Appendant Bodies – Emirat Shrine and Shriners international

Since this is Emirat Shrine’s inaugural write up for The ACGL Communicator we want to use this to introduce the Shrine and Emirat Shrine, your Shrine Center in Europe to our readers.

hriners International

In 1870, a group of 13 Masons would regularly meet at the Knickerbocker Cottage in New York City. Often, discussion turned to forming a new fraternity for Masons, based on the tenets of Freemasonry but with the added elements of fun and fellowship.
Walter Fleming, M.D., and Billy Florence, an actor, were among the members of the group. Florence had been on tour in Europe and attended a party given by an Arabian diplomat. The exotic style, flavors and music of the Arabian-themed party led Florence to suggest this as the theme of the new fraternity, while Dr. Fleming and other members of the group then drafted the ritual, designed the emblem and costumes, formulated a salutation and declared that members would wear the red fez. The name of this new fraternity was the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
While the fraternity’s first official meeting was in 1871 at the Knickerbocker Cottage, a meeting in 1872 established the first chapter, Mecca Shriners, on September 26.
Founded as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, the organization has grown and evolved over the decades. In the late 1900s to early 2000s, the fraternity was referred to as Shriners of North America, given that chapters were in the U.S. and Canada. In 2010, a resolution was passed to replace the name with Shriners International, reflecting the fraternity’s worldwide presence.

Who Are the Shriners And What Do They Believe?

Shriners International is a Masonic fraternity founded on fun, fellowship, and the teachings of brotherly love, relief, and honesty. Shriners, with nearly 201 local chapters and thousands of clubs around the world, are known for their fellowship, fraternity, and generosity.
This year is the 125th year of the Shrine. Shriners Hospitals for Children, now called Shriners Children.
When it comes to children in need of medical care, there are few places more trusted than Shriners Hospitals for Children. For more than a century, Shriners Hospitals have provided expert care to children with a wide range of conditions, free of charge. But what many people don’t know is that, for some patients, Shriners Hospitals are more than just a place to receive treatment – they’re also a place to call home. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit medical facilities across the United States. Shriners Hospitals provide specialized care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. Shriners Hospitals for Children have treated over 1.3 million children free of charge.
This is the 100th year of Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Emirat Shrine

It all started in 1953 when the first Shrine Club was established in Heidelberg, Germany.
Since then, a number of Freemasons from Europe and also from the Near East were initiated as Shriners.
On August 21, 2010, the inaugural meeting of the European Shrine Center took place in Ludwigshafen. 41 master masons (from Germany, USA, Italy, Romania & Turkey) came to Ludwigshafen to attend the “Foundation Meeting” of the Emirate Shrine.
In 2011 Shriners International handed over the certificate to the newly founded and first Shrine Temple in Europe with the name,“Emirat”. Since their inception, Shriners active in Europe have already transported more than 100 children. Emirat currently has 610 members in 11 different countries.
MW Paul Curran PGM

Orginal b/w art work by Lloyd Ostendorf, colorized by Bro. Marc B.