What is chapter

A Chapter is the organizational unit of the Royal Arch Order, providing the body in which members, known as Companions, meet under the jurisdiction of a Supreme Grand Chapter (the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of India). It is distinct in structure and name from the primary Craft assembly; while earlier degrees assemble as a Lodge, the Royal Arch body is designated a Chapter 3. Master Masons may join a Chapter to continue their Masonic journey after completing the Craft degrees (the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of India), as attaining the rank of Master Mason is a prerequisite for admission 3.

Governance of a Chapter typically rests in a conjoint leadership of three Principals: the First Principal, Second Principal, and Third Principal (the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of India). Early English regulations required that any Companion addressing the Chapter stand and direct his discourse to the Principals 2. Organizational titles vary across jurisdictions; in Irish Chapters, the principal officers were traditionally titled King, High Priest, and Chief Scribe 1, while Chapters in the United States operate under State Grand Chapters and the General Grand Chapter 1.

Symbolically, a Chapter rearranges the ceremonial layout of the lodge room, replacing an assembly of seven officers with nine grouped in three triads positioned around a central sacred symbol 3.