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WHAT IS it --------
MASONRY- SHRINERS |
| Shriners, or Shrine Masons, belong to the
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America (A.A.O.N.M.S.).
The Shrine is an international fraternity of approximately 610,000 members who belong to
Shrine Temples throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and The Republic of Panama. |
 |
Founded in New York City in 1872, the organization is
composed solely of 32nd degree Scottish Rite Masons
or Knights Templar York Rite Masons.
The Shrine is best-known for its
colorful parades, its distinctive red fez, and its official
philanthropy, Shriners Hospitals for Children, which is often
called "the heart and soul of the Shrine."
What kind of organization attracts truck drivers, dentists,
contractors, heads of state, movie stars, generals, clergymen and accountants? Four Presidents of the United States were Shriners.
What is the Shrine?
Someone might answer: "Oh yeah, Shriners are those guys who
are always having those parades with the wild costumes and funny little cars."
Another might think of Shrine circuses and Shrine clowns. The fellow next to them might
interject, "No, Shriners are the guys who wear those funny
hats-like flowerpots-and have those big conventions. ".
"I don't know about that," a passerby might add.
"But I do know my little girl was born with club feet and now they are straight, and
she can walk like anyone else thanks to Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children.".
"Crippled children?" questions still another. "I thought Shriners ran
those fantastic burns institutes. I've read stories about them saving kids with burns on
90 percent of their bodies.".
All those people are right. Each has experienced
an aspect of Shrinedom. What they cannot experience, unless they are Shriners,
| is the camaraderie, |
deep friendships, |
| good fellowship and |
great times shared by all Shriners. |
What they may not know is that all Shriners share
a Masonic heritage:
Each is a 32" Mason through
the Scottish Rite
or a Knights Templar Mason
through the York Rite.
There are approximately 700,000 Shriners
who are members
of 191 Shrine Temples throughout the United States, Canada,
Mexico and the Republic of Panama.
There are 19 orthopaedic Shriners
Hospitals and three Shriners Burns Institutes throughout
North America, all dedicated to providing expert, specialized medical care to children
under 18,
. I f you know of a child Shriners Hospitals might
be able to help, please call one of our toll-free patient referral lines between 8 a.m.
and 5 p.m. Eastern Time. I
| in the United States: |
In Canada: |
| 1-800-237-5055. |
1-800-361-7256 |
|
What is Masonry?
and What is its
Connection to the Shrine?
I n order to become a Shriner, a man must first be a Mason.
The fraternity of Freemasonry is the oldest, largest and most widely known fraternity in
the world. It dates back hundreds of years to when stonemasons and other craftsmen on
building projects gathered in shelter houses, or lodges. Over the years, formal Masonic
lodges emerged, with members bound together not by trade, but by their own desire to be
fraternal brothers..
The basic unit of Masonry is the Blue Lodge, where members earn the first three Masonic degrees.
There is no higher degree than that of Master Mason (the Third Degree), but for those men who wish to further
explore the allegory and symbolism learned in the Blue Lodge, the Scottish Rite and York
Rite elaborate on the basic tenets of Freemasonry..
Steps to become
a Shrine Mason.
E very Shriner
is first a Mason; however, in North America, Masonry does not solicit members. In these areas, no one is asked to join.
A man must seek admission of his own free will. A man is a fully accepted "Blue Lodge" Mason after he
has received the first three degrees, known as Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master
Mason.
After that, he can belong to many other
organizations which have their roots in Masonry and which have a Blue Lodge Masonry as a
prerequisite. Only when a Master Mason has achieved the 32nd degree Scottish Rite or
Knights Templar degree in York Rite can he petition to become a Noble of the Mystic Shrine
(except in the Philippines and Mexico).
Why Do Shriners Wear
a Fez?
The
red fez with a black tassel, the Shrine's most distinctive symbol, has been handed
down through the ages. It derives its name from the place where it was first manufactured
- the holy city of Fez, Morocco. The fez was chosen as part of the Shrine's Arabic (Near
East) theme, around which the color and pageantry of the Shrine are developed.
The History
of the Fez.
