Greetings my Brothers!

This is Eric Morabito, “The Walking Man,” checking back in on Fez Friday.

Khartum Shriners

The Shrine fez bearing the name Khartum, so familiar to many people in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario today, was relatively unknown until 1905 when Khartum Temple was introduced, established, and chartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, through the efforts of members of the Masonic Order, Scottish and York Rites and the Shrine of North America. Thus, the name “Khartum,” taken from the chief city in Sudan, became Temple No. 95 in the Shrine of North America and the fifth Temple to be chartered in Canada.

As membership rapidly grew throughout the Shrine of North America, the Imperial Shrine officers recognized that Shriners had to have a mandate that would keep their membership united in a common purpose. Thus, in 1922, the Shriners Hospitals for Children was established, known as the “World’s Greatest Philanthropy.” Its mandate was to set up and maintain a network of hospitals for treating children with orthopedic or burn injuries. In 1923, Khartum Shriners proudly sent their first three patients to the Twin Cities Shrine Hospital for Children for treatment at no cost to the children or their families.

In earlier years, as the membership of Khartum grew, meetings were held at several venues throughout Winnipeg. Before moving into its current premises, the Temple was located in the former Ashdown residence at 529 Wellington Crescent, noted for its prestigious charm, beauty, presence, location, and historical significance.

In 1937, Khartum was given jurisdiction over the Lakehead and Northern Ontario areas, which extended the Temple’s jurisdiction from the Saskatchewan border to approximately 120 miles east of Thunder Bay.

In 1949, the Winnipeg Unit of Shriners Hospital for Children was built and in operation shortly afterward. This was the pride of Khartum and was, no doubt, one of the main reasons for its membership growth as loyal and committed members served and supported the Shrine philanthropy. With the introduction of the Canadian universal medicare system, the Winnipeg Unit of Shriners Hospital for Children was turned over to the Manitoba government in 1977.

Khartum also introduced the Stop Burns Injuries Program, which provides fire-prevention educational services to school children and public service to senior residences and other organizations interested in preventing burns injuries.

Our philanthropy has been further enhanced in Khartum by recognizing children in need of our services with the introduction of the Khartum Patient Transportation Fund, a registered charity. The fund has enabled Khartum to triple its patient load of children requiring and needing our no-cost medical services.

We recognize and proudly salute the support received from our various Shrine units operating out of Winnipeg and our Shrine clubs outside the city. All members of these units and clubs stand proud and tall for the many contributions in terms of time, effort, and resources to the Shrine of North America and the communities, towns, and cities they represent.

Over the past several years, many fund-raising initiatives have been introduced and well supported by hardworking and committed nobles and their ladies who assist our whole organization in general funding operations and helping children who cannot help themselves.

In 2000, the Temple moved into its new and permanent home at 1155 Wilkes Avenue in Winnipeg, where it services the needs of its members and offers first-class facilities to the public for meetings and other functions and events.

Khartum Shriners and their ladies remain fiercely proud of the contributions and services we provide through our obligations and commitment to the “World’s Greatest Philanthropy.”