With the approaching celebration of our Grand Chapter’s Sesquicentennial, it may be of some value to revisit an issue that has probably arisen numerous times over the course of our history and, in the recent past, seems to have surfaced every few years; i. e., the numbering of our Annual Convocations and Grand High Priests, appearing most noticeably in the published Annual Proceedings of the Grand Chapter.

Frequently, some Companion, as often as not an incoming Grand High Priest, has, rather than relying on the numbers appearing in the Proceedings, attempted to calculate for himself the number of the current or ensuing Annual Convocation or Grand High Priest, based on a subtraction of the year of our founding from the current year. This has led to untold instances over the years of erroneous numbers being printed or engraved on Grand High Priests’ business cards, plaques, tokens, etc. To understand the cause of this, we need to review a few details of our history.

The Grand Chapter of California was chartered in July, 1854 and will, therefore, be 150 years old in July, 2004, at which time there will indeed have been 150 Grand High Priests, 149 of whom having completed their terms in office. But if one counts forward from 1854, the year of the first Annual Convocation and election of our first Grand High Priest, 2004 should mark the year of the 151st Annual Convocation and election of our 151st Grand High Priest. This is not the case, however, as there will have been only 149 full terms of office in the 150 years of the Grand Chapter’s existence and we will actually be holding the 150th Annual Convocation during our Sesquicentennial year. Why? The explanation, which follows, may be found in information contained in Proceedings of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the State of California, Vol. III, 1865-1871.

Article IV, Section 1 of the original Grand Chapter Constitution stipulated that the Annual Convocation begin on the Monday following commencement of the Annual Communication of Grand Lodge; i. e., during the month of October. This section remained in effect until the 15th Annual Convocation, held on October 19-20, 1868 in San Francisco and presided over by our 14th Most Excellent Grand High Priest, Isaac S. Titus. During this Convocation of Grand Chapter, Article IV, Section 1 was amended, changing the beginning date of the Annual Convocation to the first Tuesday in April of each year. At the same session, however, a resolution or special amendment was adopted, temporarily overriding this amendment and providing that, “The next Annual Convocation of the Grand Chapter shall be held on the second Tuesday in April, 1870.” Thus, there was no Annual Convocation in 1869 and our 15th Most Excellent Grand High Priest, John W. Harville, and his corps of officers held their offices from October, 1868 until April, 1870, when the 16th Annual Convocation was held.

In 1868, the Grand Commandery of California, formed in 1858, four years after formation of the Grand Chapter, and the Grand Council of California, chartered two years later in 1860, adopted like amendments to their Constitutions. As a result, there was, likewise, no Annual Assembly of Grand Council or Annual Conclave of Grand Commandery held in 1869, resulting in analogous one year differences in their respective numbering systems from those based on simple subtraction of year of formation from the current year.

Thus, as we approach our Sesquicentennial celebration, our current Grand High Priest for 2003-04, Most Excellent Companion Edgar W. Fentum, is the 149th to be entrusted with this high office. In due course, he will enjoy the distinction of having presided over the 150th Annual Convocation of the Grand Chapter and overseeing the election of his successor, the 150th Most Excellent Grand High Priest.