Past Masters - Actual and Virtual

By Ward K. St. Clair

Past Master, Lodge of United Services No. 1118, New York, and a Past High Priest of his Chapter.

Major, United States Signal Corps

In the United States and parts of Canada there are two types of Past Masters. They are the actual and virtual Past Masters.

An actual Past Master is one who has been elected and installed as Master of a symbolic lodge. Most grand lodges define a Past Master according to these terms. Since this article is intended to deal with the degree of “Past Master” as controlled by chapters of Royal Arch Masons, we will not discuss further the Past Masters of the lodge except to state that the two are separate and distinct.

A virtual Past Master is one who has received the degree of “Past Master” in a chapter of Royal Arch Masons as a preliminary or qualifying step to the Royal Arch Degree. It entitles the recipient to no distinctive rights outside a Royal Arch Chapter. We are told that the Past Master degree has no historical connection with the other capitular degrees, and that it sheds no light upon itself, but is used only to satisfy an ancient requirement that none but Past Masters could be exalted to the degree of Royal Arch Mason. How true is this? Also, how binding is it?