The Shriners, A.A.O.N.M.S. or Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, established in New York City in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry. The organization is best-known for the Shriner's Hospitals for Children they administer and the red fezzes that members wear. New York, NY redirects here. ... Whilst there is no degree in Freemasonry higher than that of Master Mason[1], there are a number of related organisations which have as a prerequisite to joining that one be a Master Mason or have some relation to a Master Mason[2]. These bodies are commonly referred to as... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... The Shriners Hospitals for Children is a hospital network across North America offering free hospital care for children, supported by the activities of the Shriners. ...

History

William Jermyn Conlin, a.k.a. William Jermyn Florence

Dr. Walter Millard Fleming

In 1870, there were several thousand Masons in Manhattan. Many of these Masons made it a point to lunch at the Knickerbocker Cottage, and at a special table on the second floor, a particularly jovial group of Masons used to meet regularly, and often discussed the idea of a new fraternity for Masons, in which fun and fellowship would be stressed more than ritual. Two of the table regulars, Walter M. Fleming, M.D., and William J. Conlin, an actor with the stage name William J. Florence, took the idea seriously enough to act upon it. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Dr. Walter Millard Fleming was a prominent physician and surgeon. ... William Jermyn Conlin (b July 26, 1831, Albany, N.Y., U.S. – d. ... William Jermyn Conlin (b July 26, 1831, Albany, N.Y., U.S. – d. ...

Billy Florence, was a world-renowned actor, and while on tour in Marseilles, he was invited to a party given by an Arabian diplomat. The entertainment was something in the nature of an elaborately staged musical comedy. At its conclusion, the guests became members of a secret society. Florence took copious notes and drawings at his initial viewing and on two other occasions, once in Algiers and once in Cairo. When he returned to New York in 1870 and showed his material to Dr. Fleming. William Jermyn Conlin (b July 26, 1831, Albany, N.Y., U.S. – d. ... Marseilles redirects here. ... “Alger” redirects here. ... Nickname: Al Qahirah (The Triumphant City) Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center) Coordinates: Government  - Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area  - City 214 km²  (82. ...

Fleming took the ideas supplied by Florence and converted them into what would become the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.). While there is some question about the origin of the Fraternity's name, it may not be a coincidence that its initials, rearranged, spell out the words "A MASON."

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. Temple of Hephaestus, an Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ... The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... Animated, colour-coded map showing the various continents. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryar. ...

Membership

Despite its 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." Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ...

Until 2000, before being eligible for membership in the Shrine, a person had to complete either the Scottish Rite or York Rite degrees of Masonry, but now any Master Mason can join. It has been suggested that Knight Kadosh be merged into this article or section. ... The York Rite (also called the American Rite) is one of the two main appendant bodies of United States Freemasonry, which a Master Mason may join to further his knowledge of Freemasonry. ...

Modern Shriners

A Shriner in an iconic miniature car participating in a Memorial Day parade

The Shriners often participate in local parades, sometimes as rather elaborate units: miniature vehicles in themes (all sports cars; all miniature 18-wheeler trucks; all fire engines, and so on), an "Oriental Band" dressed in cartoonish versions of Middle Eastern dress; pipe bands, drummers, motorcycle units, and even traditional brass bands. Some Shrines sponsor and participate in an annual circus in their city. A member of the Shriner Syrian Corvette group participating in a Memorial Day parade, 2004, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A member of the Shriner Syrian Corvette group participating in a Memorial Day parade, 2004, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed this year on 2007-05-28). ... Marines on parade A parade is an organized procession of people along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by decorated vehicles called floats or sometimes large lighter-than-air balloons with complex shapes. ...

Community Service and Charity

Statue at Shriners Hospital in Portland, Oregon

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. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 393 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (672 × 1024 pixel, file size: 264 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Jami Dwyer http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 393 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (672 × 1024 pixel, file size: 264 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Jami Dwyer http://www. ... The East-West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1926. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ...

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. A charitable organization (also known as a charity) is a trust, company or unincorporated association established for charitable purposes only. ... The Shriners Hospitals for Children is a hospital network across North America offering free hospital care for children, supported by the activities of the Shriners. ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... Poliomyelitis (polio), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. ... The term disease refers to an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs function. ... Clinical Examination Pediatrics (also spelled paediatrics) is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents (from newborn to age 16-21, depending on the country). ... Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (BE: orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with acute, chronic, traumatic and recurrent injuries and other disorders of the locomotor system, its musclular and bone parts. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

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. The term race describes populations or groups of people distinguished by different sets of characteristics, and beliefs about common ancestry. ... An interpersonal relationship is some relationship or connection between two people. ...

In 2005, Shriners Hospitals approved 37,755 new patient applications, attended to the needs of 123,385 patients and provided the following free of charge:

• 228,261 radiology procedures
• 305,455 outpatient, outreach and telemedicine visits
• 67,735 orthotic and prosthetic devices applied
• 24,627 surgical procedures
• 227,857 occupational therapy treatments

Shriners Hospitals' total budget for 2006 is $649 million, of which $616 million is targeted for operating expenses (including $33 million for research) and $33 million for buildings and equipment expenditures. During the 84-year history of the Shriners Hospitals, approximately $7.6 billion has been spent to operate Shriners Hospitals, and over $1.73 billion has been spent on construction and renovation. ^[1]

In Popular Culture

• Between 1988 and 2001 the Academy Awards ceremonies were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles eight times. The American Music Awards are held at this location.
• 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.
• Robert A. Heinlein's novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, the main character, Colonel Colin Campbell, eludes arrest by disguising himself as a Shriner.
• In the movie Guess Who, Ashton Kutcher's character is unable to get a room at a hotel due to a Shriner convention that weekend. Shriners can be spotted in the foreground of one of the following scenes.
• In the movie and play, Bye Bye Birdie, the lead actress does a dance with several Shriners, known as "The Shriner's Ballet".
• Ray Stevens, "Shriner's Convention" album (1980). The title track describes a local Shriners convention as 'a typical American phenomenon, where all the members have a fine old time...'
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) While hiding in a theatre house, Roger sees a news reel of a Shriners parade.
• In the musical Gypsy, Rose refers to "All the shriners I said hello to," in the song "Some People"
• In the Weird Al Yankovic song Albuquerque Shriners are mentioned in the line "The shriner's and the lepers play their ukuleles all day long"

Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... An early postcard view of the Shrine The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... The American Music Awards show is one of four annual major American music awards shows (the others being the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammy Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony). ... Harold Clayton Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American film actor and director, most famous for his silent comedies. ... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... Book cover The Cat Who Walks Through Walls is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1985. ... Guess Who is a 2005 comedy film, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. ... Bye Bye Birdie is a Broadway musical satire on American society written by Michael Stewart (book), Lee Adams (lyrics), and Charles Strouse (music). ... Ray Stevens was born Harold Ray Ragsdale on January 24, 1939 in Clarkdale, Georgia, now part of Decatur. ... Alfred Matthew Weird Al Yankovic (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician, parodist and accordion player. ... This article is about the largest city of New Mexico. ...

References

External links

• The Shriners
• The Shrine Circus