The Chapter of Royal Arch Masons includes four degrees and during the Royal Arch Degree an important discovery was made in which that “which was lost” is found.  The Degrees of the Royal and Select Master complete the Circle of Perfection and tell the story of how it was preserved and the dedicated Masons who worked in secret to preserve it.  The Orders of the Knights Templar tell the story of the Templar Knights who were few in number but were charged with protecting the pilgrims to the Holy Land.  The three bodies of the Rite work closely together to bring the Mason further light. 

The York Rite came to Iowa through the efforts of T. S. Parvin who was instrumental in the foundation of the Grand Lodge of Iowa and the Grand Lodge Library.  He recognized that the intimate connection between the York Rite and the Symbolic Lodge was important and necessary to tell the whole story of Freemasonry.  The degrees and Orders of the York Rite complete the allegory begun with the three Masonic Degrees.  They fill in the gaps in our knowledge and give the Mason more working tools to shape his rough ashlar and make it a building stone for the Supreme Architect’s Temple of Eternity.