IMPERIAL SHRINE OF NORTH AMERICA

                                          2007 - 2008 IMPERIAL DIVAN

The Shrine of North America is nearly 550,000 nobles belonging to 191 Temples, or Chapters throughout North America.

"Men of faith believe that at times, in the course of human history, the Divine Creator, whom we call GOD, has planted a great ideal in the mind of particular man or has stirred the soul of a certain individual with divine fire. In this way, great movements of good have come into existence which have changed the lives of countless numbers of mankind".

                       Genesis

The Shrine was founded in 1872 by a group of men belonging to the Masonic Order. Dr. Walter M. Fleming, a Doctor and Surgeon, and William Florence, an Actor,  basically started the Shrine. These two men met at a Masonic Luncheon Club in New York and  William Florence came up with the Order name and ritual. The first draft of the ritual was finished in 1870. It was Dr. Fleming who took charge with his bulldog tenacity and attention to detail to push through to his goals of establishing the Mystic Shrine of North America. The Shrine's headress, The Fez, made in Fez, Morocco, has been handed down from ancient times. Charles   McClenachan, William Patterson and Albert Rawson were credited with perfecting the ritual. They also  held that Nobles must be Scottish Rite or York Rite Masons. The work was communicated to himself, and 12 other members of the Masonic Luncheon Club by Doctor Fleming. With these 12 members and 17others the first temple was formed and called Mecca Temple in September 1872, in New York. The second Temple, Damascus, was formed in Rochester, N.Y. in June, 1876. As the temples were increasing in size, Noble Fleming called for the formation of a parent body. Thus the creation of the Imperial Grand Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine was formed. The Grand Line officers were elected for three years: Walter F. Fleming, Grand Potentate, N.Y. City, George F. Loder, Deputy Grand Potentate, Rochester, N.Y., Phillip F. Lenhart, Grand Chief Rabban, Brooklyn, N.Y., Edward M.L.Ehlers, Grand Asst. Chief Rabban, N.Y., City, William H. Whiting, Grand High Priest & Prophet, Rochester, N.Y., Samuel R. Carter, Grand Oriental Guide, Rochester, Aaron L. Northrup, Grand Treasurer, N.Y., City, William S. Patterson, Grand Recorder, N.Y., City. Albert P. Moriarity, Grand Financial Secretary, N.Y., City, John L. Stettinius, Grand First Ceremonial Master, Cincinnati, Ohio, Bensen Sherwood, Grand Second Ceremonial Master, N.Y., City, Samuel Harper, Grand Marshall, Pittsburgh, Penn., Frank Bascom, Grand Captain of the Guard, Montpelier, Vermont, George Scott, Grand Outer Guard, Patterson, N.J. The first official act was to grant a charter to Mecca Temple on September 26th, 1872. In 1886, at the Imperial Grand Council at Al Koran temple, the word Grand was dropped from the Officers and Council and Dr. Fleming announced his retirement. The Shrine continued to increase membership down through the First World War Years, In 1921, we entered the program of Shriners Hospitals for Children. The depression years caused the Shrine temples to give more thought to supplementing our assesment to keep our Hospitals open. The fifty-eighth Imperial Council Session in 1932, at San Francisco, Calif. was "dedicated to the spirit of optimism that lives in the heart of all Americans".The Shriners did a magnificent job to bring our Hospitals through these trying times. In 1953, our dues assesment was raised to $5.00 and income for the Hospitals are increased from endowments, and proceeds from various games and other activities.

The story of the Shrine is that of hundreds of thousands of men, Freemasons all, who join together to mix fellowship, pleasure, entertainment, good will, and vast charity in a grand scale program of fraternal good works that truly earns for them the title "NOBLE".

                                                          THE SHRINERS CREED

Shriners believe in GOD and that HE created man to serve HIS purposes, among which is service to others in HIS name. We believe that care for the less fortunate, especially children who suffer from burns and crippling diseases, is our institutional calling.

We are patriots, each willing to serve his country with fidelity and courage. We cherish independence, under law and freedom, with responsibility. We honor family. We respect our parents, wives, and children. We should instill in our children the tenets of this creed and the heritage from which it emanates.

As individuals, we pledge ourselves to intregrity, virtue, and nobility of character. Our intentions will be honorable, our relations will be trustworthy, and our spirits forgiving of each other. As brothers, we offer each other fraternal affection and respect. Together we will support each other in adherence to this creed so that we and our communities will be the better because of our fraternity and its principles.

