Internet Chapter is the Royal Arch arm of Internet Lodge.
The Lodge was Consecrated on 29th January 1998 at Freemasons’ Hall, Bridge Street, Manchester after a small group of brethren who subscribe to the UK Mason List on the Internet felt that the time was right for a truly universal Masonic Lodge.
The chapter came into being on the 1st October 2019 by rejuvenating Manchester Epworth No 3921 which was about to close.
Whilst like the lodge all the day-to-day business is carried out either by e-mail or in the “members only” section of its web site, the Chapter holds regular meetings three times a year.
The Holy Royal Arch is a degree of Freemasonry. The Royal Arch is present in all main masonic systems. Royal Arch Masons meet as a Chapter; in the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch as practised in the British Isles, much of Europe and the Commonwealth, Chapters confer the single degree of Royal Arch Mason.
In the British Isles, most of continental Europe, and most nations of the Commonwealth (with the notable exception of Canada), the teachings of Royal Arch Masonry are contained in the “Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch” – a stand-alone degree of Freemasonry which is open to those who have completed the three Craft degrees.
Man is not simply a practical being but has an essential spiritual aspect to his nature. This is taken up in the Royal Arch, in which the candidate, without trespassing on the bounds of religion, is led to contemplate the nature of God and his personal relationship with Him. In the Chapter, the teachings of the Royal Arch are conveyed using a ritualised allegory based on the Old Testament telling of the return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity to rebuild the City and Temple. In clearing the ground of Solomon’s Temple for the foundations of a new temple, the candidate makes important discoveries.
The symbol or Grand Emblem of Royal Arch Masonry is the Triple Tau.
Members of the Holy Royal Arch, called Companions, meet in Chapters under a Grand Chapter. Chapters are ruled over by three Principals, who rule conjointly, and the Grand Chapter is ruled over by three Grand Principals, with a Pro First Grand Principal when the First Grand Principal is a Royal Prince.
In England the Royal Arch has four ceremonies: the exaltation ceremony to bring in new members and an installation ceremony for each of the three Principals. The exaltation ceremony is in two parts: a rather dramatic presentation of the principles of the Order followed by three Lectures in which the history, symbolism and principles of the Royal Arch are further explained. Like Craft Freemasonry, the Royal Arch is open to men of all faiths.