Shriners

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Shriners_Hospitals_for_Burned_and_Crippled_Children

The Shriners, or Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, are an Order appendant to Freemasonry. Until the year 2000, one had to complete either the Scottish Rite or York Rite degrees of Masonry to be eligible for Shrine membership, but now any Master Mason can join.

Established in New York City in the 1870s, the Shriners are best known for having fun. Members of the Shrine are immediately recognizable by the fezzes they wear, and are often seen in parades and as clowns in the Shrine Circus. However, the Shrine is also noted for its charitable works, rather like a service club, most notably the Shriner's Hospitals for Children, which provides medical treatment to children free of charge.

History

Freemasonry is ostensibly a fraternity designed to create fellowship and benevolence, yet its secrecy makes many people wary. The Shriners, on the other hand, present a public image of a fun-loving group, yet they pour millions of dollars into charity, all the while dressed up in a party spirit, wearing their trademark red fezzes.

The Shrine is said to have been established in New York City in the 1870s as the "fun" part of the Masonic movement. The group adopted a Middle Eastern theme and soon established "Temples" meeting in "Mosques" across the continent. Another Masonic group, the Mysterious Order of the Veiled Prophet of the Enchanted Realm (known colloquially as the "Grotto"), adopted a similar theme in 1890. The Middle Eastern theme was popular at the time and alluded to the mystery and ceremony of the Arabian Nights, with its elaborate parties and frolic.

Despite its Arabic theme, the Shrine is in no way connected to Islam. It is a men's fraternity rather than a religion or religious group. Its only religious requirement is indirect: all Shriners must be Masons, and petitioners to Freemasonry must profess a belief in a Supreme Being. In order to further minimize any confusion with religion, the use of the word "Temple" to describe Shriners' buildings has now been replaced by the phrase "Shrine Center."

Modern Shriners

The Shriners often participate in local parades, sometimes as rather elaborate units: shrines may have one or more whole units of miniature vehicles in themes (all sports cars; all miniature 18-wheeler trucks; all fire engines for instance) of a dozen or two dozen Shriners executing elaborate drills in the mini-vehicles; an "oriental band" dressed in cartoonish versions of Middle Eastern dress; floats, including huge inflatable balloons of Shriners wearing their fezzes -- some local mosques actually have all of the above marching in the same parade.

The Shriners are committed to community service and have been instrumental in countless public projects throughout their domain. They also host the annual East-West Shrine Game which is a college football all-star game. Once a year, the fraternity meets for the Imperial Council Session in a major North American city. It is not uncommon for these conventions to have 20,000 participants or more, which generates significant revenue for the local economy.

Charity

The Shrine's charitable arm is the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of twenty-two hospitals in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It was formed to treat young victims of polio, but as that disease was controlled, they broadened their scope. They now deal with all pediatric cases, most especially with orthopedic injuries and disease and burns. The Shrine has pioneered new treatments for these conditions.

There is never any charge for treatment at a Shriners Hospital. There is no requirement for religion, race, or relationship to a Freemason. Patients must be under the age of eighteen and treatable. Local Shrine temples most often provide free transportation to the nearest hospital. In 2002, a mascot named Fez Head Fred debuted, primarily to visit their children's hospitals. ^*

Trivia

Until 2001 the Academy Awards ceremonies were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Legendary silent film comedian Harold Lloyd was a Shriner and served as Imperial Potentate in 1949. He did much to promote Freemasonry within the entertainment industry.

Famous Shriners

External links

Shriners Parades