Evansville Consistory
"Commander-in-Chief"
2008 and 2009
Consistory
"Degrees 19 thru 32"
19th
Degree: (Grand Pontiff)
This degree proclaims the spiritual unity of all who believe in God and cherish
the hope of immortality, no matter what religious leader they follow or what
creed they profess. It is primarily concerned with the perennial conflict
between light and darkness, good and evil, God and Satan.
20th
Degree: (Master ad Vitam) This
degree is a drama of the American spirit, confronting the challenge of
disloyalty and treason. Masonic principles and leadership are subjected to
a crucial test. The degree demonstrates the Masonic condemnation of all
who conspire against the security of a nation and the happiness of the people.
21st
Degree: (Patriarch Noachite) This
degree teaches that Freemasonry is not a shield for evildoing and that justice
is one of the chief supports of our Fraternity.
22nd
Degree: (Prince of Libanus)
In this degree, the dignity of labor is demonstrated. It is no curse, but
a privilege for man to be allowed to earn his sustenance by work.
Idleness, not labor, is disgraceful.
23rd
Degree: (Chief of the Tabernacle)
This degree is a dramatic story of four men of God - a rabbi, a Catholic priest,
a Methodist minister and a pastor of a reformed church - who gave their lives in
World War II so that others might live. This dramatic story demonstrates
that those with faith in God and love for their fellow man will make great
sacrifices to help other.
24th
Degree: (Prince of the Tabernacle)
This degree, through historical flashback, shows the pursuit and
acquisition of knowledge often can dispel the fears created by ignorance and
prejudice.
25th
Degree: (Knight of the Brazen Serpent)
This degree teaches that no man is perfect and that all men err. If,
however, he maintains a firm and unshakable reliance on God's grace, he can and
will regain his direction, his humility, his faith and his goals.
26th
Degree: (Prince of Mercy)
This degree teaches the quality of mercy; that it is a spirit of
compassion and a tenderness of heart which dispose us to overlook differences
between people. Through an inspirational drama, this degree teaches that
people with similar goals may have differing points of view and that respect
should be given to the opinions of other.
27th
Degree: (Commander of the Temple) This
degree teaches that Scottish Rite Freemasonry believes in the concept of a free
church in a free state, each supreme in its own sphere, neither seeking to
dominate the other but cooperating for the common good. This degree
is brought to life by dramatic events from the time of the Teutonic knights and
the period of the Crusades.
28th
Degree: (Knight of the Sun) This
degree teaches that as nature hides her treasurers under an external coat which
must be hewn away before her wonders can be put to use by man, so Freemasonry
helps us to strip the vices and superfluities of our lives so that we see and
perform our duty to God and our fellow man.
29th
Degree: (Knight of St. Andrew) This
degree emphasizes the Masonic teachings of equality and toleration. We are
reminded that no one man, no one church, no one religion has a monopoly on
truth; that while we must be true and faithful to our own convitions, we
must respect the opinions of others.
30th
Degree: (Grand Elect Knight Kadosh)
This degree sets forth the tests and ceremonies that symbolize the
experiences we must undergo in the building of excellence in character.
31st
Degree: (Grand Inspector Inquisitor
Commander) This degree teaches that we should not rush to judgment.
He who would judge others must first judge himself.
32nd
Degree: (Sublime Prince of the Royal
Secret) This degree describes the victory of the spiritual over the
human in man and the conquest of appetities and passions by moral sense and
reason. The exemplar represents every Freemason eager to serve humanity
but caught between self-interest and the call of duty. Duty often requires
sacrifice, sometimes the supreme sacrifice.
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