Aleppo Shriners

06/04/2026

2 GREAT EVENTS that are FAMILY FRIENDLY 😎👍
Make sure to make reservations for the Ice Cream with FEZZY

06/04/2026

From the Aleppo Archives: "Can you do anything with this?"

That's what was asked after the January Ceremonial as I was handed the Potentate's scepter. It had been dropped one too many times; the crescent on top was crushed and hung off, while the bottom half of the rod spun freely and wiggled from side to side.

I decided to take on the challenge, as I knew it would also give me the opportunity to examine the scepter in detail and see if any clues from its construction could provide any historical background.

Disassembly took some time and experimentation. The crescent lipped out with a little persuasion. Some cleaning revealed that under the silver spray paint was plated brass which had been soldered together, but was long broken and the cement inside had crumbled, so the crescent was completely deconstructed in order to flatten the pieces before reassembly.

The staff itself took further "persuasion" as though there were visible screws, removing those did not do much as the bottom had been dented enough times as to wedge the tube onto the metal cap that was on the wood grip. After some work, it was removed and top and bottom of the staff were cleaned of paint to reveal they were solid brass.

The wood grip was lightly cleaned and refinished. Instead of repainting, the brass and other metal parts were polished. The crescent was soldered back together and instead of cement, was filled with epoxy. The entire thing was reassembled and polished one more time.

So that's the restoration, but what about the history? Well, I think this one goes all the way back to the beginning. Some of our earliest photos of Potentates in regalia feature this. There is a stunning portrait of our third Potentate, Thomas Waterman, in full regalia. He holds a different scepter with a different style staff. However, he does not wear the Potentate's jewel, so this may have been taken before he was in office. Looking at a group photo from 1938, we do see that the other ritual cast members have similar scepters with different style staffs. The portrait of our fourth Potentate, Caleb Saunders does feature the same scepter while he wears the Potentate's jewel.

As we browse through the years of other photos, we can spot the scepter, always with the ceremonial Potentate, either being held, or nearby. Slowly showing its years.

We are fortunate to have a number of "original" pieces of our early history, especially for the ceremonial team, including our copy of the Bible and Veda, so in my best judgement, I think we can include this scepter as another of our original pieces which has survived all these years and continues to be used. Hopefully it's now ready to survive at least another 144 years!

Be sure to see it back in use this Saturday at our next Ceremonial!

06/03/2026

Once a Shriners Children's patient, always part of our family. ❤️

If you came to Shriners Children's Boston for pediatric care, we would love to reconnect through our Patient Alumni Network. This program provides a place to share your story, meet other former patients, and stay connected with the care community that supported you.

⭐ Learn more about the Patient Alumni Network and sign up today: https://ow.ly/h2Hl50Z6pX1

06/01/2026

IMPORTANT INFO regarding the Shriners All-Star Football Game

New Location

The 48th Annual Shriners High School All-Star Football Classic will happen on Friday, June 12, 2026. The kick-off is at 7:00 p.m., so don’t be late. Plan on heading to our new venue: Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Ma. The game is always great, as are the kids that make the team go all-out in an effort to win the trophy. Of course, the big winner is Shriners Hospitals for Children. ALL proceeds from the game go to the Aleppo Children’s Transportation Fund.

Our All-Star Football Classic started in 1979 and is one of the most respected of all Massachusetts post-season contests. This game stands out as it attracts high quality talent and incites excitement within the local High Schools. Coaches, players, teachers, cheerleaders, parents, Shriners, and friends come together for one night of football to raise money and spread awareness for our hospitals that provide highly specialized care to children in need of orthopedic and burn care without regard for the family’s ability to pay. We hope to see the stands “Full-of-Fezzes.” So, mark the date, grab your Fez, and head to Xaverian Brothers High School, Friday, June 12th for Shriners All-Star Football Classic. See you there!

Thanks for reading Wicked Important Stuff,

Steve

05/31/2026

05/28/2026

From the Aleppo Archives: 1913 History of Pyramid Temple.

Your Historian will admit a soft spot for Pyramid as it is his Mother Temple, but this particular book we've just digitized is of special interest. It is one of a series of books produced by the Hall Publishing Company of Boston which provided fraternal groups with photos and biographical information of all their members. This single volume, one of 525 copies made, is almost identical to the 1915 two volume sets made for Aleppo (1500 sets). We are also working on digitizing the 1910 history of Mount Sinai Temple (500 copies). We believe there was a similar volume produced for Palestine Temple and we would be interested in seeing any others that are out there.

These books are great resources for photos and biographical information on early members!

Pyramid Shriners # 9
Shriners International

https://archive.org/details/pyramid-temple-shriners-files/Pyramid%201913%20History%20book/mode/1up

05/26/2026

From the Recorder’s office

Shriners Awareness Day
June 6th

Shriners come from all over and from every walk of life—but one thing we all have in common is how much we enjoy sharing what being a Shriner is all about. In a way, every day is awareness day… but officially, we celebrate it on June 6. So why June 6? That’s the day back in 1876 when the Imperial Council—our original governing body—was founded. It’s a great reason to take a little extra pride in the fraternity and help spread the word about the good we do.


What can you do?
Throw on your fez (when it makes sense), or anything with the logo.
Talk it up—friends, neighbors, coworkers… let them know what you enjoy about being a Shriner.
Get involved in something—at your temple, in your community, or even online.
Take a minute to think about why you joined and what it means to you.
OR ATTEND THE JUNE 6TH CEREMONIAL

It’s also worth remembering that June 6 is D-Day, marking the Allied landing in Normandy in 1944. We pause to honor the courage and sacrifice of those who served. A lot of history is packed into one day, and June 6 means a lot to us as Shriners. So however you mark it, take a little time to celebrate and share what we’re all about.

Thanks for reading Wicked Important Stuff,

Steve

05/25/2026

Keeping dry before the parade

Rain or Shine we ride! All in good fun.

05/25/2026

On Memorial Day we remember and honor those Nobles from Aleppo who made the ultimate sacrifice.