United Grand Lodge of England has been very clear that the three degrees of Craft Masonry represent the first three of four steps that allow a man to truly enter into an understanding of Antient Freemasonry. The fourth step is to enter (it is called being exalted into) an order called the Royal Arch (or Royal Arch of Jerusalem).
To emphasise the importance of the tie (it has been called “the inseparable link”) between the Royal arch and Craft Masonry, United Grand Lodge has coined the phrase “One Journey, One Organisation”.
A little under half the Craft Masons in our Province are in the Royal Arch, which means that over half are not and they are missing out on a great deal, in fact they have yet to complete their entry into Freemasonry.
To make it easier for Royal Arch Masons to demonstrate the value of becoming a “Companion” (The Royal Arch equivalent of a Brother) to Craft Masons who have yet to join, and to give Companions and their Chapters (the Royal Arch equivalent of a Craft Lodge) more material to further enhance their Masonic experience, United Grand Lodge has brought together an online resource called ARCHWAY. I have sent out two emails to all Royal Arch Masons in the Province containing information on how to access and use ARCHWAY.
If you would be interested in becoming a Royal Arch Mason please talk to your Lodge Royal Arch Representative, or your Royal Arch Area Officer. These are also the best contacts for existing Royal Arch Masons to learn more about ARCHWAY. I am very happy to come out to Chapters to discuss ARCHWAY and help you tailor how you use it to your needs.
WBro Prof Tony Freemont PGStB, PPJGD
2nd Provincial Grand Principal Designate
One Journey, One Organisation.
Contact Tony by emailing
in the first instance: communications@eastlancsmasons.org.uk or secretariat@eastlancsmasons.org.uk