The degree of Mark Master Mason is open to all Masters Masons belonging to regular Constitutions. It can be said that the ceremony, in which a Brother is “advanced,” comprises two Degrees; the first, in which he is recognized as Man of the Mark, followed by the second, where he becomes Mark Master Mason. The title of the degree takes its name from the mark or symbol with which the medieval mason identified his work, marks that can still be found in many cathedrals and buildings. Holy Scripture is widely used to instruct the Candidate and the Brothers, in a story that serves to give a message of contemplation of human strengths and weaknesses. In chronological terms, the Degree follows that of the Second Degree in Symbolic Masonry. There is evidence to prove that the Degree is 400 years old, but the first records in English come from 1769, when the Friendship Chapter was first worked on, Royal Arch Chapter No. 257 (formerly No. 3) in Portsmouth . However, a book of minutes, dated in 1599 from the Edinburgh Lodge states that several speculative brothers had added their marks after their names, marks that they could only have received at such a ceremony. The first meeting of the Grand Lodge of Mason Masters of the Brand was held on Monday, June 23, 1856. The dress of ordinary members includes an apron and a jewel on the chest. The apron is white, with a triangular flap bordered with a two-inch light blue ribbon with crimson edges. It has rosettes of the same color, while the one used by the Venerable Master and the Ex Venerables have the rosettes replaced by silver levels. The jewel of the order is a keystone added to a ribbon that matches the apron and carries a mallet and a chisel, which are the tools of the Order. The history of the keystone, which carries certain characters, is an integral part of the ceremony. Our River Plate District is part of the Grand Lodge of Mark Masters Masons of England, Wales and its Overseas Districts and Lodges and is the only regular Freemasonry of Mark that can act in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The Mark Master Masons can then apply to the rank of Royal Ark Mariners, which is explained elsewhere on this page.

R.W.D.G.M. Ernesto Marcer