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OTHER MASONIC LINKS Home | Calendar/Activities | Shrine Center | Shrine Camp | Shriners International Shrine Links | Masonic Links | Shrine History | Membership Freemasonry Scottish Rite York Rite Order of DeMolay Affiliated Women's Organizations ![]()
The Shriners International
is a fraternity that grew out
of
Many individual Masonic Lodges, Grand Lodges and other Masonic organizations maintain their own sites on the World Wide Web, including the Grand Lodge of California and the Masonic-affiliated organization for young men, the Order of DeMolay.
Freemasonry dates back hundreds
of years to when stonemasons and
other craftsmen on building projects gathered in shelter houses or
lodges. Through the years, these gatherings changed in many
ways,
Today, there are millions of Masons throughout the world. Freemasonry strives to make good men better, and seeks to improve the community through strengthening the individual's character. Worldwide, Masonry has no central governing authority. Masons are members of their local Masonic Lodge, which is subordinate to its Grand Lodge. In the United States and Canada, each state and province is governed by its own Grand Lodge. Many famous men throughout
history have been members of the
Masonic fraternity.
The Scottish Rite is one of the two appendant bodies of Freemasonry in which a Master Mason may proceed after he has completed the three degrees of Blue Lodge, or Craft Lodge, Masonry. Any Master Mason in good standing may petition for membership. He must be judged of good moral character and be elected by the members. Neither Scottish in origin nor a rite in the religious sense, the Scottish Rite has as its ultimate goal mankind's moral and spiritual development. The local
Scottish Rite organization, called a "Valley," confers the 4th
through 32nd degrees in degree-conferring meetings. The
Scottish Rite
is sometimes called the "College of Freemasonry," because it uses
The Scottish Rite
shares the belief of all Masonic organizations that
there is no higher degree than that of Master Mason. The
degrees are in
addition to, and in no way higher than, those of Blue Lodge, or
Craft
The Scottish Rite
is said to have been brought to the New World in
1761. In 1801, the first Scottish Rite Supreme Council was
established
in South Carolina, becoming known as the Ancient and Accepted
Twelve years
later, this council authorized the formation of a second
one in New York City, known as the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite
of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic
Jurisdiction of the United
The Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction includes the other 35 states, plus the District of Columbia, Republic of Panama, China, Guam, Japan, Okinawa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Taiwan. The Southern Jurisdiction has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. In addition, Canada's Scottish Rite is governed by the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of Canada, headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario, and Mexico also has its own Scottish Rite jurisdiction. All Scottish Rite
jurisdictions nominate a select few members to receive
the 33rd Degree, Inspector General Honorary, in recognition of
outstanding service to the Rite, or in public life, to the
principles taught
in the degrees. In the Southern Jurisdiction, the Supreme
Council
chooses 33rd degree members from among those who have previously
received the rank and decoration of Knight Commander Court of
Honor.
The York Rite is one of two appendant bodies of Freemasonry in which a Master Mason can proceed in Masonry after he has completed the three degrees of Blue (or Craft) Lodge Masonry (the other appendant body being the Scottish Rite). Any Master Mason in good standing may petition for membership. He must be judged of good moral character and be elected by the members. Ancient York Rite Masonry,
which took its name from the old English
city of York, is considered by many Masonic historians
to have been
"original" Masonry. It is said that a British
king who was converted to
Christianity in York granted the original charter
to the Masonic guilds
there nearly 1,000 years ago. This organization
apparently functioned
or about 50 years, then faded, but it left traditions
that were revived
When Masons came from the
British Isles to the New World, they
brought with them Masonic degrees conferred in
the mother country. Fearing that many of the lessons of ancient Freemasonry
would be lost In ancient Masonry, the Royal Arch Degree was conferred for a time in the Blue Lodge, but eventually evolved into a separate body in the York Rite. The degrees of the Royal Arch bring to completion the symbolism of ancient craft Masonry, and each degree has its own story to tell, its own lesson to teach, and its own moral truth to illustrate. The Royal and Select Masters follows the Royal Arch. The degrees of this body each inculcates its own special historical and moral lesson. In some jurisdictions, membership in the Council of Royal and Select Masters is not a prerequisite for membership in the final York Rite body, the Knights Templar; the Council, however, is believed essential in fulfilling a Masonic education. The Order of Knights Templar is considered the Christian branch of Freemasonry. The three orders in this body are the Order of the Red Cross, the Order of Malta and the Order of the Temple. These orders are founded upon the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ as related in the New Testament. A candidate for the orders must be of the Christian faith, accepting his individual obligations as a man, a Mason and a Christian, and in some jurisdictions must be a Companion of the Royal Arch in good standing. A genuine concern for others is one of the basic characteristics of Templary. Local chapters of each
of the three main bodies of the Rite are organized into state, provincial or regional organizations.