As Shriners, we look beyond ourselves to serve the needs of others, especially children who cannot help themselves. We believe Shriners Hospitals to be the "World's Greatest Philanthropy", and we covenant with each other to support its "Temples of Mercy" with spirit, time, talent, and means.

IMPERIAL SHRINE COMMUNICATIONS

FROM DR. BERNARD J. LEMIEUX, IMPERIAL POTENTATE ON OCTOBER 24TH, 2007

Dear Fellow Nobles:

 
            I have purposely held off this month's communication until
now so I could share information with you from all the seminars that
have just concluded in Tampa.

            Imperial Sir George Mitchell and his membership team put
together a great program. One of the main things stressed by the
speakers at the Membership Seminar is that we need to concentrate on
each individual member of our fraternity, rather than worrying about the
overall temple membership numbers. Each one of us constitutes a building
block for the temple; we cannot afford to lose anyone. There was
considerable discussion about going home and making sure the units and
clubs are actually viable and active, so that their members want to
continue to participate in our Shrine activities. It was also stressed
that "We Are Family" and that each year we have managed to attract
almost 25 percent of Masons to join the Shrine, but we have not been
able to increase that percentage. If we want to succeed, we are going to
have to help Masonry grow. Examples of how this can be done were given
at the seminar. If we can do this, our temples will be successful, and
our numbers will again begin to climb.

            To get a more detailed account of the Membership Seminar, I
would recommend asking your temple membership chairman (or whomever
attended this function) to give a full report at your next Stated
Meeting. You may even want to volunteer to help!

            Following the membership meeting, the Donor Relations
Committee members met at the Airport Marriott and came away enthused and
ready to support the new marketing and branding campaign for the
hospital system. Once again it was stressed that this campaign will not
affect the signs and symbols of the fraternity in any way. The new
marketing and branding campaign will actually enhance the "Editorial
Without Words" image and unite all 22 of our hospitals into a single
brand. This will make it easier to market Shriners Hospitals to the
public, because it will make the hospitals much more easily
identifiable. The hospital system has hired hospital development
directors. They work closely with the donor relations volunteers and to
date they have been responsible for helping bring in approximately $13
million in donated monies and are also helping to fill the pipeline with
future bequests. Everyone realizes that with the increasing costs of
medical care, we all are going to have to find more monies to fund our
operating budget, which is about $655 million this year. (Some of you
have seen the budget reported at $721 million, which includes the
capital budget, in addition to the operating budget.)  In just a few
short years, the operating budget could be topping one billion dollars.
It will take increased efforts on all our parts to meet this need by
finding donors and convincing people we do need their dollars. You can
analogize your donor relations individuals to the family "bread
winner"... all families need monies to survive, and our hospital system
is no different. The development directors are going to play an even
more vital role in our future; we need to give them all the help we can.

            While the Donor Relations Committee was meeting at the
airport, the hospital public relations directors were meeting at
headquarters. These public relations directors will play an important
role in promoting the new marketing and branding campaign. During the
meeting, the importance of working with temple public relations chairmen
was emphasized. It is important to remember that everyone - including
every Shriner - wants to help and be included in the efforts of the
hospitals - our Shriners Hospitals. I also informed them, as recommended
by the Imperial Public Relations Committee, we are asking all Chief
Rabbans to try and appoint Shriners who have a more intimate working
knowledge of public relations - a  professional, if possible - as temple
public relations chairmen. However, this may not be possible at every
temple, and in those cases we ask the hospital public relations staff to
help the temple PR chairmen. The hospital and temple public relations
personnel are members of the same team.

            On Tuesday afternoon, there was a joint meeting at
headquarters of the hospital PR directors and the new development
directors (all of which are paid employees). These individuals are
trying to develop stronger ties between their efforts. While PR and
development play different roles in the organization, they do sometimes
overlap. In order for Shriners Hospitals to reach its goals of increased
public awareness, patient numbers and donor dollars, the development and
PR staffs must have constant communication and interaction between
themselves, the temple donor relations chairman and the temple public
relations chairman. All agreed that this is an exciting time to be a
Shriner and to be working for Shriners Hospitals.

            The common thread running through all three of these
seminars was the word "change." In the past, there has been an aversion
to that word, but it seems to have been overcome. Everyone was talking
about the need to make changes to succeed; however, they also stressed
the need for good communication, frank discussion and open-mindedness in
making necessary changes. There was general agreement that our
fraternity, our philanthropy, and even all of society has changed
considerably since the 1920s, '30s, etc. For us to continue to be
relevant, change has to be accepted. I am sure your hospital PR director
or your donor relations committee member would enjoy being invited to
speak at your next Stated Meeting to share information about these
seminars.

