Knight Masonry
Freemasonry is one of the world’s oldest secular fraternities with some 17,500 members in Ireland and around 4 million members worldwide.
In New Zealand there is one Council of Knight Masons which is called the Harp of Erin Council No. 91. The worldwide authority under which Councils meet is The Grand Council of Knight Masons which is located in Dublin.
The Harp of Erin Council No. 91 holds its meetings three times a year in Auckland at the Irish Masonic Centre in Airedale Street, on the fourth Monday of March (Installation), July and November.
Within Knight Masonry, the story of the Temple in Jerusalem is expanded further with the description of the building of the second Temple. It is the natural continuation of the story of Solomon’s Temple as carried out in Irish Craft Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters.
There are three degrees in Councils of Knight Masons, and within these three degrees the story of the second Temple is further explained. The events contained within these degrees are also often carried out all over the world in different Masonic Orders; however, they are often communicated in a truncated manner. It is widely agreed that in the Irish system under the Grand Council of Knight Masons, these degrees are conferred in the most elaborate detail and in an accurate chronological order. Worldwide, new Councils of Knight Masons are being formed for this very reason, with new Councils formed recently in Australia, India, Europe and the United States.
Just like in a Craft Lodge, Mark Lodge or in a Royal Arch Chapter, Councils of Knight Masons are open to all Freemasons of any faith or background, and they do not have to be invited to join; one may simply ask. The requirement for joining is membership of an Irish Royal Arch Chapter for at least one year.
The degrees themselves are intricate and detailed and convey impressive lessons of virtue and truth, and by becoming a Knight Mason you are completing the Masonic legend of the Temple in Jerusalem within the Irish Masonic family.
