Our Connection with Freemasonry

Shrine-Masons

While not all Masons are Shriners, all Shriners are Masons. Therefore, a man must become a Master Mason before he becomes a Shriner. 

In 1870, a group of Masons met regularly for lunch at the Knickerbocker Cottage in New York City, and discussed the idea of forming a new fraternity for Masons, based on the fundamentals of Masonry, but with the added elements of fun and fellowship. From these discussions, Dr. Walter Fleming, a prominent physician, and Billy Florence, a famous actor, founded the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.), now Shriners International, in 1872. 

Fun fact: A.A.O.N.M.S. is an anagram for “A MASON.”