Maryland Commandery No. 1 Knights Templar traces its history back to 1790.
Currently we meet on the first Friday of each month from September through June, with practices being on the last Friday of the month. Meetings start at 7:30 pm in the Gothic Room at the Grand Lodge of Maryland. (304 International Circle, Cockeysville, MD 21030)
See Calendar for more details.
Knights Templar
The Knights Templar is the final order joined in the York Rite. Membership in the Knights Templar is open only to Masons who are a “firm believer in the Christian Religion” and who have completed their Royal Arch and Cryptic Degrees. (Note: not all States require the completion of the Cryptic Degrees, but Maryland does.)
This body is modeled on the historical Knights Templar to carry on the spirit of their organization, appealing to Christian Masons seeking a life of Chivalry, Duty, and Charity.
A local Knights Templar division is called a Commandery and operates under a state level Grand Commandery as well as The Grand Encampment of the United States. This is unique among Masonic bodies as most report to the state level alone. The Knights Templar confer three orders, and one passing order as opposed to the standard degree system found elsewhere in Freemasonry:
York Rite
The York Rite specifically is a collection of separate Masonic Bodies and associated Degrees that would otherwise operate independently. The three primary bodies in the York Rite are the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Council of Royal & Select Masters (or Council of Cryptic Masons), and the Commandery of Knights Templar, each of which are governed independently but are all considered to be a part of the York Rite.