Friday 16 October will be a landmark day for Freemasonry in East Kent, as Trevor Carter is invested to lead both Royal Arch and Craft in our Province.
But what does an Investiture at Freemasons’ Hall actually involve?
If you’ve never experienced a major Provincial meeting, or never visited Great Queen Street, here’s how the day will unfold.
11.40am – Assemble for Provincial Grand Chapter (Royal Arch)
The day begins with the Provincial Grand Chapter of East Kent.
Royal Arch Companions attending the meeting need to be assembled and seated in the magnificent Grand Temple by 11.40am, ready for proceedings to begin at noon.
The ceremony begins with the arrival in procession of the Pro First Grand Principal, M.E.Comp Jonathan Spence DL, together with the other Principals and Grand Officers.
At 12 noon precisely, Provincial Grand Chapter will be opened by the Pro First Grand Principal, assisted by Officers of the Supreme Grand Chapter.
Then comes the first major moment of the day: E.Comp Trevor Carter will be invested as the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent of the Provincial Grand Chapter of East Kent.
Following the Investiture, the Second and Third Provincial Grand Principals will be appointed, followed by the Deputy Provincial Grand Superintendent. The appointments of the other Provincial Grand Officers will then be confirmed.
Finally, the newly invested Provincial Grand Superintendent will address the meeting before Provincial Grand Chapter is formally closed.
2.00pm – Lunch
With the Royal Arch ceremony complete, attention turns to lunch.
Dining begins at 2.00pm, providing a natural break between the day’s two big events.
For those attending both meetings, it’s a chance to relax, catch up with friends from around the Province and enjoy the atmosphere before everyone reconvenes for the Craft meeting later in the afternoon.
And this is where the shape of the day changes.
Master Masons who are not Royal Arch Companions will not attend the earlier Provincial Grand Chapter meeting. They will join the day for Provincial Grand Lodge in the afternoon.
So, depending on whether you are attending both Royal Arch and Craft or Craft only, your Great Queen Street experience will begin at a different point.
4.10pm – Assemble for Provincial Grand Lodge
By 4.10pm, the brethren attending Provincial Grand Lodge need to be seated in the Grand Temple.
At around 4.25 pm, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master enters in procession, accompanied by the Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, Officers of the United Grand Lodge of England and Officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge of East Kent.
If you haven’t experienced a major procession in the Grand Temple before, I can assure you that this is quite a sight.
At 4.30 pm precisely, Provincial Grand Lodge is formally opened by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master. The Pro Grand Master, M.W.Bro Jonathan Spence DL, and visiting Grand Officers are then received.
And then we reach the centrepiece of the afternoon.
W.Bro Trevor Carter will be formally invested as Provincial Grand Master for East Kent.
It is the defining moment of the day: the formal beginning of a new period of leadership for our Province, taking place at the home of English Freemasonry.
Following the Investiture, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master and Assistant Provincial Grand Masters are reappointed. W.Bro Colin Barden will also be appointed as an Assistant Provincial Grand Master, before the appointments of the other Provincial Grand Officers are confirmed.
Then comes another important moment.
Our newly invested Provincial Grand Master will address Provincial Grand Lodge for the first time, before Provincial Grand Lodge is formally closed.
One Day | Two Investitures
Stripped of all the formal terminology, the day has a fairly simple programme.
It begins with the Royal Arch, where E.Comp Carter becomes our new Grand Superintendent.
There’s then a break for lunch and a chance to catch up.
In the afternoon, the focus moves to the Craft, when Master Masons who have not attended the Royal Arch meeting join the gathering and W.Bro Carter is invested as our new Provincial Grand Master.
And if you’re wondering about the change of title, that’s quite deliberate: E.Comp Trevor Carter in the Royal Arch; W.Bro Trevor Carter in the Craft. Two different titles for two different ceremonies.
Two ceremonies. One Grand Temple. And one very significant day for East Kent Freemasonry.
For anyone making their first visit to Freemasons’ Hall, there will undoubtedly be plenty to take in: the building, the Grand Temple, the processions, the regalia and the sheer number of brethren and companions gathered together.
But above all, 16 October is about being there for a moment in our Province’s history.
From Provincial Grand Chapter at noon, through lunch, to Provincial Grand Lodge in the afternoon, this is what the Road to Great Queen Street has been leading to.
To Book into the event, access the Provincial website HERE
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