The Royal Arch as part of Freemasonry

The Royal Arch is a part of the worldwide known York Rite appendant Masonic degrees. The exact origins of the Royal Arch Masonry in general, and of the Royal Arch in particular, are unknown except that it dates back to the early 17th century. The Royal Arch came to Finland from England in the 1930’s and nowadays it is a prominent part of the Finnish Freemasonry.

The objective of the Royal Arch Masonry is to guide its members to adopt and practice its valuable ethical and moral principles and to conform to impeccable lifestyle. It further develops its members’ spiritual aspect by a contemplation of man’s spiritual nature, not replacing but supporting what a member have learnt from his own religion. The teachings of the Royal Arch are conveyed using allegory and symbols in its ritual (similarly to the Craft Freemasonry).

Royal Arch Masons meet in Chapters. The Royal Arch Grand Chapter in Finland was established in 1961 and it is a sovereign order. A membership in the Craft and Mark Masonry are the prerequisites for exaltation in the Royal Arch.

It should be noted that two Finnish chapters use Swedish as their working language (Nikolai Chapter No. 34 in Jakobstad and Tholos Chapter No. 25 in Helsinki) and since 2001 Unity Chapter No. 58 in Helsinki has worked in English for the benefit of visitors from abroad and foreigners living in Finland.