Chapters of Royal Arch Masons are organized into Grand Chapters,
which As in Craft Lodge Masonry, the governing bodies at the state or provincial level are autonomous and sovereign in their own jurisdiction. The Grand Chapters and Grand Councils may or may not choose to affiliate with the corresponding national or international governing body. Grand commanderies are required to belong to the Grand Encampment.
Young men in their teens
learn to practice the principles of Masonic charity in the Order of DeMolay. An organization
for boys aged 12-20
(12-year-olds must have completed the 7th grade), DeMolay provides To raise funds for charity,
members participate in various sales, fairs
and community festivals. They conduct walk-a-thons,
bike-a-thons,
all-night dances, and other programs to encourage
donors to pledge
The amount of money contributed, or the number of hours worked, is of little consequence. What matters most is that DeMolay members learn to make the act of service and caring for others a part of their daily routine. The Order of DeMolay is a charitable extension of Masonic concern for the community. Freemasonry serves future generations of leaders by providing a safe, wholesome, fun and educational environment in which young people can grow. Masons have traditionally provided the adult leaders needed to conduct a quality program. Masons have provided quality meeting facilities and financial support of DeMolay chapters all across the country. Most importantly, Freemasonry has provided the model of a successful fraternity from which DeMolays learn the values of brotherly love, relief and truth. The basic chapter program
allows young men to select their own
leaders, plan their own programs and conduct their
own activities. The
members learn and grow by planning, budgeting,
and administering
All DeMolay chapters observe
an annual Day of Comfort, between
Thanksgiving and Christmas, to emphasize the needs
of others. Each
chapter has its own program of service.
Typical projects include
The success of DeMolay is demonstrated by its members, both active and senior. Senior members include newscasters Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, the late actor John Wayne, weatherman Willard Scott, athletes Bob Mathias and Fran Tarkenton, the late Walt Disney, radio personality Paul Harvey, President Bill Clinton and Senator Bill Bradley. For further information
about the Order of DeMolay, or to find the
chapter nearest you, contact the Order of DeMolay
at
http://www.demolay.org
or (816) 891-8333, 10200 N. Executive Hills
AffiliatedWomen's Organization The Daughters of the Nile, the Ladies Oriental Shrine and the Shrine Guilds of America are just some of the organizations affiliated with the Shrine that generously support Shriners Hospitals for Children. Others include Order of the Eastern Star and Job's Daughters.
The Daughters of the Nile, founded in 1913, is a benevolent, international, fraternal organization for women who are wives, daughters, mothers, widows, sisters or granddaughters of Shriners. These women have contributed millions of dollars to Shriners Hospitals for Children. Each year, through the Supreme Temple Convalescent Endowment Fund and Convalescent Relief Fund, Daughters of the Nile contribute to the hospitals for prostheses, orthoses, shoes, etc. for outpatients. In addition, many Temples sew garments and quilts, provide toys and hold parties for the children in the hospitals. They also contribute thousands of hours yearly in volunteer work at the hospitals. The first Temple, or chapter, was organized in 1913 and now boasts 148 Temples throughout the United States and Canada, with the principal officer of each local Temple having the title of Queen. The top official of the Supreme Temple has the title of Supreme Queen. Ladies Oriental Shrine of North America The Ladies Oriental Shrine, founded in 1903, is a fun group, with each court assuming an obligation to extend financial support and assistance to Shriners Hospitals for Children with emphasis on the hospital fund, hospital sewing and special projects. They have 101 courts throughout the country. The Ladies Oriental Shrine was organized in the jurisdiction of Osiris Temple in Wheeling, West Virginia, on Feb. 14, 1903. The Grand Council was organized in 1914 and incorporated in 1954. The top official of the Grand Council has the title of Grand High Priestess and the principal of local courts has the title of high priestess. To become a member of Ladies Oriental Shrine, a woman must be the wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, widow, sister, half-sister, step-daughter or niece of a Shriner in good standing at the time of death. Shrine Guilds of America, Inc. The Shrine Guilds of America, founded in 1947, provide independent support and aid to Shriners Hospitals for Children and concentrate on the education of children during their stay at Shriners Hospitals. The Shrine Guilds of America was organized in 1947 and members must be wives or widows of Shriners. The leader of the Imperial
Council Shrine Guilds of America is called the
Imperial Maharanee, and the heads of subordinate
Shrine Guilds are
called Maharanee. They have approximately
14 Guilds, mostly in Please take a moment to
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