Templar Roots
The Order of the Knights of the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, or the Knights of the Temple was established in 1119. The Templars were the first priestly order of armed knights. The order was created to provide safe transit for Christian Pilgrims visiting the Holy Land from Europe.
Knights taken swore allegiance to the Pope and took vows of poverty, loyalty and chastity. The order grew in numbers and popularity as they fought to keep the Holy Land open. Their business acumen made the most of the gifts granted them by their grateful patrons in Europe.
One of the true supporters of the Templars was Bernard de Clairvaux (later canonized as Saint Bernard) who described them in 1135 as, “A Templar Knight is truly a fearless knight, and secure on every side, for his soul is protected by the armour of faith, just as his body is protected by the armour of steel. He is thus doubly armed, and need fear neither demons nor men.”
Despite the sacrifice and devotion of the Templars, in 1307 the order was declared heretical by Pope Clement V acting on the insistence of Phillip the Fair of France. On Friday, October 13, 1307, members of the order in France were arrested. Imprisoned, many were executed, more tortured, and all impoverished. In most of Europe, the Estates of the Order were confiscated and divided between the sovereign, the Knights Hospitalers (Knights of St. John of Jerusalem or Knights of Malta) and the Pope.
When the Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay and the Preceptor of Normandy, Geoffrey de Charney were burned alive, on March 18, 1314, the Templars no longer had a common head, nor could anyone maintain their organization under their old name, which had become so famous.
Their possessions stolen, their leaders incarcerated for life or put to death, the brethren were persecuted in every way. The survivors were compelled to leave their homes to save their lives. They laid aside the garb of the Temple and mingled in the world. Many former Templars joined other orders.
Dispersal to Scotland
In Portugal, they were announced as innocent and the name of the order was changed to the Order of Christ. In England, King Edward proscribed them and forbade them to remain in the realm, unless they entered the Commandrys of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. In Scotland, they found protection and joined the army with which King Robert Bruce met the invasion of his country led by Edward II of England.
The Battle of Bannockburn was being fought on the 24th day of June, 1314 when a group of exiled Templars rode into the fray and turned the tide of battle. This intervention may well have tipped the scales in favor of Scottish independence.
In gratitude for their assistance on that memorable day by the Templars, Robert the Bruce created the Order of Saint Andrew du Chardon (of the Thistle) of Scotland.
King Robert reserved the title of Grand Master for himself and his successors forever. He granted a charter of land to the new members of his new Order. Prince Charles Edward Stuart was the last Grand Master of the Scottish Order and exercised his powers by establishing a Chapter of Rose Croix at Arres, France.
Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite
When the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite was organized in the early 1730s, explanatory degrees were added to those of the Blue Lodge. Degrees of the Rites of Heredom and Perfection along with other degrees and rites from Scotland, France, and Germany were added. The 29th Degree became the “Scottish Knight of St. Andrew.” Exemplifying the qualities of the Knights Templars and those of the Order of St. Andrew du Chardon, this degree remains with us today.
KSA – A Black Cap Organization
In early 1993 the late, Ill. Weldon Good, 33rd of the Tulsa Valley of Oklahoma saw a need for assistance during reunions. He also noticed that Masons were joining the Scottish Rite but many were not returning to help and participate in later reunions. To rectify this, he established the organization now known as the Knights of St Andrew as a service group for the valley. This fulfilled the dual purpose of assisting the valley and giving members reasons to be further involved in valley activities.
Although not based on the 29th Degree, the Knights of St. Andrew are devoted to Service, Loyalty and Truth by emulation of the characteristics of the older organizations – the Knights Templar, and the Order of St. Andrew du Chardon.
The by-laws state that the Knights of St. Andrew are a “Black Cap” group. Any member who subsequently receives the KCCH – Knights Commander of the Court of Honor – can not hold an office or vote although they can still work and assist in functions of the chapter. The main duties of the Knights of St. Andrew were, and are, to assist as needed during a reunion and be available to the Valley’s General Secretary for any other assigned duties.
Finding that the Knights of St. Andrew worked well in the Tulsa Valley, Brother Good offered, with the approval of the SGIG, to charter chapters in the other two Valleys of Oklahoma – Guthrie and McAlester. Guthrie was chartered in October 1993 and McAlester early in 1994.
Guthrie Knights of St. Andrew
The Guthrie Chapter of the Knights of St. Andrew has flourished and celebrated our twentieth Charter anniversary in 2013. Over the years, Knights have had many assignments during reunions, some of which have become permanent responsibilities. They assist with the opening ceremony of each reunion, attired in kilts and with bagpipes playing. They carry and post the banners of each Scottish Rite Lodge and the Scottish Rite Banner; place swords on a stand in front of the stage and present the American and Oklahoma flags. As the opening progresses, Knights escort the Masters of each Lodge, the Valley’s General Secretary, Grand Master of Oklahoma Masons, the SGIG of Oklahoma, visiting SGIGs and other dignitaries to the front.
Chapters Chartered by Valley of Guthrie Knights of St. Andrew
1 – Wichita, KS 1997
2 – Lake Charles, LA 2001
3 – Baton Rouge, LA 2002
4 – Ft. Worth, TX 2002
5 – Sioux Falls, SD 2003
6 – Monroe, LA 2003
7 – Chattanooga, TN 2003
8 – NE Kansas, KS 2004
9 – Savannah, GA 2004
10 – San Antonio, TX 2004
11 – Olympia, WA 2005
12 – New Orleans, LA 2005
13 – Shreveport, LA 2005
14 – Meridian, MS 2007
15 – Little Rock, AR 2008
16 – Cumerland, MD 2009
17 – Baltimore, MD 2009
18 – Tuscon, AZ 2009
19 – St Joesph, MO 2011
20 – El Paso, TX 2012
21 – Phoenix, AZ 2012
22 – Jackson, MS 2013
23 – Fayetteville, AR 2014
24 – Cornith, MS 2014
25 – Frederick, MD 2014
26 – Altoona, Pa. (NMJ) 2015
27 – Jonesboro, AR 2015
28 – Northern Valley, NJ 2016
29 – Gulfport, MS 2016
30 – Columbus, GA 2016
31 – Susquehanna, MD 2016
32 – Hattisburg, MS 2017
33 – Charleston, WV 2017
34 – Columbus, OH (NMJ) 2018
35 – Philadelphia, PA (NMJ) 2018
36 – Logan, W. Va. 2019
37 – Vancouver, WA 2020
38 – Baker, OR 2020
39 – Kaw Valley, KS 2021