            It was gratifying to me to see the "We are Family" theme
being put to work in all of those seminars. Through growing the family,
bringing in more monies to support "our family," and more open and
honest discussions (good communications), we are indeed going to be a
very strong and successful fraternity and philanthropy for generations
to come.

            Always remember, "We Are Family." If you need help, we are
here for you.

 

Sincerely and Fraternally yours,

Bernard J. Lemieux M.D.

Imperial Potentate, Shrine of North America

Chairman, Board of Directors, Shriners Hospitals for Children

 

FROM DR. BERNARD J. LEMIEUX, IMPERIAL POTENTATE ON AUGUST 18TH, 2007

  My fellow nobles:

               The 133rd Imperial Council Session is now over, and it
was my privilege to be elected as the Imperial Potentate and the
Chairman of the Board of Directors of our beloved fraternity and its
philanthropy, Shriners Hospitals for Children. Anaheim was a great host
city. Not only did we enjoy a lot of Shrine fun and fellowship, the
families had the opportunity to spend a day or two enjoying Disneyland.
The weather was perfect for this time of year, and once again, the
Shriners got to "parade their stuff" on one of the main streets in the
community, allowing us a lot of good PR.

               I wish to thank all of the voting representatives for the
trust and confidence that has been placed in me, and I will do
everything in my power to ensure this organization moves successfully
through the coming year.

               The Joint Boards welcomed our new Outer Guard, Gary
Bergenske from Bahia Shriners. He is an excellent addition to these
Boards; he has shown his ability to be a team player, and we all look
forward to working with him in the coming years.  When his opponent Jim
Cain, Past Potentate from Al Menah Shriners conceded, voting for a
unanimous decision and announcing his candidacy for next year; he
received a standing ovation.

               The voting representatives also re-elected Imperial Sir
Tad Claypool from Antioch Shriners for his second term as a Trustee, and
the same is true for Noble Bob Smith from Calam Shriners. Both of these
men have worked very hard and have helped shape a positive course of
action for our hospitals. We are gratified that the voting
representatives recognized this also, and we look forward to working
closely with them in the ensuing year. Imperial Sir Ralph Semb was also
re-elected as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Shriners
Hospitals.

               From time to time, you will be receiving an "e-mail
blast" from me to keep you informed of what is happening throughout
Shrinedom. If, for some reason, you wish to be removed from this e-mail
distribution list, please follow the instructions below. If you would
like to respond to me with questions, suggestions, etc., feel free to
e-mail me at the following address: Imperial_Potentate@shrinenet.org.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND OR FORWARD JOKES AND/OR PICTURE FILES. If you wish
something to remain confidential, make a note of it, and I will respect
your wishes.

               The theme for this coming year is "We are Family." It is
my hope that in stressing the family image throughout the Shrine and
throughout our Masonic family, we may be able to entice new and younger
members to our fraternity.

               At this past Imperial Council Session, the piece of
legislation concerning building a new hospital in London, Ontario,
Canada was defeated and we will maintain our present hospital in
Montreal.

   Sincerely and Fraternally,

   Bernard J. Lemieux, M.D.

   Imperial Potentate
 

(Sent by Noble Dale Lucia of YAARAB Shrine, Atlanta, Georgia) [Shriners - 2000]

                                         THE GEORGE WASHINGTON INAUGURAL BIBLE
Editors Note: On Saturday, January 20th, 2000, President Elect George W. Bush will be sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States on this bible which will be hand carried from its resting place by members of SAINT JOHN'S LODGE #1, ANCIENT YORK MASONS, FREE and ACCEPTED MASONS of NEW YORK. You may go to Saints John Lodge of Education Page for further History. As this New York lodge is one of the first lodges in America, It shows us how closely our masonic lodges are related.

                       SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN

W. Freeland Kendrick, Imperial Potentate Elect, in 1919, launched the Idea that the Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in North America, should do something for friendless, orphaned, and crippled children. Thus, Noble Kendrick came to be known as "Father" of the Shrine's great Philanthropy. 

