The Commemorative Order of St Thomas of Acon -
The Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon, also known as the St. Thomas of Acon, is an independent British Christian Masonic organization with a rich history going back to the medieval era. The Order was constituted in 1973 under charter from The Grand Master’s Council. It was established as a result of twenty years of research in the Guildhall Library in London by John E. N. Walker, the Secretary General of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia. The ancient records of the Order, written in medieval French and Latin, were deposited in the Guildhall Library and escaped the Great Fire of 1666. The Order now operates under the title of The Commemorative Order of St Thomas of Acon.
Membership in the Commemorative Order of
St. Thomas of Acon is restricted to those who
are subscribing members of a Preceptory
(Commandery) in amity with the Great Priory
of the United Religious, Military and Masonic
Order of the Temple of England and Wales
and Provinces Overseas, commonly referred
to as the Knights Templar. Membership in the
Order is by invitation only, and the basic
organization of the Order is a Chapel.
The Order has been dedicated to raising
funds for the support and upkeep of
Canterbury Cathedral. It is noteworthy that
the revival of this very English Order of
Chivalry is due to the untiring efforts of its
first Grand Master, Sir John of Dorking.
Grand Master, Sir Melvyn
of Wud Plumpton
79
