Edmund Jurgelewicz

The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry

The Supreme Council, 33° | Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, SJ, USA is headquartered in the House of the Temple in downtown Washington, D.C. It is the governing body of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in its jurisdiction, and is one of two Supreme Councils in the United States. It oversees the Scottish Rite in 35 states. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is commonly known as the Scottish Rite. It is one of several groups that are part of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry. The Scottish Rite is the largest and most widely practiced Masonic Rite in the world and employs a Lodge system. It is our mission to improve its members and enhance the communities in which they live by teaching and emulating the principles of Brotherly Love, Tolerance, Charity, and Truth while actively embracing high social, moral, and spiritual values including fellowship, compassion, and dedication to God, family and country. The House of the Temple, which includes a library, archives, and museum, is open to visitors for guided tours. It contains books on Freemasonry including history, philosophy, symbolism, poetry, lodge proceedings, and periodicals. In addition, the fraternity's two major philanthropic branches are headquartered here. 1) The Scottish Rite Foundation: Raises funds and awareness for the Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program, several scholarship programs, and natural disaster relief funds. 2) House of the Temple Historic Preservation Foundation: Funds the reparation and restoration of our headquarters, which was designed by renowned architect, John Russell Pope, in 1915.