The Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis (SRICF) represents the authentic establishment and continuous operation of the Rosicrucian Society in the United States. Its origins lie in the latter half of the nineteenth century, when senior Christian Freemasons in America sought to participate in the classical Rosicrucian tradition as it existed within the United Kingdom.
Interest in forming a Rosicrucian body in the United States can be traced to as early as 1873. At that time, American Masons, aware of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA) and the Societas Rosicruciana In Scotia (SRIS), began efforts to establish a similar organization under legitimate authority. These early attempts were conducted under the auspices of the SRIS with the assistance of Most Worthy Charles Fitzgerald Matier, then a leading figure in Scottish Rosicrucianism. This initial effort, overseen by R.W. Frater George S. Blackie VIII, proved short-lived and lapsed after approximately two years.
A renewed attempt occurred in 1878, when Dr. Jonathon J. French—himself a Grade IX head of the Rosicrucian Society of the United States—opened the Matier Royal Provincial College under a charter issued by Lord Inverurie, Earl of Kincore and Supreme Magus of the SRIS. The College was named in honor of Charles Fitzgerald Matier, the first Supreme Magus of the SRIS, who served in 1876. Despite this promising beginning, the Illinois-based College appears to have had little sustained activity, and Dr. French’s untimely death in 1879 effectively ended its work. Contemporary historian Harold Van Buren Voorhis later asserted that this College was never fully active, a conclusion generally supported by the available evidence.
Meanwhile, additional developments were unfolding among American Masons seeking legitimate Rosicrucian initiation. In 1878, a group of senior Freemasons—Daniel Sutter and Charles W. Parker, led by Charles E. Meyer of Pennsylvania—traveled to England. On July 25, 1878, they were initiated into the Grade of Zelator at Yorkshire College in Sheffield. Although they subsequently applied for a charter through English channels and received no response, their efforts did not end there. Turning instead to Scotland, they successfully obtained a charter from the Edinburgh College of the SRIS in 1879.
The Scottish Society’s authority was well established. Documentary evidence confirms that Walter Spencer was initiated into the SRIS as early as 1857 by Anthony O’Neal Haye, Magus Max of the Rosicrucian Society of Scotland. Further archival records show that both Robert Wentworth Little and William James Hughan—figures central to English Rosicrucian history—were also initiated by Haye in 1866 and 1867. Although the SRIA was formally organized in England in 1866 by Robert Wentworth Little, it later found it necessary to charter the current SRIS on October 24, 1873, solidifying Scotland’s primacy within the Rosicrucian lineage.
By 1880, conditions were finally favorable for a stable American Rosicrucian organization. A second charter was granted by the SRIS for a College in New York. Fratres from both Philadelphia and New York met in Philadelphia on April 21, 1880, and formed a governing body known initially as the Societas Rosicrucianae Reipublica Confoedera America (SRRCA). This body served as the High Council for the Rosicrucian Society in the United States. The Society was formally consecrated later that year on September 21, 1880, marking the beginning of uninterrupted operation.
The name of the Society underwent refinement over time. Under the leadership of Most Worthy Frater Thomas Shryock, the organization became known as the Society of Rosicrucians in the United States of America. In 1934, at the suggestion of Dr. William Moseley Brown and during the administration of Most Worthy Frater Hamilton, the Society adopted its properly Latinized title. Dr. Brown personally composed the name Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis and formally submitted it on January 17, 1934.
Throughout its history, the SRICF has maintained continuity of governance and purpose. The governing body, known since 1911 simply as the High Council, is composed of Fratres of the Third Order (Grades VIII and IX), together with College Celebrants not members of that Order. The Supreme Magus served ad vitam until constitutional reforms around 1991 established triennial elections. The See of the High Council has long been located in Washington, D.C.
Membership regulations evolved with time. Initially restricted to 36 members per College, the limit was expanded to 72 members in 1908 under Most Worthy Thomas Shryock. Typically, one College was established per state, with exceptions made for New York and California due to their population and geographic size. Unlike the English system, Chief Adepts in the SRICF do not exercise regional authority but govern individual Colleges.
The SRICF has consistently maintained fraternal amity with its sister Societies, including the SRIS, SRIA, and the SRIC of Canada. Moreover, it has played a pivotal role in the international development of Rosicrucianism by empowering sovereign High Councils in Portugal (SRIL), France (SRIG), and Romania (SRIR).
The intellectual life of the Society has been marked by continuous publication. Its annual journal, Ad Lucem, presents scholarly articles on Rosicrucianism and the esoteric streams of Christian mysticism. This is complemented by the annual report known as The Rosicrucian Fama, as well as numerous College-level publications issued quarterly or annually.
From its formal establishment in 1880 to the present day, the Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis has operated without interruption. Today it remains active and vigorous, experiencing renewed interest and participation, particularly among younger Masons drawn to its emphasis on scholarship, tradition, and disciplined inquiry. Its history reflects perseverance, legitimacy, and a sustained commitment to preserving the classical Rosicrucian tradition within American Freemasonry.