Address by The Most Distinguished Grand Summus
Andrew Christopher Sweeney
to the Annual Convocation of Grand Senatus
Thursday 4 May 2017
Distinguished Companions, Eminent Companions and Companions. Firstly, may I welcome you all here today in such good numbers and congratulate all those Companions who I have appointed or promoted in Grand Senatus today. The reward you have received is recognition for the dedicated service that you have given to the Order over a number of years will hopefully stimulate you to further promote and develop your Consistories and encourage members of your Secret Monitor Conclaves to join this wonderful Order.
As always, I am grateful for the enthusiastic support which the Rulers of other Orders provide and also for their attendance today.
The Installation of Provincial Grand Summi have continued during the last 12 months with a further 4 Companions being Installed. They are Right Distinguished Companions:
Raymond Clare – Essex – 11th July
Christopher Barker – North & East Yorkshire 3rd September
John Safford Stevens – Midlands – 12th October
Peter Rollin – Norfolk and Suffolk – 21st November
The last of which took place subsequent to the Constitution of the new Province of Norfolk and Suffolk.
I congratulate you all on your promotion and I am sure that you will all develop the Scarlet Cord in your respective Provinces. I would also take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Provincial Grand Summi for all their hard work, in some cases for nearly ten years.
Companions, this year has not been quite as busy as the last few years; although we have had 1 Constitution, 4 Installations, 3 Consecrations, and we have performed a 6th and 5th grade ceremony and in addition, yesterday another 5th and a 4th grade ceremony. I extend my grateful thanks to all the Grand Officers who have assisted in all these ceremonies over this last year. As usual they have all been of the highest standard.
In February a team from Mark Masons’ Hall were privileged to go to Malaysia where R.Dist.Comp. Paul Clement Constituted the new Grand Conclave of South East Asia in the Secret Monitor and V.Dist.Comp. Tom Jackson Constituted a new Grand Council of South East Asia in the Allied Masonic Degrees. This was an opportunity not to be missed for the Scarlet Cord and whilst we were there we Consecrated the Walled City Consistory No. 118 which is to meet in Hong Kong. We are very grateful to the companions who supported those proceedings from India, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean, Hong Kong and of course the Companions of South East Asia. Special thanks must be given to Dist.Comp. Khoo Boo Khean for his extraordinary level of hospitality.
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