T he fez was named for the city of Fez,
the metropolis of Morocco, which was the seat of numerous schools, libraries and a famous
university. Fez formerly had a monopoly on the manufacture of that peculiar form of
headdress because it controlled the juice of the berry used to color the fezzes. Since the
discovery of synthetic aniline colors, however, they were manufactured in France, Germany
and Austria. At the turn of the century Austria was the chief center of the fez industry.
The countries where the fezzes were extensively used did not have a single fez
manufacturing plant
The shape of the cap is a truncated cone
familiar to all the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. It was made of red felt, having a black
tassel inserted in the middle of the top and hanging down. Although the shape and the
tassel of the fez known to the nobles are such as are generally used throughout turkey,
yet in Tunisia, Tripoli and Morocco, the fezzes are twice or three times as long as the
popular type, and have blue silk tassels much longer and heavier than those seen in
America and Turkey.
In the early part of the nineteenth
century the fez was made a part of the Turkish official dress by Mahmoul II, Sultan of
Turkey. It was considered the special badge of a Turkish subject and he, even if not a
moslem, was obliged to wear it. Women as well as men wore fezzes but theirs were
invariably small and without tassels.
Soon after the inauguration of the new
turkish regime by the young turks, a national misunderstanding arose between the Turkish
and Austrian peoples, and the former vowed they would boycott all Austrian goods including
the fez. Destroying the fezzes which they had and refusing to buy new ones. The people
throughout turkey, for some months, covered their heads with Persian caps or with any
headgear which they could improvise.
The fez was worn either with or without
a turban by Moslems, Christians and Jews. The Turkish soldiers and officialdom in Turkey,
including the Sultan, with the exception of certain ecclesiastical dignitaries, wore their
fezzes without the turban. Among the moslems, those who can trace their genealogy back to
Mohammed wore green turbans, all others wore white or some color agreeable to local
custom, personal taste or fancy.
The conventional uniform for Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine was full evening dress with a red fez, usually bearing the name of the
temple, in addition to the crescent and the sphinx head embroidered in gold.
About 980 a.d. when the pilgrimages to
Mecca were interrupted by the crusades, Mohammedans and those of the Moslem faith living
west of the Nile, journeyed to Fez as to the Holy City. A manufacturer in Fez supplied to
the students, of a great school, a scarlet tarboosh, which was the insignia of the school.
This was the means by which students were readily recognized. The fez, as the tarboosh was
called, was carried by pilgrims who wore similar pieces of headgear. The fez soon came to
be worn all along the northern shores of Africa, and its use gradually extended east of
the Nile.
| What is the total Shrine
membership in North America? |
| Approximately 700,000 |
| . |
| How many Shrine
Temples are there? |
| There are 191 Shrine Temples, or chapters, throughout the United
States, Canada, Mexico and the Republic of Panama. |
| . |
| What was the first
Shrine Temple? |
| Mecca Temple, which was organized in New York City in 1872 |
| . |
| When did the first
Shriners Hospital open, and where is it located? |
| In 1922, in Shreveport, La. |
| . |
| Where are the three
Shriners Burns Institutes located, and when did they open? |
| Galveston, Texas,
in 1966 |
| Cincinnati, Ohio,
in 1968 |
| Boston, Mass., in
1968 |
| What is the purpose
of Shriners Hospitals? |
| Shriners Hospitals have a threefold purpose: |
| TREATMENT: To save children's lives
and restore their bodies to the highest level of usefulness |
| RESEARCH:
To conduct research into orthopedic and burn care |
| EDUCATION: To train physicians and
other medical professionals in the treatment of orthopedic disabilities and burn injuries |
| How much does it cost
for a child to receive care at a Shriners Hospital? |
| Nothing. All care and services provided at Shriners Hospitals are
totally without charge to the patient and family. |
| . |
| Where does the money
come from to operate the 22 Shriners Hospitals? |
| Gifts, bequests, income from the endowment fund, hospital |
| fund-raising events, and the annual assessment paid by every |
| Shriner. |
| . |
| Where are the
