From the East – November 2022

The Holy Saints’ John, of course refers to Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. Both are revered figures in our fraternity and both are celebrated in the Masonic calendar. The feast of Saint John the Baptist is on June 24, which occurs around the time of the summer solstice, and the feast of Saint John the Evangelist occurs on December 27, around the winter solstice.

The Grand Lodge of England was formed on June 24, 1717, on the feast day of Saint John the Baptist. This is described as auspicious because the “light-seeking Grand Lodge” began on “the longest days of light.” The day for the feast of Saint John the Evangelist is also auspicious because it occurs around the time “the world begins moving from darkness to greater light.” Saint John the Baptist emphasized a “strict observance of righteousness and moral character.” He was “relentless in his belief,” which apparently caught the attention of King Herod and led to John’s beheading.

In contrast, John the Evangelist is described as “lofty, philosophical, and esoteric.” Writings attributed to him have a familiar ring to all Masons. For example, from Genesis 1, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The Holy Saints John have been described as “metaphorical pillars of our Lodge,” with John the Baptist as the “pillar beneath the earth” and John the Evangelist as the “pillar beneath the heavens.”

A Historical Note

George Washington is said to have never missed attending the Masonic observance of the feast of Saint John the Evangelist.

Fraternally,
WM John Quintana