Sunday, September 25, 2016

My Station and Places: Cellarer

This past summer I was appointed as one of the Provincial Grand Cellarer for the Northwest Province of the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon, USA. The office of Cellarer is a peculiar one in Freemasonry and at each level (local, Provinicial Grand, and Grand) is limited to six in number. The duty of the Cellarer is simple, to fill in for an officer of the Chapel when that officer is absent. This position is significant because the Knight appointed to this position should be knowledgeable of all the various officer positions of the Chapel. The term "cellarer" seems to have been selected as a tie back to our historical roots as the original Order started out as a monastic order.

Outside of Freemasonry, a Cellarer is an official in a monastery who is responsible for the provisioning of food and drink. It seems like a simple job, but research shows that this person's duties required a lot of attention and care. The monastic life requires one to live by a set of strict rules, one of which concerns a particular diet. The Cellarer would be in charge of enforcing this part of the monastic rule along with other logistical duties. While not equal to the abbot of a monastery, the Cellarer is considered an important position, and in many religious communities the Cellarer sits on the Council of Deans along with the abbot. It is said that while the abbot is concerned with the spiritual aspects of monastic life, the Cellarer was in charge of the physical aspect. The Cellarer should be a model of moderation, temperance, patience, and charity.

References

1. Cellarer. (n.d.). Retrieved from Merriam-Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cellarer 

2. Constitution of the Order. (n.d.). Retrieved from Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon, USA: http://www.stthomasacon.org/Constitutions_USA.pdf? 

3. Peterburs, W. (n.d.). Stewardship: the cellarer of the monastery. Retrieved from Ampleforth Abbey: http://www.abbey.ampleforth.org.uk/the-community/the-rule/reflections-on-the-rule/stewardship-the-cellarer-of-the-monastery 

4. Qualifications of the Monastery Cellarer. (n.d.). Retrieved from Monastery of Christ in the Desert: https://christdesert.org/prayer/rule-of-st-benedict/chapter-31-qualifications-of-the-monastery-cellarer/

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