Chapters of Rose Croix conferring the 15th to 18th degrees inclusive. The 15th and 16th degrees relate to the rebuilding of the Second Temple of Zerubbabel. The 17th degree is an approach to, and the 18th degree a recognition of the Christian ethics in universal terms, thus assisting in the building, in our hearts, of the Third Temple, not made with hands. The 18th degree is supplemented by the beautiful Maundy Thursday and Easter ceremonies. The 15th and 18th degrees are obligatory.
The 15th Degree:
Knight of the East is to rebuild the Masonic Temple of liberty, equality, and fraternity in the souls of men.
The 16th Degree:
Prince of Jerusalem is to aid those who labor to build the Symbolic Temple, to judge equitably and fairly, to keep faith in the justice and beneficence of God, and to press forward with hope for the persecuted and oppressed.
The 17th Degree:
Knight of the East and West is to work, reflect, and pray; to hope, trust and believe; to teach truths that are hidden in allegory and concealed by the symbols of Freemasonry.
The 18th Degree:
Knight of the Rose Croix is to practice virtue, to labor to eliminate vice, to purify humanity, to be tolerant of the faith and creed of others. This degree teaches that life and its strengths come from God.