District Grand Council of Royal and
Select Masters of South Africa
R Ill Bro P J Wessels
District Grand Master
Ill Bro P S Knight PG Cond. of Council
Deputy District Grand Master
Ill Bro D A McNally PG Capt Of Guard
Principal Conductor of the Work
District Grand Secretary:
W. Bro. N A Griffin
P O Box 10138
Fourways East 2055
Phone: 082 827 7575
Email: Mark.DGL.Transvaal@gmail.com
History and Origin
The Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of England and Wales etc, was formally constituted on 29 July 1873 by four Councils chartered just two years earlier by the Grand Council of New York. They organised themselves into a sovereign body under the patronage of the Rev Canon G. R. Portal, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, who was installed as the Grand Master of the Order.
This Grand Council had its vicissitudes but continues to prosper and today has many Councils overseas which are controlled by District Grand Councils. The degrees in this group are frequently referred to as 'Cryptic Degrees' but this description is not strictly correct, as only two actually refer to a crypt. It is somewhat surprising to note that to many, these ceremonies constitute nothing more than interesting side degrees or a random collection of unrelated incidents in the story of KST, but to the serious and understanding masonic student, they prove to be the essential link between the degrees of Master Mason and Royal Arch Mason.
Administered from Mark Masons' Hall, Grand Council exercises authority over the following degrees:
Most Excellent Master
Royal Master
Select Master
Super-Excellent Master
Reference: 'Beyond the Craft' by Keith B Jackson. Published by: Ian Allan Publishing
| Council | Meeting Place |
|---|---|
| Alpha Cryptic Council No. 113 | Johannesburg, Park Lane |
| Delta Cryptic Council No. 63 | Johannesburg, Park Lane |
| Germiston Cryptic Council No. 90 | Johannesburg, Rivonia |
| Klerksdorp Cryptic Council No. 107 | Carletonville |
| Kosmos Cryptic Council No. 50 | Johannesburg, Park Lane |
| Lakeside Cryptic Council No. 64 | Boksburg, Jubilee Road |
| Pretoria Cryptic Council No. 67 | Pretoria, The Willows |
| Umlazi Cryptic Council No. 104 | Durban, Bellair |