How to become a Shriner

How to become a Shriner, the gateway is to become a Freemason first.

The Shrine serves as an organization requiring a certain membership of the Masonic Lodge, which is actually an organization that branched out of Freemasonry more than 100 years ago.

According to a recent survey, the data collected reported that today; there are over 411,000 Shriners universally who actively attend their neighboring temples with their main headquarters located in Tampa, Florida.

United States alone has around 195 temples and 340,000 Shriners which is a big number considering Freemasonry is not that famous.

Are The Shriners related to Islam?

This is one of the most significant questions that is asked by people interested in “how to become a Shriner” or who wants to join Freemasonry.

Although the concept of the Shrine looks similar, however they are not related at all.

Islam is a complete religion and although Freemasonry may have some ideals that are like that of Islam, but it cannot be said that they are linked in any way. The only connection between the two is if any Muslim person becomes a member of Freemasonry or the Shrine.

The basic idea of a Shriner is all about walking down the steps of the principles of fraternity. These laws include brotherly love, relief, truth, fun, and fellowship.

Simply speaking, you are still devoted to Masonic values. But, there are some added advantages which a freemason can’t enjoy which the Shriners can:

• You can become a part of social activities with your family.
• You are allowed to hold fundraisers for your own self or for different hospitals.
• You are more socially active than the other members of Freemasonry.
• It becomes easier to locate a unit that appeals to your self-interests.
• You can entertain yourself in high-spirited fun activities like parades, golf, and trap shooting.

How to become a Shriner

Becoming a Shriner and becoming a Masonic Lodge member are exactly the same way. However, the catch is that you must show your expertise in the first three degrees of Freemasonry.

As a result, it is accurate to say that all Shriners are Freemasons, but not all Freemasons are Shriners.

So, as soon as you become a Master Mason and attain all three Masonic degrees, you can put forward a formal request to become a Noble of the Shrine. The most accurate method to put forward a petition is to request an in attendance Shriner to support and put forward your application.

Coming into contact with a Shriner assists you in allot of ways. For instance, a Shriner helps you throughout the application process and provides you with the facilitates to create links with other Shriners of your neighboring temple.

Moreover, the helping process works both ways.  It isn’t just you looking for guidance but as a Shrineer it is their duty to work together and bring in new Nobles.

In reality, the motto of a Shrine membership is ‘Together We Can’. So we can say that the Shrine is all about unity, joint effort, and achieving goals together.

A point to remember is that even if you are a Master Mason, it is not mandatory that your petition will be accepted right away. There are some common rules which a Shrine follows.

The first thing they do is, check your previous record as a Master Mason.

If you are not that good in standing as a Master Mason in your lodge, or if you are incapable in following the duties diligently, there is a risk that your application will not be accepted.

It is extremely important for them to choose only those Master Masons, only who have proved the proficiency in their lodge.

Are women allowed to become a Shriner?

This is also a question that is frequently asked. However the answer is no.  A woman can’t be a Shriner.

There are a lot of other organizations where women can freely join, such as Daughters of the Nile (DON), The Shrine Guilds of America and even the Order of The Eastern Star.

These organizations take part in supporting the Shrine, like providing astonishing care for children suffering from diseases or helping out in different activities and projects.

The Shrine Guilds of America provides the children with education, during their stay at the hospital, too. The women who are a member of this organization offer their help in various special projects for children and support them in other ways.

Generally, these women act as doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and teachers, to aid the purpose of a Shrine.

Final Thoughts

If you are a Master Mason, becoming a Shriner isn’t hard for you.

Nevertheless, it isn’t free. There are a number of upfront initiation fees that can range between $200 to $500. It all comes down to the offering and the requirement of the temple too.

In addition to that, if you have some other questions that you want to ask, you can contact them directly. All Shrines give you the chance to ask questions about the certain requirements before filling in the application.

You can also download their application online and understand their events, philanthropy, brotherhood, and fraternity as well.

Till then!