A resolution was introduced at the 45th Annual Session of the Imperial Council, in 1919, at Indianapolis, Indiana, by Noble Philip D. Gorden of Montreal, Canada, that it would be fitting that some lasting memorial be established to show the world that we as a body of loyal and patriotic citizens of North America, from which thousands of our membership have enlisted, and scores have paid the supreme sacrifice in the cause of justice, liberty, and democracy, for all of which our beloved Order has stood so prominently, And as W. Freeland Kendrick has made his wishes known to this Imperial Council, Be it resolved, that this Imperial Council place itself on record favoring such a proposition and be called "The Mystic Shriners' Peace Memorial for Friendless, Orphaned, and Crippled Children, and a committee be appointed for purchasing a sutable site for this purpose and making other further arrangements, and that a special assessment of $1.00 be made on each member of the order in addition of the annual dues and remitted to the Imperial Recorder. In 1920, Imperial Potentate Kendrick presented a formal resolution to the 46th Council but raised the assessment to $2.00. He also recommended a committee of seven be established to secure plans for the Hospital. And that additional assesments be levied as required for the support of the institution. It was also decided that the hospital would be open to all children regardless of race, color, or creed whose parents were unable to pay for the needed  surgical, medical, and hospital facilities. In the 1921 Imperial Council Session, a resolution was approved to established a chain of hospitals, and voted to set up a board of Trustees with full rights and privileges to apply for incorporation in any state deemed necessary and to select sites to erect and maintain hospitals and provide for skilled staffs for each. The Shrine has accomplished this on such a high plane that millions of dollars have been donated by people who were not Shriners at all. To manage one hospital is a highly technical job, but the Shriners have brought in existence 22 hospitalsl to date. Since establishment, the Shriners have treated over one-half million boys and girls who were otherwise were doomed to a life of disappointment, pain, and isolation and restored them to health & well being. Happiness has been brought to many parents who would otherwise wittness daily suffering and affliction of their little ones.

In its great PhIlanthropy, the Shrine not only found its soul, but discovered that the soul is the spirit of the Shrine.   (Edited from the 1888 to 1988 Centenial History Book of Sesostris Temple in Lincoln, Nebraska).

MISSION STATEMENT OF ALL SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN

It is the mission of all Shriners Hospitals to provide the highest quality care to children with neuromusculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries and certain other special health care needs within a compassionate, family centered and collaborative care environment. To provide for the education of physicians and other health care professionals, and to conduct research to discover new knowledge that improves the quality of care and quality of life of children and families. This mission is carried out without cost to the patient or family, and without regard to race, color, creed, sex,or sect.

Throughout the United States and the world, communities large and small are holding memorial services to honor the thousands of innocent victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as well as those whose lives were lost in heroic life-saving efforts at the World Trade Center in New York City.

Shriners everywhere also are numbered among those paying tribute to the fallen. One group of Shriners — members of the Great Lakes Shrine Association (GLSA) and their families — held a memorial service, which will be etched forever in the hearts of those in attendance. As one participant said after the service, "It was the most unifying experience I've ever been involved in."

The memorial service was held in lieu of the usual Shriners parade in downtown Franklin Park, Ill., a northwest suburb of Chicago. The service took place at the group's headquarters hotel, the Ramada Plaza Hotel O'Hare, in Rosemont, Ill., on Saturday, Sept. 15, midway through the 3-day GLSA meeting and several days after the attack on America.

 

Editors Note: One of the best Websites on Freemasonry that this editor has had the privilege to view has come to me by a noble through Shriners 2000. Noble Scott Eastwold from El Riad Temple in Sioux Falls, South Dakota suggested we view the Website of Unity Lodge #130. They have done an excellent job of presenting Masonry to our brethern and to people at large. You my view this website by going to :  http://www.unitylodge.com    

 

                                                             P.I.P. JOHN D. VERMAAS

John D. Vermaas, Past Imperial Potentate, 33rd Degree,  Sesostris's own Past Potentate, of Lincoln Nebraska,  has previously served as Imperial Potentate during 1996 - 1997.John is the owner of Vermaas Construction Company and is Past National Director of the Homebuilders Boards of Directors and Trustees. He has served as Presidents of the the Nebraska State Hombuilders and Lincoln Homebuilders. He is a member of the U.S. Postal Lessors and Lincoln Independent Business Association.

John began his career working as a carpenter's assistant and continued in this field, establishing VerMaas Construction in 1960. VerMaas builds, owns, and leases Post Office Facilities to the U.S. Postal Service, owning post office buildings in 10 states.

Imperial Sir John D. is a past member of the Board of Governors of the Twin City Shrine Hospital and a Past Potentate of Sesostris Temple. He is a member of the Scottish and York Rites, Royal order of Jesters # 118, the Cabiri, Hickman Lodge #256 in Hickman, Nebraska, and the Sojourners. He holds  the honorary 33rd degree in Scottish Rite and the Red Cross of Constantine in York Rite. He joined Sesostris Temple in 1962, and became a member of the Cushman Drill Unit. In 1971, he and other unit members formed the Harley 74's and continued with motor corp competition. He was appointed to the Sesostris Divan in 1978 and became Potentate in 1984.

