The Southwest Region consists of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Once a year, these conclaves come together to exemplify the degrees of the Red Cross of Constantine and the Orders of the Holy Sepulcher and St. John the Evangelist. The location of the convention is rotated between each Intendant General’s territory.
The Order
The Red Cross of Constantine is officially the Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine and the Appendant Orders of the Holy Sepulcher and of St. John the Evangelist, the latter two of which are called the Appendant Orders. There are also two chair degrees conferred on the Viceroy and Sovereign of a Conclave, and two honorary orders: Knight Commander of Constantine and Knight Grand Cross. The governing body of the Order for the United States of America, the Republic of Mexico, and the Republic of the Philippines, and their territories, is styled the United Grand Imperial Council of Knights of the Red Cross of Constantine and Appendant Orders for the United States of America, Mexico, and the Philippines.
The purpose of the Constantinian Orders is to commemorate the first elevation of Christianity from the position of a despised and proscribed heresy to that of a legally recognized and honored religion, to cultivate the social virtues, appeal to the intellectual and moral qualities, preserve as far as possible the customs of the fraternity, and bring about good fellowship and understanding between all branches of Masonry.
Knights Companions of the Order meet in Conclaves of the Red Cross of Constantine, and a member must be a Royal Arch Mason in good standing and subscribe to a belief in the Christian religion as revealed in the New Testament. Membership is by invitation, and each Conclave has a prescribed membership limit.
Knight of St. John the Evangelist
Knight Companion of the Red Cross of Constantine
The foundational degree of the Order, the Red Cross of Constantine, centers on the pivotal moment preceding the battle at the Saxa Rubra in 312 AD, where Emperor Constantine beheld the vision of the fiery cross in the sky bearing the inscription In Hoc Signo Vinces (“In This Sign Thou Shalt Conquer”). Upon his subsequent conversion and victory, Constantine established this Christian Order of Knighthood to foster faith, chivalry, and unity among his most trusted commanders. Knights Companion are called to embrace these timeless principles—seeking spiritual enlightenment, practicing brotherly love, and upholding the noble virtues of Christian chivalry in their daily lives and communities.
Knight of the Holy Sepulcher
The Order of the Holy Sepulcher is an appendant degree that deepens the Christian Freemason’s contemplation of faith, mortality, and resurrection. Historically tied to the traditions surrounding the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, Empress and mother of Constantine, the ceremony guides the candidate through the dark hours of Christ’s burial in the tomb to the triumph of the Resurrection. Knights of the Holy Sepulcher are charged with guarding the sacred traditions of the Christian faith, cultivating unwavering patience in trials, and acting as vigilant sentinels of truth and moral integrity.
Knight of St. John the Evangelist
Completing the triad of degrees, the Knight of St. John the Evangelist offers a profound exploration of Christian symbolism and divine revelation. Drawing upon the mystical tradition associated with the beloved disciple and the holy city of Jerusalem, this degree reveals the spiritual interpretation of the Craft’s symbols through the lens of faith and brotherly love. Knights of St. John are inspired to embody the spirit of charity, seeking higher wisdom and demonstrating an enduring dedication to the service of humanity under the banner of the Cross.