Order of the Amaranth is a Masonic-affiliated women's organization founded in 1873. As in the Order of the Eastern Star, members of the Order must be age 18 and older; men must be Master Masons; and women must be related to Masons as wives, mothers, daughters, widows, sisters, nieces, aunts, et cetera, or have been active members of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls or Job's Daughters International for more than three years and be recommended by a Master Mason.[citation needed]
Amaranth was based on Queen Christina of Sweden's court. Christina had created the "Order of the Amarantha" for the ladies and knights of her court. In 1860, James B. Taylor of Newark, New Jersey drew upon this order to create a new fraternal society. In 1873, Rob Macoy organized Taylor's society into the Order of the Amaranth, part of a proposed Adoptive Rite of Masonry. Eastern Star was to be the first degree, and until 1921, Amaranth members were required to join Eastern Star first.[1]
In the Order's teachings, the members are emphatically reminded of their duties to God, to their country and to their fellow beings. They are urged to portray, by precept and example, their belief in the "Golden Rule" and by conforming to the virtues inherent in TRUTH, FAITH, WISDOM and CHARITY they can prove to others the goodness promulgated by the Order.[2]
Amaranth is organized into Courts, under Grand Courts at the State level. The primary body is called the Supreme Council (which has some subordinate Courts directly under it, as well). Women members of the Order are addressed as "Honored Lady", while men are referred to as "Sir Knight".
Officers
The officers of a Court are:
Royal Matron - presiding officer
Royal Patron - enforces the rules of the order
Associate Matron - assumes the duties of the Royal Matron in the absence of that officer
Associate Patron - assumes the duties of the Royal Patron in the absence of that officer
Secretary- takes care the courts business
Treasurer- takes care of the courts money
Conductress - leads candidates through the degree of the order
Associate Conductress - assist the conductress
Prelate - leads the Court in prayer
Historian - keeps records of the court
Marshal in the East - escorts the royal matron, displays the flag of the country
Marshal in the West - assist the marshal in the east
Organist - provides music for the meetings
Truth
Faith
Wisdom
Charity
Standard Bearer - displays the banner of the order
Trustee - a three year term, with a new trustee elected every year.
Warder - Sits next to the door inside the meeting room, to make sure those that enter the court room are members of the Order.
Sentinel - Sits next to the door outside the court room, to make sure those that wish to enter are members of the Order.
The order's philanthropic project is the Amaranth Diabetes Foundation. The flag of the appropriate country is prominently displayed at all meetings.
Order of the Eastern Star
The Order was created by Rob Morris in 1850 when, while confined by illness, he set down the principles of the order in his Rosary of the Eastern Star. By 1855, he had organized a "Supreme Constellation" in New York, which chartered chapters throughout the United States.
In 1866, Dr. Morris started working with Robert Macoy, and handed the Order over to him while Morris was traveling in the Holy Land. Macoy organized the current system of Chapters, and modified Dr. Morris' Rosary into a Ritual.
On December 1, 1874, the Queen Esther Chapter No. 1 (Esther meaning "star" in Hebrew) became the first Prince Hall Affiliate chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star when it was established in Washington, D.C. by Thornton Andrew Jackson.[3]
The "General Grand Chapter" was formed in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 6, 1876. Committees formed at that time created the Ritual of the Order of the Eastern Star in more or less its current form.[
The Order of the Eastern Star is the largest fraternal organization in the world that both men and women can join. It was established in 1850 by Rob Morris, a lawyer and educator from Boston, Massachusetts, who had been an official with the Freemasons. It is based on teachings from the Bible,[1] but is open to people of all monotheistic faiths. It has approximately 10,000 chapters in twenty countries and approximately one million members under its General Grand Chapter. Members of the Order are aged 18 and older; men must be Master Masons and women must have specific relationships with Masons. Originally, a woman would have to be the daughter, widow, wife, sister, or mother of a master Mason, but the Order now allows other relatives[2] as well as allowing Job's Daughters, Rainbow Girls, and Triangle Girls to become members when they become of age.
The emblem of the Order is a five-pointed star with the white ray of the star pointing downwards towards the manger. In the Chapter room, the downward-pointing white ray points to the West. The character-building lessons taught in the Order are stories inspired by Biblical figures:
Adah (Jephthah's daughter, from Judges)
Ruth, the widow
Esther, the wife
Martha (sister of Lazarus, from the Gospel of John)
Electa (the "elect lady", from II John), the mother
There are 18 main officers in a full chapter:
Worthy Matron - presiding officer
Worthy Patron - a Master Mason who provides general supervision
Associate Matron - assumes the duties of the Worthy Matron in the absence of that officer
Associate Patron - assumes the duties of the Worthy Patron in the absence of that officer
Secretary
Treasurer
Conductress - Leads visitors and initiations.
Associate Conductress - Assists with introductions and handles ballot box.
Chaplain - leads the Chapter in prayer
Marshal
Organist
Adah
Ruth
Esther
Martha
Electa
Warder - Sits next to the door inside the meeting room, to make sure those that enter the chapter room are members of the Order.
Sentinel - Sits next to the door outside the chapter room, to make sure those that wish to enter are members of the Order.
Traditionally, a woman who is elected Associate Conductress will the following year be elected to Conductress, then the next year Associate Matron, and the next year Worthy Matron. A man elected Associate Patron will usually the next year be elected Worthy Patron. Usually the woman who is elected to become Associate Matron will let it be known who she wishes to be her Associate Patron, so the next year they will both go to the East together as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron. There is no male counterpart to the Conductress and Associate Conductress. Only women are allowed to be Matrons, Conductresses, and the Star Points (Adah, Ruth, etc.) and only men can be Patrons.
The General Grand Chapter headquarters, the International Temple, is located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the former Perry Belmont Mansion. The mansion was built in 1909 for the purpose of entertaining the guests of Perry Belmont. This included Britain's Prince of Wales in 1919. General Grand Chapter purchased the building in 1935. The secretary of General Grand Chapter lives there while serving his or her term of office. The mansion features works of art from around the world, most of which were given as gifts from various international Eastern Star chapters.
Charities
The Order has a charitable foundation [5] and from 1986-2001 contributed $513,147 to Alzheimer's disease research, juvenile diabetes research, and juvenile asthma research. It also provides bursaries to students of theology and religious music, as well as other scholarships that differ by jurisdiction. In 2000 over $83,000 was donated. Many jurisdictions support a Masonic and/or Eastern Star retirement center or nursing home for older members; some homes are also open to the public. The Elizabeth Bentley OES Scholarship Fund was started in 1947
Famous members
Clara Barton[8]
Caroline Ingalls
Eva McGown[9]
Eleanor Roosevelt
Carrie Ingalls Swanzey (daughter of Caroline and sister of Laura)
Laura Ingalls Wilder[10]
Zora Neal Hurston
Nikki Giovanni
Maya Angelou
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