38th Public Installation of Officers - Masonic Year A.L. 6026 MW RWRQP MASONIC LODGE No. 282
January 31, 2026, Plaridel Masonic Temple. 1440 San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila
Gabriel Comia, Jr. l Grand Lodge of the Philippines l SRICF, Pearl of the Orient College l Manila York Rite College l Allied Masonic Degrees l Asoka Conclave - Red Cross of Constantine I Athelstan Court l El Fraile Assemblage -Worshipful Society of Free Masons (The Operatives) l
38th Public Installation of Officers - Masonic Year A.L. 6026 MW RWRQP MASONIC LODGE No. 282
January 31, 2026, Plaridel Masonic Temple. 1440 San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila
The foundation of our Order rests upon an event of profound historical and spiritual significance.
In the year A.D. 312, as Constantine prepared for the fateful Battle of the Milvian Bridge, he perceived in the heavens a Cross of Light, brighter than the sun.
Encircling this radiant symbol were the immortal words:
IN HOC SIGNO VINCES
“By this Sign, thou shalt conquer.”
This vision, witnessed in the sky and later confirmed in a dream, was not merely an omen of military victory but a divine revelation that transformed an empire and changed the course of civilization.
IHSV in the Asoka Conclave, Order of the Red Cross of Constantine
Within the Order of the Red Cross of Constantine, the sacred acronym IHSV represents the 16-letter motto revealed to Emperor Constantine in A.D. 312:
“By this Sign, Thou Shalt Conquer.”
This phrase is the spiritual foundation of the Order and its knighthood.
The phrase contains exactly 16 letters:
IN (2)
HOC (3)
SIGNO (5)
VINCES (6)
= 16 letters
These 16 letters summarize the entire Constantinian vision and the mission of every Knight.
Thus, the Order uses the four-letter cipher IHSV.
"In" the service and obedience to the Divine Will.
"This": referring specifically to the heavenly Sign revealed to Constantine—the Cross of Light.
"In this Sign": the Labarum, bearing the Chi-Rho monogram of Christ.
"Thou shalt conquer":
Victory through Faith, Virtue, Duty, and Moral Courage, not warfare.
This is the inner knightly meaning:
Moral conquest, through the Cross.
Constantine sees a Cross of Light in the sky.
Around it are the words In Hoc Signo Vinces.
Christ instructs him to adopt this sign as his standard.
Constantine’s army wins under the Labarum.
Christianity emerges from persecution into triumph.
This event is the origin of the Order—
and the reason every Knight bears IHSV on jewels, banners, and rituals.
conquering prejudice and falsehood
conquering corruption and injustice
conquering one’s lower nature
conquering darkness by the Light of the Cross
Thus, IHSV is not triumphant by the sword,
But triumph by character.
This is why RCC emphasizes:
Duty
Honor
Faith
Leadership
Christian virtue
“IHSV is the vow of every Knight of the Red Cross of Constantine: that by the Light of the Cross, we conquer not men, but falsehood; not nations, but our own passions; not by force, but by faith, duty, and righteousness.”
—------------------------------------------------------------
December 8, 2025, Conclave
Conferral of Two Knight Masons
Knight Companion Herbert Jay Dael
Knight Companion Ronald Asuncion
Present:
Sonny Leviste - Recorder
Jomel Maranan - Piussant Sovereign (Conferral)
Pravin Sharma - Eminent Viceroy
JP Abergas - Senior General
Alvan Balazo -Prefect
Arlen De Guzman - Prelate
Toto Lubag - Piussant Sovereign - incumbent
Gabby Comia - Standard Bearer
Jesher Go - Herald
Lito Villarin -
Gene Aquino - Orator
Mariano Ong Tan Ka
Manila Jockey Club Masonic Temple, Carmona, Cavite
August 16, 2025 Convocation Meeting
Excellent High Priest - Jun San Luis
King - Tony Limpoco
Scribe - Luigi Lota
Principal Sojorner - Most Excellent High Priest Sonny Leviste
Chaplain - Gio
Captain of the Host - Gabby Comia, Jr
Royal Arch Captain - Nonoy Bassig
Master of the 3rd Veil - Norman Cruz
Master of the 2nd Veil -
master of the 1st Veil
Pearl of the Orient College, SRICF ingathering June 23, 2025, Conferral of Second Grade Theoricus
Celebrant’s Address
Pearl of the Orient College, SRICF – June Convocation
Fratres,
Light and peace be upon you all.
