District of Jamaica & the Cayman Islands
The Ancient & Accepted Rite under the Supreme Council 33°
for England & Wales & its Districts & Chapters Overseas
ROSE CROIX MASONRY ON THE MOVE
by Ill Bro S. LeRoi Lorde 30°
NEW INSPECTOR GENERAL INSTALLED
In a colourful, historic and well attended ceremony, part and parcel of a meeting of the Morin Rose Croix Chapter No.1124, V:.Ill:.Bro. Afeef Assad Lazarus 33° was installed as the new Inspector General of the District of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Saturday July 4,2009.
The high-powered installing team was headed by M:.P:.Bro.J.L.W.Wright RD, FRICS 33° the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of England and Wales, and included M:.Ill:. Bro. R.E. Furber 33° Grand Secretary General and V:.Ill:.Bro Dinsmore 33° a Past Grand Director of Ceremonies. Witnessing the installation were a number of distinguished English Rose Croix masons including the Inspector General of Guyana V:.Ill:.Bro.G. Chung 33°,as well as Scottish Rose Croix masons from Jamaica.
It will be remembered that it was some twenty five years ago that an Inspector General was installed in this district when V:.Ill:.Bro Major-Gen Green CD, JP, OSM 33° assumed that position. V:.Ill:. Bro Lazarus 33° has now taken on this new responsibility, demitting office as District Grand Master and Grand Superintendent as well as Deputy Intendant General of the Red Cross of Constantine. V:.Il1:.Bro. Lazarus was the Founding Sovereign of the Morin Chapter which was consecrated on 10th April 1999, the Senior Consecrating Officer for that occasion being the outgoing Inspector General. The installation at Barbados Avenue was followed by a Banquet at Les Ambassadeurs, the Hilton Hotel which was enjoyed by all who attended.
UNIVERSITY ROSE CROIX CHAPTER CONSECRATED
The long anticipated consecration of the University of the West Indies Chapter Rose Croix No.l191 took place on the evening of Friday July 3rd, 2009 and was performed by a three member Supreme Council team headed by the Sovereign Grand Commander. The Supreme Council was assisted by V:.Ill:.Bro. Rudolph Green 33° as First General, V:.Ill:.Bro.Lazarus 33°as Second General, Ill:.Bro. Dr. Leighton Henry 31° as Assistant Director of Ceremonies, and Ill:.Bro.Carl McDonald 30° as Outer Guard.
The new Chapter is the ninth in the District of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Ill:.Bro.Dr. Orrin Barrow 32° was enthroned as the new Sovereign. Included in the First Administration are Ill:.Bro. Rev. Melvin Carey 30° Prelate, E&P Bros. Dr Kildare Donaldson 18° and Gladstone Fletcher 18° as First and Second Generals respectively, Ill:.Bro.Verley Harrison 30°, Treasurer, Ill:.Bro. Dr.Charles Thesiger 30°, Director of Ceremonies, and Ill:.Bro.S.LeRoi Lorde 30° Recorder.
The idea of this Chapter was born in the early afternoon of August 11,2007 when five members of the University Lodge of the West Indies-No.7128 EC...Dr. Orrin Barrow, S. LeRoi Lorde, Verley Harrison, Dr. John Hall and Dr. Kildare Donaldson spontaneously began exchanging ideas of how the name of the University of the West Indies could be linked with the further expansion of Freemasonry in Jamaica.
The University Rose Croix Chapter No. 1191 which boasts no fewer than 25 founders with a blend of experience and youth in Rose Croix masonry, but all dedicated masons, is to meet three times in each calendar year.
ROSE CROIX 30° CEREMONY PERFORMED
For only the second time in the history of the District was the actual ceremony of the 30° performed. The ceremony conferring the degree was done on seven princes Rose Croix E & P Bros. Sterling Soares, Everton McDonald, Kenneth Allison, Louis Christie, Howard Taylor, Dr. Aston Wood and Billon Delroy YoungChin who was the representative candidate for the occasion. Unlike the situation in Scottish Rose Croix, the 30° in English Rose Croix can be conferred on eligible princes without a formal ceremony being undertaken.
The first time such a ceremony was performed in full in Jamaica was [nine years ago] in 2000 when the then Sovereign Grand Commander Canon Tydeman 33° accompanied by the now Lieutenant Grand Commander V:.P:. Bro. Alan Englefield 33° (then Grand Secretary General) worked the 30° ceremony to the benefit of Ill:.Bros Aubrey Saunders 30° (of blessed memory) and S. LeRoi Lorde 30°.