12/29/2024
IN MASONIC HISTORY (May 20, 1936): Knight Masonry was introduced in the USA when the Grand Council in Ireland chartered three Councils in North Carolina. Subsequently, several additional Councils would be chartered by the Grand Council USA, which was founded on February 19, 1967. The Order of Knight Masons was first formed in Dublin, Ireland, on June 18, 1923, for the purpose of governing the degrees previously known as the “Green Degrees,” formerly controlled by the Orders of Knights Templar in Ireland, and conferred in their subordinate bodies. These degrees are now the Knight of the Sword (formerly the Red Cross of Daniel or Babylonian Pass, recounting Zerubabbel’s visit to the court of King Cyrus of Persia); the Knight of the East (formerly the Jordan Pass, recounting Zerubabbel’s later visit to the court of King Darius); and the Knight of the East and West (formerly the Royal Order, recounting Zerubabbel’s return to his countrymen in Jerusalem). Note that these degrees should not to be confused with the other Masonic degrees bearing similar names, such as those in the Scottish Rite. Today, Councils of Knight Masons in the USA exist as invitational and honorary bodies for Royal Arch Masons.