Tonight, as I accept the honor of serving as Celebrant of our College, I do so not as one elevated above others, but as one called to remember—to awaken what has long been written in the Book of the Soul.
We are not strangers gathered by chance. We are souls who have known each other before—brothers in the ancient mysteries, seekers of the unseen, pilgrims who once walked the sacred paths of Eleusis, Alexandria, Qumran, and Heliopolis. We were there, in veiled silence, when the hierophants whispered truth beneath stone arches, where the light of the Logos flickered through the Temple's veil.
Some among us were scribes of lost tongues, others healers, architects, philosophers—bearers of the Rose and Cross before it ever found its name. We have worn many garments, lived under many stars, but our longing remained the same: to know, to serve, and to transmute the self into Light.
Our College is not merely a body of learned men—it is a vessel of remembrance. A place where the soul’s compass realigns to the celestial north of Truth. And that Truth tells us: we are one body, born of one Flame, divided only by time, united again by intention.
In this incarnation, we find ourselves once more in the Pearl of the Orient—a name not lightly given. For as the pearl is formed through pressure, time, and hidden travail, so too has our nation—and each of our souls—been shaped to carry forth the sacred tradition entrusted to us by the Invisible College.
It is not coincidence but karmic convergence that has drawn us together again. For the Great Work requires hands, hearts, and voices. Not merely to preserve—but to kindle the ancient fire in a world that has forgotten its warmth.
As Celebrant, I vow to uphold the sanctity of our rituals, not as mere ceremony, but as encoded messages from a higher realm—each word, each gesture, a key to unlock the divine pattern within.
1. Enlightenment Through Articles:
I shall publish and share monthly articles—not merely academic, but contemplative pieces—intended to awaken the deeper meaning behind our rites and symbols. These reflections shall be made accessible to all Fratres, to serve as food for the soul and fire for the intellect.
2. Study of the 17 Treatises of the Corpus Hermeticum:
Together we will explore these Hermetic texts—each a glyph of divine gnosis, offering insight into the Mind of God (Nous), the journey of the soul, and the path of return. For within these writings lies a roadmap of our divine origin, our fall into matter, and our eventual transmutation.
3. The Book of Alchemy and the Path of the Rose:
We shall trace the alchemical processes—Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, Rubedo—not as mere chemical allegories, but as inner realities. This shall culminate in a Rosicrucian reflection on Dat Rosa Mel Apibus—that sacred maxim: “The Rose gives honey to the bees.” We, the bees, must gather from the Rose the nectar of divine wisdom.
4. The Ancient Maze as the Inner Journey:
We will contemplate the labyrinth—not as a physical puzzle, but as the soul’s spiral path toward the center, where the divine dwells. In this maze, every turn is a trial, every dead end a teaching, every center a mirror of the One.
5. Cross-Tradition Synthesis:
We shall look beyond the borders of dogma—integrating Hermeticism, Kabbalah, Vedic wisdom, and Rosicrucian philosophy. Our College shall serve as a vessel of Syncretic Light, true to the spirit of the Invisible College that transcends time, nation, and creed.
Fratres,
The role of Celebrant is not to lead from the front, but to hold the flame steady while each soul kindles its own torch. I vow to serve you in this sacred task—so that we may, together, ascend the spiral of inner awakening.
Let this be the year we remember who we truly are:
Not bodies, not titles, not even minds—
But sparks of the divine Fire, sent into the world to know, to love, to serve, and to return.
May the Invisible Masters guide our steps, and may the Rose bloom again in the East.
Ad Rosam per Crucem.
Thank you, my Fratres. May the Spirit of Wisdom guide us in every step, as we unfold the petals of our shared destiny.
38th Public Installation of Officers - Masonic Year A.L. 6026 MW RWRQP MASONIC LODGE No. 282 January 31, 2026, Plaridel Masonic Temple. 1440...