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Who can be a member?
Any master mason in good standing is eligible to be initiated
into Shrine membership. Ceremonies are conducted
throughout the year and clubs & units are on hand to help get
you involved in Shrinedom. A master mason must be a member
of a Masonic Lodge in good standing and affiliated with Shriners
International. More information regarding freemasonry can
be found
HERE.
What do you
do?
The primary purpose of Shriners and Shriners International is the
support of the 22 Shrine orthopedic and burn hospitals.
With a budget of 800-million dollars per year, the mission of
the hospital is to provide unsurpassed medical care to children
up to the age of 18, REGARDLESS OF THE FAMILY'S ABILITY TO PAY.
We provide transportation, care, and support to the patient,
many of whom return to become Shriners themselves in adulthood
and support the hospital that helped them regain their lives.
At Mizpah, we directly support the Chicago orthopedic hospital
and the Cincinnati burn hospital. We have nearly 2000
patients that rely on Mizpah for transportation and support to
receive medical care, from once a week to once a year.
Do I have to
pay dues?
There is a structure in place for dues, and of those dues, they
are split to support the hospitals and the Imperial Consulate of
Shriners International (the membership that oversees the work of
Shriners Hospitals for Children). The remaining balance
goes to support the mission of Mizpah through facilities,
overhead, and operational costs associated with membership.
Your membership dues make it possible that all the fundraising
events we conduct for the hospitals can be utilized directly to
those causes. The only current exception to our
fundraising is the circus, which accounts for the other part of
our capital operating budget and does not go to the hospital.
This fundraiser makes it possible to never take money from other
fundraising events to cover operational costs.
Additionally, some clubs and units have yearly dues that support
their efforts to fundraise and support the shrine.
Do I have to
be a member of the Scottish Rite to be a Shriner?
No. The requirement to be a Scottish Rite mason no longer
exists, but we highly encourage membership in both
organizations, as it strengthens your walk in masonry.
Okay, what's
with the silly hat?
The fez serves as an iconic symbol of
the Shriner, and is worn at all official temple events. It
is considered one of the most recognizable of all symbols of a
fraternal organization. New members are provided the
embroidered or 'non-jeweled' fez upon induction, and as your
walk in shrinedom grows, the jeweled fez may become a part of
your regalia. Certain clubs and units have a fez that
recognizes their specific unit; however, no member is required
to wear a specific fez, except for the Divan (senior leadership)
of the temple. In the past you would see the fez of a
'Past Potentate', however, many of Mizpah's Past
Potentates have adopted that a Potentate fez will have the year
they were Potentate, and they would not change to a 'Past
Potentate' fez. This is not a requirement and won't be
witnessed in most temples.
I have seen
you in parades riding in cars, horses, and other vehicles.
Are those yours? Yes, all the horses are the sole ownership of each member of the
horse patrol, and the Little 500 and other units either purchase
their own or the unit conducts fundraisers to purchase their
equipment. However, not all units are parade units.
If you don't want to parade, that's okay! One of the best
parts of being a Shriner is being as involved as you can be, not
as we want you to be.
I don't have a
lot of time. Is the Shrine for me?
YES!!!
The greatest thing about being a Shriner is that you are not
required to give a minimum amount of hours to the organization.
Some people are only able to attend meetings or work at the
circus or other events, while some are able to practically live
there. It's okay. Even if it is one weekend a year,
membership is what you make of it. We encourage all
members to remember their masonic foundation of God, family,
job, fraternity, in that order.
I live in a
warm place during the winter. How does that affect
membership?
Your membership card allows you access to any of the Shrine
temples in good standing with Shriners International. Many
of our members hold a dual-membership so they can vote and
participate in many other events at different temples; however
your dues card is all you need to attend stated meetings and
other events.
My family is
important to me. Can they participate? ABSOLUTELY!!!
The only way the Shrine grows is with the support of your
family. With very little exception (stated meetings and
ceremonial degree work) the work of Shriners almost requires the
entire family support you. More than 30% of the volunteers
during the circus are spouses and children, and our ladies' are
part of every event we have in some capacity.
I'm a female,
can I be a Shriner? Shrine membership is restricted to men
due to the requirement of master masonry. There are,
however, different fraternal organizations that serve alongside
Mizpah and Shriners International:
- Daughters of The Nile, Teti Sheri Temple 60
INFO
- Order of
The Eastern Star (several local organizations)
INFO
Okay, my
son/daughter wants to get involved. How do I help them?
The masonic bodies support two fantastic organizations, Jobs
Daughters and the DeMolay. These fine young people serve
along side Mizpah at several events during the year, as well as
conduct their own meetings and fundraising for their
organization.
- Indiana DeMolay
INFO
- Indiana
Jobs Daughters
INFO
I still don't
know... how do I get more info?
You can always email
membership@mizpahshrine.com, or you can visit the official
Shriners International membership site:
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