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Welcome to
Key West Shrine Club
Key West, FL
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.
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.
Billy Florence, a world-renowned actor, while
on tour in Marseilles, 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, he showed his material to Dr. Fleming.
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.
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 Shriner's buildings has now been
replaced by the phrase "Shrine Center."
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.
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.
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.
The Shrine's charitable arm is the
Shriner's 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
Shriner's 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.
In 2005, Shriner's 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
Shriner's 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 Shriner's
Hospitals, approximately $7.6 billion has been spent to operate
Shriner's Hospitals, and over $1.73 billion has been spent on
construction and renovation. |
