Both a film version of, and a written sequel to, Pillars of the Earth, the 1989 novel by Ken Follett, are expected shortly. The celebrated novel is set in the England of 1123 during the construction of the great gothic cathedrals and, not incidentally, the very beginning of the guilds of master craftsmen that evolved into what became the international brotherhood of Freemasonry. Freemasonry is the oldest, largest and most widely known fraternal organization in the world.

Nearly 750 years later, a group of Masons meeting in New York decided to create a new fraternity within Masonry dedicated to the marriage of fun, fellowship, and philanthropy: the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. That the vision of the founders of The Shrine has come to fruition is corroborated by membership chairman of the Kora Temple in Lewiston, who wrote in a recent newsletter, “We are a Nobility with lots of pride and spirit and we enjoy having fun with a serious purpose.”

“Fun” is represented by the FEZtival; by the clowns, the circus, the guys in little cars; the Kora Crazy Cops. “Serious purpose” is the dedication of the Shrine to the support of the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children, unique medical facilities that comprise a network stretching from Massachusetts to Hawaii, Canada to Mexico. Known to appreciate a lively good time, the philosophy of the Shrine has been described as, “Pleasure without intemperance, hospitality without rudeness and jollity without coarseness.”

In order to be eligible for membership in the Shrine, men (and only men, although there are large and very active women’s auxiliary units, including The Order of the Eastern Star, the largest fraternal organization in the world that both men and women can join) must first have achieved the rank of Third Degree Mason, a process which can be accomplished in as few as about six weeks.

The Masons, traditionally, have not recruited members, but membership is available to those who seek sponsorship from current members. It is not a secret society or a religious organization. Masonry “has no creed, no priesthood, and no plan for salvation.”

Freemasonry began as association of highly skilled craftsmen in order to both protect and pass along the “secrets” of mathematics and physics which enabled them to create some of the most magnificent and enduring structures in the world at a time when most of the population was entirely illiterate and uneducated. The operative of Masonry lasted nearly 400 years while its members built cathedrals, castles, and the hundreds of Gothic structures in Western Europe.

The organization’s literature proclaims, “During the Cathedral Age, Masons formed themselves in workmen’s Guilds; each Guild forming a Lodge with regular officers and with three degrees of membership. The first were apprentices or bearers of burdens, the second were craftsmen or skilled workmen on the Temples and the third were Masters or superintendents of the structures being built. Each Guild member had to develop certain proficiencies in his work to advance to a higher status, and during this advancement each member was also taught certain attributes of moral conduct. It was these Guild Lodges which actually gave birth to the modern Masonic Lodges and present-day Freemasonry,” and much of the symbolism of modern Masonry is based on the meritorious processes followed by the ancient craftsmen. The legacy of protecting the trade secrets of masons is the source of many of the formal rituals of the Masonic movement.

Masonic lodges have become fully integrated into the fabric of the communities in which they are located, all over the world, and each is engaged in all sorts of philanthropic endeavors. While there is no overarching credo, the Freemasons explain that their fraternity is committed to “kindness in the home; honesty in business; courtesy toward others; dependability in one’s work; compassion for the unfortunate; resistance to evil; help for the weak; concern for good government; support for public education; and above all, a life-practicing reverence for God and love of fellow man. It encourages good citizenship and political expression but is not a political organization. Its charitable activities are manifold, yet, it is not a welfare or benefit organization.”

Prominent Masons have included 13 U.S. presidents, Davy Crockett, Lewis and Clark, Charles Lindbergh, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Rudyard Kipling.

All of nearly three dozen units, clubs and lodges that are part of the Kora Shrine will be welcoming visitors to the FEZtival this year, and information will be available regarding membership in the Masons.