortunate to have a great connection at that Club in E Comp Russell Laxton who together with E Comp David Jackson manages the event.
This year’s event was held on 2nd August and saw sixty participants from six Provinces, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and of course Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire taking part. The Wayne Williams Trophy is awarded to the team scoring the most Stableford points on the day. The first three annual events have been won by the Northants, Hunts & Beds Provincial Priory team. However, of the six Provinces this year, Bedfordshire were on top form and swept to victory in a most spectacular fashion. Our Most Excellent Grand Superintendent is pictured above with the victorious Bedfordshire team.
The day saw some fine golf from all participants which also included teams from KT, Mark and Craft from Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire Province. The individual prize winner with a score of 40 Stableford points was Comp Steve Storey, playing on this occasion for Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire Craft Team. The event concluded with a superb dinner at which prizes were presented by our Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, E Comp Wayne Williams, and he gave hearty thanks to all present, particularly E Comp David Jackson and E Comp Russell Laxton for all their hard work in producing yet another memorable and wonderful day of golf and companionship. The competition will be held again next year at Peterborough Milton Golf Club on Tuesday 1st August 2017.
Images of the 2016 Wayne Williams Golf Trophy Day
- Written by: John Fergusson
A successful grant application to Provincial Grand Charity enabled Cytringan Royal Arch Chapter to present a bumper cheque for £900 to The Kettering & District Charitable Medical Trust on 12 July 2016. On application, the Provincial Grand Charity Trustees kindly supported Cytringan Chapter's £600 donation with a further £300.
The Kettering & District Charitable Medical Trust was set up in 1978, and from donations and legacies, it twice yearly provides money to buy medical equipment in local hospitals, hospices, GP surgeries and the Air Ambulance service. With this money they have over the years purchased ECG machines, Fibro scans, OTC machines, X-ray equipment, blood pressure monitors, dermatoscopes, and even mattresses and wheelchairs.
The cheque was presented by our Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, E Comp Wayne Williams, accompanied by E Comp Roger Hutchinson, MEZ of Cytringan Chapter. It was accepted on behalf of the Medical Trust by its Chairman Robert Smith and their treasurer E Comp Gareth Ogden.
MEZ Roger Hutchinson had a serious operation at Kettering Hospital in 2015, which included several weeks of recovery, and it was at his request that the Chapter, with the support of the Companions, should make this donation. Robert Smith expressed his sincere thanks for the donation and confirmed it would be put to good use.
Pictured above (left to right): Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, E Comp Wayne Williams, Robert Smith, E Comp
Roger Hutchinson & E Comp Gareth Ogden.
- Written by: John Fergusson
End of Season Reflections
Another Masonic year has drawn to a close with our Annual Convocation towards the end of June just past. With our new ME Second Grand Principal, E Comp Russell Race, as our principal Guest, it was a fitting end to another thoroughly enjoyable and successful year.
Preparations for the new season 2016/2017 are already well advanced with early focus on our First Principals’ Chapter who stage their first meeting at Peterborough on September 1st. On that occasion, we shall be hosting as our Guest Speaker the Grand Director of Ceremonies for both Supreme Grand Chapter and Grand Lodge, E Comp Oliver Lodge TD. An interesting evening is in store therefore!
Before we embark on the new season ahead and to respond to one or two questions raised recently regarding our positioning in Freemasonry and for the benefit of our younger members, let’s just recap. When the two opposing Grand Lodges (the Antients and the Moderns) came together in December 1813 under the Act of Union, it was declared that Pure Antient Masonry into which we were all initiated consists of just three Degrees and no more – the Degree of the Entered Apprentice, the Degree of the Fellow Craft and the Master Masons’ Degree, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch. Now that’s pretty emphatic! The Holy Royal Arch therefore is the fourth phase of Pure Antient Masonry after the three Degrees of Craft; it is not the completion of the Third Degree as some might innocently have you believe but it is the completion of Pure Antient Masonry, the very completion of Craft itself. Under the Constitution of the United Grand Lodge of England therefore, the proper course for every candidate’s Masonic journey should always be through the three Craft Degrees of Pure Antient Masonry, to include unquestionably the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch as the fourth phase, perhaps after a short interlude.
Some refer to the fourth regular step in Freemasonry which you will only find in the domain of the Mark Master Masons’ Degree – another fine Order in Freemasonry which comes highly recommended and to which you may wish to aspire in due course. You will find it another advancement on your journey of Masonic discovery.
E Comp Wayne E Williams
ME Grand Superintendent
- Written by: John Fergusson