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MARK MASTER MASON

The Degree of Mark Master Mason is open to all Master Masons. The ceremony, in which a Brother is 'advanced', can be said to comprise two Degrees; the first in which he is acknowledged as a Mark Man, followed by the second where he becomes a Mark Master Mason. The Mark referred to in its title takes its name from the mark or symbol with which the stonemason identified his work and can still be found in many cathedrals and important buildings.

Much use is made of Holy Writ to instruct the Candidate and Brethren in the story which serves to teach that the real message is one of contemplation of human strengths and weaknesses. In chronological terms the Degree follows that of the Second Degree in Craft masonry. There is reputedly some evidence that the Degree is 400 years old but the earliest English records stem from 1769 when it was first worked in Chapter of Friendship, Royal Arch Chapter No. 257 (formerly No. 3) in Portsmouth. However, a minute book dated 1599 of the Lodge of Edinburgh states that several speculative brethren had appended their marks after their names.

The first meeting of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons was held on Monday, 23 June 1856.

The ordinary members' regalia comprises an apron and breast jewel. The apron is of a white kid with a triangular flap bordered with a two-inch ribbon of light blue with crimson edges. It has rosettes of the same colour whilst Masters' and Past Masters' have the rosettes replaced with silver levels. The jewel of the order is a keystone appended to a ribbon that matches the apron and bears a mallet & chisel which are the tools of the Order. The keystone, which bears certain characters, forms an integral part of the ceremony.

THE DISTRICT OF BRAZIL

The District Grand Lodge of Mark Master Mason of Brazil consists of 17 Mark Lodges and 16 Royal Ark Mariner Lodges, which enjoy a total membership of over 400 Mark Masons. The Lodges are distributed throughout the country, from the South to the Southeast region meeting in 10 locations.

The first three Mark Lodges founded in Brazil were respectively Saint Paul's Lodge in 1937, Lodge of Wanderers in 1949 and Guanabara Lodge in 1951. They were considered Unattached Lodges Overseas, that is, Mark Lodges abroad not attached to a District, which are formed in a group for which the Grand Master appoints a Grand Inspector. In 1954, the Grand Inspector V. W. Bro Ernest Cunningham, together with the three Mark Master Masons Lodges operating in Brazil, forwarded a petition to the Grand Lodge of MMM of England requesting the formation of a District Grand Lodge in Brazil, in which they were served. The first District Grand Master was R.W.Bro. Ernest Cunningham, who invested W.Bro. Ernest Edward Cromack as the first Deputy District Grand Master

MARK LODGES IN THE DISTRICT

Saint Paul’s Lodge of MMM, 961, São Paulo

Lodge of Wanderers of MMM, 1137, Santos
Guanabara Lodge of MMM, 1156, Rio de Janeiro
Campos Salles Lodge of MMM, 1355, São Paulo
Fênix Lodge of MMM, 1817, São Paulo
Moses Montefiore Lodge of MMM, 1819, São Paulo
Barão de Mauá Lodge of MMM, 1852, São Paulo
Harmonia Lodge of MMM, 1854, Niterói
The Goose and Gridiron Lodge of MMM, 1888, Rio de Janeiro
Centenary Lodge of MMM, 1908, São Paulo
Santa Catarina Lodge of MMM, 1926, Florianópolis
Orlando Klein Lodge of MMM, 1951, Camboriú
Borba Gato Lodge of MMM, 1987, São Paulo
Hippolyto Joseph da Costa Lodge of MMM, 2029, Porto Alegre
Serra Gaucha Lodge of MMM, 2030, Caxias do Sul
Curitiba Lodge of MMM, 2034, Curitiba
Barão de Batovi Lodge of MMM, 2041, Campo Grande

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MARK MASTER MASON

MARK MASTER MASON

THE DISTRICT OF BRAZIL

MARK LODGES IN THE DISTRICT

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