The Shriners, or Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, are an Order appendant to Freemasonry. Until 2000, one had to complete
the Scottish Rite or York
Rite degrees of Masonry to be eligible for Shrine membership, but now any Master Mason can join.
The Shrine was established in New York City in the 1920s as the fun part of the Masonic movement. The group adopted a theme of the Middle East and soon established "Temples"
meeting in "Mosques" across the continent. An earlier Masonic group, the Mysterious Order of the Veiled Prophet of the Enchanted Realm
(known colloquially as the "Grotto") had adopted a similar theme in 1890.
It must be emphasized that this decorative theme, now perceived as "politically incorrect", was adopted in an earlier time. The Shrine is not Islamic, nor is it in opposition to Islam.
The Shriners often participate in local parades riding comedy versions of cars and motorcycles. They are
recognizable by their elaborate red fezzes.
The Shrine's charitable arm is the Shrine
Hospitals for Children, a network of twenty-two hospitals in the United States, Mexico and Canada. They were 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 the damage caused by burns. The Shrine has pioneered new treatments for
these conditions.
There is never any charge for treatment at a Shrine 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.
Until 2003–4, the Oscars were held at the Shriners temple/auditorium in
Hollywood / Los Angeles.
Some famous Shriners include:
In 2002, a mascot named Fez Head
Fred debuted, primarily to visit their children's hospitals.
Imperial Potentates
- Ralph W. Semb,
1999-2000
- Kenneth W. Smith,
2000-2001
- Robert N.
Turnipseed, 2001-2002
- Charles A. "Tad" Claypool, 2002-2003
- M. Burton Oien,
2003-2004
- Raoul L. Frevel,
Sr, 2003-2004
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