Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite
Valley of Madison, WI. NMJ
Supreme Council
Supreme Council
The Supreme Council, 33°, for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction is the governing body for Scottish Rite Freemasonry. With its headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts, the Supreme Council is a board of directors comprised of some fifty 33° Masons, called "Active Members." The chief executive officer's title is Sovereign Grand Commander.
Each of the 15 states within the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction has an Active Member designated as a "Deputy," who is the executive officer for the Rite within his state. He is supported by the remaining Active Members of the state. There is at least one Active Member in addition to the Deputy in each state. Some states have as many as five Active Members. The purposes of the Supreme Council are clearly defined in its Declaration of Principles.
The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction oversees the bodies in 15 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Vermont. In the Northern Jurisdiction the Supreme Council consists of no more than 66 members.
The Supreme Council meets on an annual basis, at which time the business of the Rite is transacted and the 33° is conferred on those who have been elected to receive this honor. From a membership of more than 200,000 32° Masons, less than 3,500 have been elevated to the 33°, for which they have been given the title of "Honorary Member." Within each state are local Valleys, where degrees from the 4° - 32° are conferred.
Sovereign Grand Commander
John William McNaughton first knelt at the altar of Masonry in 1974 at Maumee Lodge, No.725, in Fort Wayne, IN. The following year he became a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret, 32°, in the Valley of Fort Wayne.
He is also a member of Mizpah Shrine and Fort Wayne
Commandery, No. 4. Brother McNaughton served as Worshipful Master of Maumee Lodge in 1992 and then as Thrice Potent Master of the Fort Wayne Lodge of Perfection in 1996. He was Coroneted a 33° Mason in 1997, and elected an Active Member of the Supreme Council in 1998.
In 2006, at the Annual Session of the Supreme Council in Chicago, Illustrious Brother McNaughton was elected and installed Sovereign Grand Commander.
A lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Commander McNaughton attended Indiana University Bloomington where he earned a degree in forensic science and later became a detective with the Fort Wayne Police Department. Leaving the department in 1983, he joined his father at All Rite Distributing Co. Inc.
He served as president of the Fort Wayne Rotary club and has held various board positions with Trinity Presbyterian Church.
A devoted family man, Commander McNaughton and his lady Judy have two children and four grandchildren.
Location of our headquarters:
33 Marrett Road (Rte 2A)
Lexington, Massachusetts
Our mailing address is:
Supreme Council, 33°
Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite
Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
P.O. Box 519
Lexington, MA 02420-0519
Our telephone number is:
Phone: (781) 862-4410
FAX: (781) 863-1833