He is a life member of the Kachina Klub, a member of Quetzalcoati Lodge #269, a member of Elks Lodge #80, and is Deputy to the Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay.

John Vermaas and his wife, Jan, live in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has four children, two stepchildren, and seven grandchildren. (This from the Imperial Shrine Home Page and Sesostris FEZtivities).      

Noble Jack Garrison writes as Correspondent for the Sesostris Tri Scats in our Sesostris Shrine "FEZtivites" Magazine concerning the Arch Program:

WHAT AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY. A big two thumbs up for the public presentation of the January 29th Shrine Ceremonial. Flags of the fifty states were each carried in by Sesostris Shriners who encircled the audience. Following the introductions of special guests and of the eight candidates, the initiation ceremony was presented by Ararat Shrine of Kansas City, Missouri. The Orator told the basic history and the virtuous tenets of Masonry. The building of the Arch began in dramatic presentation by the stone masons in full ceremonial atire. The stones were each assembled with the emblems of the Masons, Scottish Rite, York Rite, and at the top crowned with the Scimitar and Crescent.

One of our Shrine patients was wheeled in by our Potentate, Ill. Sir Jerry Sievers. Few dry eyes gazed upon the pair as Ill. Sir knelt down to lift up the child, and with the little crutches in Jerry's hand, and the child cradled in his right arm, turned and walked through the Arch of Philanthropic Dedication. A Shriner then came before us with Fez in hand and recited the poem, "This old Fez of Mine". The Fezzing took place, bringing unquestionable meaning to what our New Shrine Brothers were committed.

This ceremony should be presented to each future candidate! If anyone ever questions the purpose and philosophy of the Shrine, the Greatest Philanthropy in the World, they should witness what we were so privileged to see on that unforgettable afternoon. End.

A VERY SERIOUS LOOK AT OUR LIFE AND TIMES BY A RESPECTED SOLDIER- MASON- SHRINER

Gaylord Zeeby Thomas is a Officer in the Air Force and a Mason Shriner

Recent events sure bring a lot of things into focus for us and help us not to take things for granted so much. We Americans are so accustomed to our freedom that we have forgotten how truly important it really is. Our forefathers fought - and died - for it. They knew its value. Members of the armed forces give up many of those very same freedoms (some only temporarily) and become acutely aware of this fact the moment they step off the bus and start their basic training, or boot camp as so many people like to think of it. It is just another one of those things about human nature. we sometimes don't appreciate something until it is taken away. How lucky we are - or feel - if we can get it back.

Americans are an odd lot, and we know that and admit it. So what is our great secret? What makes us so "powerful?" Where do we derive this power?

Many of this world's wars have come from one thing - religion. And these recent events seem to point in the same direction. Have we not learned enough yet that history repeats itself?

Before I lead you down the path to answer these questions, let's look at something else that is essential to understand: The difference between truths and facts. If I said, "The world is round," you would probably agree that I just made a true statement. It is however, not only a true statement, but a fact. It has been proven. There was a time when "The world is flat" was also accepted as a true statement - but it was NOT a fact and never evolved to be one. At that point in time, it was merely a truth, or something people believed in at that
time. Essentially, a "fact" is something that can be proven and a "truth" is something we believe. something that perhaps we cannot touch or see but we "know" it to be the way things are.

Just as man's knowledge of the earth itself has evolved, our knowledge of "things" and even human nature has also evolved over time. What we "believe" has changed over time. and when you realize that you depend so much on "beliefs," you must realize that it is your very faith that drives your actions often times even more than a reliance on the facts.

Americans are different, yes, and it is our "collective" belief that leaves us a cut above so many times - and perhaps what also makes other jealous. So what is our collective belief? It's written on our very own "almighty" currency - IN GOD WE TRUST.

It is as "true" on the personal/individual level as it is on the collective societal level.Where will the next level take us this time? We have no choice but to continue forward. Forward in time. Forward in progress. Forward to something better as every major event in the history of the world has also done. Just as we individually advance separately and at our own pace in thought and understanding of the "Truth," societies also advance at separate paces. While we, Americans have much to learn yet about "terrorism," (things many other societies have already learned), the rest of the world has much
to learn from the United States about simply getting along with each other and laying religious differences aside. That is a key part of what allows us to be "united" in the first place, and also the key part to what will help the world to be united and advance to the next step "together."

Gaylord Z. Thomas

From Shriners 2000

IMPORTANT DATES:

                                          ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITALS

                                     BURN HOSPITALS

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