Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis, Pearl of the Orient College
Manila, Philippines
Summer Solstice Ingathering - June 22, 2026
Scottish Rite Temple, Manila
OFFICERS OF THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT COLLEGE
Term of June 2025 – June 2026
Chief Adept RWF Evaristo A. Leviste IX°
Celebrant RWF Gabriel Comia Jr IX°
Suffragan VWF Andrew James S. Ibarra VIII°
Treasurer RWF Arlen P. De Guzman IX°
Secretary RWF Alvan Joseph T. Balazo IX°
First Ancient WF Ryan Oliver M. Felipe VII °
Second Ancient WF Genesis V. Aquino VII°
Third Ancient WF Rodan Delizo VII°
Fourth Ancient WF Gerald D. Ege VII°
Conductor of NovicesRWF Alvan Joseph T. Balazo IX°
Organist WF McKentyre V. Cabrera VII°
First Herald WF Emmanuel R. Bravo VII°
Second Herald F Jesher Y. Go IV°
Torch Bearer WF Iluminado S. Prieto III VII°
Guardian of the CavernsF Benjamin Reuel R. Ortiguero IV°
Medalist WF Edgar D. Lim IV°
Acolyte F Ruel L Ditan IV°
Librarian F Victor Antonio T. Espejo IV°
Prelate F Laudemer A. Astudillo
Auditor RWF Nestor V. Tampol, IX°
Cyber Director RWF Giovanni A. Villegas VIII°
Closing Message of the Celebrant
Summer Solstice Ingathering – June 22, 2026
Cari Fratres,
As we gather at the threshold of the Summer Solstice, the season when the Light reaches its greatest outward expression, I stand before you with a heart filled with gratitude as my term as Celebrant draws to a close.
The past year has been a journey of learning, service, and fellowship. Together, we have sought to deepen our understanding of the Rosicrucian Tradition, not merely through study, but through the application of its principles in our daily lives.
Throughout our convocations, we have reflected upon the symbolism of the Rose and the Cross, the mysteries of the Four Ancients, the path of Spiritual Alchemy, and the timeless quest for Light. Yet beyond the rituals, lectures, and discussions, the true Work has been the transformation of our own hearts and minds.
Before concluding, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to our Chief Adept, R.W. Frater Evaristo A. Leviste, IX°, whose steadfast leadership, wisdom, and dedication have guided the Pearl of the Orient College throughout the years. His example of service and commitment to the Rosicrucian Tradition has been a source of inspiration to all of us. We are grateful for his continued efforts to preserve the integrity of our Work and to foster the growth of our Fraternity.
I likewise extend my heartfelt appreciation to our Director General of Studies, R.W. Frater Bruce Renner, IX°whose guidance and encouragement have inspired Colleges throughout the Society to pursue excellence in scholarship, study, and service. His vision continues to illuminate the path of Rosicrucian learning and spiritual development.
To the Officers and Fratres of the Pearl of the Orient College, I offer my deepest thanks for your friendship, support, and dedication. Whatever accomplishments have been achieved during my term as Celebrant have been possible only through our collective efforts and shared devotion to the Great Work.
As I conclude my service as Celebrant, I do so with confidence in the future of our College. The Light entrusted to us is not the possession of any one officer, but a sacred flame passed from hand to hand, generation to generation. May those who assume leadership continue to nurture that flame with wisdom, humility, and brotherly love.
The Summer Solstice reminds us that after the sun reaches its highest point, it begins its gradual return inward. Likewise, the true Rosicrucian learns that external achievements find their highest purpose only when they lead to inner illumination.
May we therefore continue our journey from knowledge to wisdom, from wisdom to understanding, and from understanding to the realization of the Divine Presence within.
As the ancient maxim reminds us:
Lux ex Tenebris — Light out of Darkness.
May the Light of the Eternal Wisdom guide and protect each of you.
