Essex Red Cross of Constantine © 2015 - Rights Reserved.
The Masonic and Military Order of the
Red Cross of Constantine
and the orders of
the Holy Sepulchre
and St. John the Evangelist
in England and Wales and
its Divisions and
Conclaves overseas
Division of Essex
In Hoc Signo Vinces
Last Updated
19 June, 2017
Welcome to the official Essex Division Website for the Red Cross of Constantine. It is good to know that you are seeking to know more about Freemasonry and in particular the Christian Orders. Let me for just a moment quickly sketch out what we as an Order bring to the “universal” Masonic movement.
The Red Cross of Constantine or as it is more formally called the “Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine and the Appendant Orders of the Holy Sepulchre and of St. John the Evangelist”, is a Christian Order within Freemasonry. Candidates must already be members of a Freemasons Lodge and a Holy Royal Arch Chapter; they must also be members of the Christian faith and ready to proclaim a belief in the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
The Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine is a “three-degree” Order and with its "Appendant Orders" a total of five degrees are conferred within the system. Installation as a “Knight of the Red Cross of Constantine” is admission to the Order’s first degree and there are two more degrees which follow and also two other distinct Orders of Masonry (both Christian in ethos), all is under the control of the Grand Imperial Conclave of the Order administered world-wide from our headquarters in St. James Street, London.
Grand Imperial Conclave covers all the activities of the “Conclaves” (Individual Units) in England and Wales and also regulates them in Countries such as Jamaica, South Africa, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria.
The Order itself commemorates the miracle at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, in which the Emperor Constantine was granted a vision of the Cross of Christ and instructed to "conquer in this sign". This event led to the legalisation of Christianity and is one of the most significant events in the history of the Christian Church.
Again welcome and thank you for paying the Essex Division of the Red Cross of Constantine Website a visit;
May The Great Three in One keep you ever in his care.
John Railton Simons
Intendant General for the Division of Essex