Heather K. Calloway
Dir. of Internships & Coord. of Library/Museum Services, Supreme Council, 33°

Masonic Week in Washington, D.C., started in 1933 when the Grand Council of Allied
Masonic Degrees held its first meeting.

SGC Ronald A. Seale, 33°, was the speaker at the Grand Council, AMD, annual banquet on Saturday, February 12, 2005. He received the Marvin E. Fowler Award, which is being read here by Ill. Kenneth B. Fischer, 33°, Jr. Grand Warden, AMD. Photo: Travis Normand

Each February, hundreds of Masons from around the world gather in the District of Columbia for “Masonic Week.” Traditionally held at the Hotel Washington, near the White House, annual meetings, banquets, and fraternal fellowship are found everywhere from the lobby, to hospitality suites, to local restaurants. Always held near George Washington’s birthday, this practice dates back to 1933, when the Allied Masonic Degrees met in D.C. for the first communication of its Grand Council.

The Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees was preceded by the Sovereign College of Allied Masonic and Christian Degrees, which was first organized in 1892 in Richmond, Virginia, by Rev. Hartley Carmichael. He proposed a Grand Council as a way to organize the so-called “unattached” Masonic degrees such as the Ark Mariner and Secret Monitor. The movement was successful, and when Alfred S. Kimball was elected Sovereign Grand Master in 1901, he moved the records, property and headquarters to his hometown of Norway, Maine.

The organization matured and grew, but, unfortunately, strong successors had not been installed, and the group slowly declined as members passed away. The last regular meeting was held November 26, 1924, and the organization became dormant. Not until 1932 in Raleigh, N.C. did another movement begin to organize and popularize the group. Unaware of the existence of the Sovereign College in Maine, J. Ray Shute and William Moseley Brown began their Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees.

Ill. Walter E. Webber, 33°, SGC of the N.M.J., spoke at the Philalethes Society’s annual Feast and Assembly Friday, Feb. 11, 2005. Photo: Ill. Richard H. Curtis, 33°, Editor, The Northern Light

When they discovered the existence of the older group with the same purpose and function, Shute and Brown met with the remaining leaders of the original Sovereign College in Norway, Maine, in 1933. The groups agreed to merge as the Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States of America. This union created one sovereign body with full authority over the degrees. It is now an invitational group for Royal Arch Masons that practices several of the older detached degrees, and its meetings are a venue for Masonic scholarship. Research papers and lectures from AMD Councils may be published in Miscellanea, its annual transactions.

Seventy-two years after the first Grand Council met, the tradition of gathering in our nation’s capital has grown to what we now know as “Masonic Week.” This year it was held from Wednesday, February 9, through Saturday, February 12. The itinerary included degrees which are exemplified by the AMD and meetings of bodies like the Masonic Rosicrucians (Masonic Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis), an invitational group for Christian Freemasons, and the Grand College of Rites of the USA. This latter, intriguing group is dedicated to the preservation of old ritual texts of Masonic orders, rites, and systems that have fallen into disuse. Its members receive its official transactions, Collectanea, that reprints these old rituals. Membership is open to all Masons, who may join at its annual meeting or simply by completing the membership application.

One of the most interesting events, open to Mason and non-Mason alike, is the annual meeting of the Society of Blue Friars, an invitational body comprised of a limited number of Masonic authors. Each year, a new Friar is selected, who then presents a paper to the audience. Other orders with limited memberships with particular interests in the study of Freemasonry also convene for fellowship and meetings during the week.

In addition to the large events, there are many smaller Masonic bodies that hold their meetings in conjunction with Masonic week, including local lodges. A highlight of the 2005 week included a wonderful banquet and lecture series hosted by B. B. French Lodge #15, Washington, D.C., held at the House of the Temple. Speakers included Bros. Jay M. Kinney, 32°, Librarian, Scottish Rite Valley of San Francisco, California; Dennis Chornenky, 32°, President of the Masonic Restoration Foundation; and Ill. Robert G. Davis, 33°, GC, Executive Secretary of the Scottish Rite Valley of Guthrie, Oklahoma. (See related“Current Interest” item.)

The Scottish Rite Research Society set up its booth in the vendors’ room to sell books, merchandise, and memberships. Shown here at the booth are Supreme Council employees Heather K. Calloway, Director of Internships and Coordinator of Library and Museum Services, and Ill. Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist and Grand Historian. Photo: Elizabeth A. Williams, The Scottish Rite Journal

Other proceedings included a breakfast sponsored by the A&AS.R. of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic and Southern Jurisdictions. The annual meeting of the Grand Council of the Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States followed, as the most anticipated event during Masonic Week. The festivities concluded with the annual banquet featuring SGC Ronald A. Seale, 33°, as the speaker. Ill. Seale, who is a member of Mount Moriah Council #38, AMD, in Louisiana, was presented with the prestigious Marvin E. Fowler Award. This award was inaugurated by the Grand Council in 2001 in honor of Ill. Marvin E. Fowler, 33°, Knight Grand Cross. The award is presented to a Brother who has demonstrated extraordinary dedication and service to Masonry.

If you have not attended Masonic Week, it’s worth the effort, even if it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So many Masons from around the world attend that it’s a virtual showcase for Masonic badges, collars, lapel pins, pendants, and rarely-seen regalia, most of which are reserved for this exclusive occasion. If you’re lacking any of these items, you are in luck—Masonic vendors will be happy to sell you anything from a $5 pin to a $5,000 solid gold jewel! Our own Scottish Rite Research Society is one of the favorite booths. Your next opportunity to be part of the action will be Feb. 8–11, 2006 in Washington, D.C. For more information visit the official web site at the York Rite homepage: http://www.yorkrite.com/MasonicWeek/ or by searching http://bessel.org with the words “Masonic Week.”

Heather K. Calloway a native of Albuquerque, is Coordinator of Library and Museum Services and Director of Internships at the Supreme Council, 33°, S.J. She received her B.A. in Religious Studies and Political Science in 1997 from the University of New Mexico, a Master of Theological Studies in 2001 from The Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado, and a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Maryland in 2005. She has been a guest lecturer at various Masonic bodies, including the Allied Masonic Degrees and the New Mexico Lodge of Research.