With sincere gratitude and fraternal affection,
Frater Gabriel C. Comia Jr., Magus IX°
Celebrant, Pearl of the Orient College
Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis
Ad Lucem per Scientiam et Amorem
(Toward the Light through Knowledge and Love)
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Conferrals
Congratulations to the newly conferred III° Practicus and IV° Philosophus:
Jaime B. Rocamora, Jr., IV°
Laudemer A. Astudillo, IV°
Ben D. Osorio, IV°
Franklin S. Hernandez, IV°
Mariano Ong Tan Ka, IV°
Arnaud Joe S. Pompa, IV°
Ronaldo M. Asuncion, IV°
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https://sricf.org/
History of Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis
Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis – Encyclopedic Entry
By Right Worthy Frater David Lindez IX° KGC, Grand Archivist, SRICF High Council
The Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis is a Rosicrucian Society based in the United States of America extending from its formation of a Grand High Council on April 21st, 1880 and its official consecration on September 21, 1880, by three Colleges chartered by the Societas Rosicruciana In Scotia.[1] High Grade Christian Freemasons in the United States in search of the Classical Rosicrucian Society for Masons in the United Kingdom became interested in organizing a similar body in the United States and did so under Scotland’s authority (Societas Rosicruciana In Scotia) with the help of Most Worthy Charles Matier of the SRIS, as early as 1873[2]. This effort died out two years later under the care of R.W. Frater George S. Blackie VIII and was then re-chartered by the SRIS later again in 1878. Dr. Jonathon J. French[3] was a IX grade head of the Rosicrucian Society of the United States & opened the Matier Royal Provincial College with a charter from Lord Inverurie, Earl of Kincore and Supreme Magus of the SRIS. The college was named after Charles Fitzgerald Matier, the first Supreme Magus of SRIS who served in 1876. Harold Van Buren Voorhis insists that the Illinois College under Dr. French was never truly active, and it certainly was short-lived as Dr. French died an untimely death in 1879. Harold Voorhis also insisted that Frater Stodart Blackie’s early charter in New York had been nothing more than an unsubstantiated rumor. It has since been established as historical fact.
In 1878 a group of senior U.S. Masons (Daniel Sutter, and Charles W. Parker) led by Charles E. Meyer (1839-1908) of Pennsylvania traveled to England and on July 25th, 1878 were initiated into the grade of Zelator at Yorkshire College at Sheffield[4]. They applied for a charter, but getting no response, turned to Scotland and received a charter from the college in Edinburgh in 1879. Scotland’s Society is actually the oldest as Walter Spencer is recorded as having been initiated into the SRIS by Anthony Oneil Haye in 1857, and there are documents in the SRIA archives that show that both Robert Wentworth Little and William J. Hughan were initiated in 1866 & 1867 by Anthony O’Neal Haye, Magus Max, Ros. Soc. Scot. With H.H.M. Bairnfathur signing as Secretary. The Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia[5] was formed in England in 1866 by Robert Wentworth Little. The SRIA later felt the need to charter the current SRIS on October 24, 1873.[6]
A second charter was granted by the SRIS for a college in New York, and Fratres from Philadelphia and New York met in Philadelphia on April 21, 1880 and formed a High Council, then known as the SRRCA or the Societas Rosicrucianae Reipublica Confoedera America, was later changed to the Society of Rosicrucians in the USA by Most Worthy Frater Shryock in his capacity as Supreme Magus and then properly Latinized in 1934 by & at the suggestion of Dr. William Moseley Brown under the regime of Most Worthy Frater Hamilton. Brown composed the name (Societas Rosicruciana In Civitatibus Foederatis) himself and submitted it on January 17th, 1934. The SRICF has operated continuously since its formation in the 19th Century, and is thriving today with an upsurge of young Masons being invited into its ranks with great enthusiasm and demonstrated scholarship.
Membership is by invitation only & predicated on regular mainstream Masonic affiliation as well as a profession of Christian faith. Membership was initially restricted to 36 members per College, but this was changed in 1908 by MW Thomas Shryock to 72 members per college. The See of the High Council is in Washington, D.C. The SRICF is in amity with the SRIS (Scotia) and the SRIA (Anglia) as well as the SRIC (Canada) and has helped the cause of Rosicruciana by empowering High Councils in their own sovereignty around the World. They are: the SRIL in Lusitania (Portugal), SRIG in Gallia (France) & the SRIR (Romania).
The society issues an annual journal known as Ad Lucem composed of academic articles on things related to Rosicrucianism & esoteric streams of Christian Mysteries. There is also an annual report, The Rosicrucian Fama. Many of the Colleges have their own individual organs[7] which are produced quarterly as well as annually. The governing body of the Society is known since 1911 (having dropped ‘Grand’ from its title) as The High Council which is composed of Fratres of the Third Order (IX and VIII), plus any College Celebrant not a member of the Third Order. The head of the Society is titled The Supreme Magus who was elected ad vitam up until circa 1991 when the constitution of the Society was changed to reflect that Supreme Magi are elected each triennium. Unlike the SRIA in England, a Chief Adept in the SRICF does not have regional powers, but rather is in charge of an individual College. Typically there is but one College per state, exceptions having been made for both New York and California due to their size and population.