Shrine's three Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation
Centers, and when did they open? |
| Philadelphia, in 1980 |
| Chicago, in 1983 |
| San Francisco, in 1984 |
| . |
| What is the total
1998 budget for Shriners Hospitals? |
| $457 million. The 1998 operating budget is $390 million, |
| including $21 million allocated for research. The capital
expenditures budget is $67 million. |
| . |
| . |
| How much of the 1998
Shriners Hospitals operating budget is used directly for patient care and research at the
hospitals? |
| 96 percent |
| . |
| To date, how much
money has been spent operating the 22 Shriners Hospitals? |
| More than $3.76 Billion |
| . |
| To date, how much has
been spent on construction costs for the 22 Shriners Hospitals? |
| More than $839 million |
| . |
| To date, how many
children have been helped at the 22 Shriners Hospitals? |
| More than 575,000 |
| . |
| In 1997, how many
admissions were made to the 19 orthopedic hospitals? |
| 20,559 |
| . |
| In 1997, how many
admissions were made to the three burns institutes? |
| 2,824 |
| . |
| In 1997, how many
outpatient and outreach clinic visits were recorded at the 22 hospitals? |
| 239,337 |
| . |
| Up to what age are
children admitted to Shriners Hospitals? |
| Up to their 18th birthday |
| What is the average
length of stay at the orthopedic hospitals? |
| 7.8 days |
| . |
| What is the average
length of stay at the Shriners Burns Institutes? |
| 8.7 days |
All figures, unless
otherwise noted, are through Feb. 2,1998 |
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Where Did The Shriners' Near-East Theme Come From?
William J. Florence and Dr. Walter M. Fleming |
T he Shrine is as North American
as baseball, hot dogs and apple pie. It was tied to an Arabic theme by its founders, Billy
Florence, an actor, and Walter Flemming, a physician. Flemming and Florence realized the
fledgling fraternity needed a colorful, exciting backdrop. It is believed that Florence
conceived the Shrine's Near-east setting while on tour in Eastern Europe.
As the legend goes, Florence attended a
party in Marseilles, France, hosted by an Arabian diplomat. At the end of the party, the
guests became members of a secret society. Florence realized this might be the ideal
vehicle for the new fraternity, and he made copious notes and drawings of the ceremony.
When Florence returned to the States,
Flemming agreed, and together they created elaborate rituals, designed the emblem and
costumes, and formulated the salutation.
Though the Shrine is not itself a secret
society, it still retains much of the mysticism and secrecy of its origins.
How Can I Help?
 |
| Contributions -
Contributions can be made at any time to Shriners Hospitals for Children. All donations
and bequests not restricted by the donor become part of the endowment fund, with only the
income from the fund being used to operate Shriners Hospitals. |
| . |
| Life Income
Agreement - Persons contributing $5,000 or more can participate in the Shriners Hospitals
for Children Pooled Income Fund. Under this agreement, donors, or their designees, will
receive the annual income from their contributions during their lifetime. A portion of the
contributions may be deducted as a charitable donation. |
| . |
| Real Estate -
Real estate may be deeded outright to Shriners Hospitals for Children, or, if it is a
donor's residence or farm, may be given subject to retained life interest. The value of
the interest being contributed may be used as a charitable contribution for income tax
purposes. |
| . |
| Securities -
Contributions of securities may be easily accomplished. If the donor's securities have
appreciated in value at the time of the gift, there can be income tax and other advantages
to the donor. |
| . |
| Insurance -
Shriners Hospitals for Children may be designed as the irrevocable beneficiary of an
insurance policy. The hospitals would thus be assured of a definite sum in the future. The
cash surrender value and annual premium may be deducted as a charitable contribution.
|
| . |
| Wills -
Designations of bequests should clearly indicate Shriners Hospitals for Children. Bequests
under wills may reduce estate taxes. |
| . |
| Trusts - Irrevocable charitable remainder unitrusts or annuity trusts may be established
to provide for lifetime payments to the named beneficiaries. Upon the death of the
surviving income beneficiary, assets would be utilized by Shriners Hospitals for Children
for its charitable purposes. |
| . |
|
information on this page has been
gathered from many Masonic & SHRINER sites on the www.
|
