The Rose Croix is the first step in the path to becoming a 33rd Degree Freemason in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite under the Scottish Constitution. The Thirty-third Degree is the last and highest Degree in Freemasonry and can only be reached by progressing through the various Degrees which are:

• Knight of the Eagle and Pelican or 18°

• Grand Elect Knight Kadosh or 30°

• Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander or 31°

• Sublime and Valiant Prince or 32°

• Sovereign Grand Inspector General or 33°

The Rose Croix is open to all Freemasons who:

• Have qualified as a Master Mason for an eligible period;

• Are in good standing in a Craft Lodge; and

• Profess a belief in the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

It is not necessary to have held Office in a Craft Lodge or to have been through the Chair of Worshipful Master, nor is it necessary to be a member of the Mark, Holy Royal Arch Degrees or any other Degrees. The Rose Croix ceremony is performed in Sovereign Chapters which, in Australia, are located in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

Admission to the Rose Croix or 18° is an immense privilege in which a Freemason becomes part of a worldwide fraternity known as the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

The Ceremony of ‘Perfection’ not only marks your admission to the 18th Degree in Freemasonry, but a great milestone in your Masonic career and is performed after the Degrees from the 4th to the 17th are conferred.

The Rose Croix Degree may be regarded as building upon the knowledge gained in the Craft, Mark and Chapter Degrees although the latter two are not prerequisites for acceptance into the Rite.

Christian allegory and the finest of Masonic Ceremonial converge in a colourful climax to the Degree ritual in which the Candidate becomes a “Knight of the Eagle and Pelican and Sovereign Prince Rose of the Cross”; more commonly known as an Excellent and Perfect Companion.

Equipped with the skill and knowledge of a Craftsman from your progression through the first, second and third Degrees of the Craft, ‘Perfection’ in the Rose Croix Degree marks a Mason’s progress from the Craft to the philosophical Degrees in Freemasonry.

The Ceremony is centred on an allegory that continues your Masonic journey and will acquaint you with the cardinal virtues of the Christian Faith. The allegory in this Degree is chiefly concerned with the most fundamental elements of Christian belief – the Death and Resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It inculcates the essential values of the Christian religion; namely faith in the Sovereign Architect of the Universe, hope for Salvation and Universal Charity.

From earliest times Christian symbols have been used to teach the fundamentals of the faith and the use of Christian symbols in this Degree continues to deepen that knowledge. The symbols of this Degree are derived from the ‘early church’ and their significance is amplified by the charges given by the Officers of the Chapter during the Ceremony. The rewards of the Degree lie in the fraternal union with like-minded Companions in a spiritual bond of peace and Christian friendship.

It is an immense privilege to be accepted into this Degree and its members highly prize the honour bestowed upon them.