Shriners and Other Masonic Appendant Bodies

Freemasonry's three-degree structure — Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason — forms the foundation, but it is far from the whole building. Appendant bodies are organizations that require Master Mason membership as a prerequisite and then extend the journey through additional degrees, ritual systems, and philanthropic missions. The Shriners are the most publicly recognizable of these groups, but the landscape includes the Scottish Rite, York Rite, Order of the Eastern Star, and others, each with a distinct character and purpose.

Definition and scope

An appendant body, in Masonic usage, is any organization that formally requires candidates to hold the Master Mason degree before joining, but that operates independently of the blue lodge system. The blue lodge — the local lodge conferring the first three degrees — grants no authority over appendant bodies and receives no governing direction from them. They are parallel structures, not a hierarchy.

The term "appendant" distinguishes these groups from the core degrees. Some bodies use the word "concordant" to signal that they build upon Masonic teachings rather than branching away from them. In practice, the distinction is largely semantic. What matters is that membership in these organizations begins at the door of the lodge and extends outward from there.

How it works

The path typically runs in one direction: a man petitions a blue lodge, receives the three degrees (as detailed on the how-to-become-a-freemason page), and only then becomes eligible for appendant bodies. No appendant body can confer Masonic standing on its own. A Shriner who loses his Master Mason affiliation, for example, simultaneously loses standing in the Shrine — the two are permanently linked.

The major appendant bodies in the United States operate through their own national or international governance structures:

1. Scottish Rite — Confers degrees numbered 4 through 32 (with the honorary 33° reserved for distinguished service). The Scottish Rite vs. York Rite comparison is one of the first questions most new Master Masons encounter. The Scottish Rite operates through two jurisdictions in the US: the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction and the Southern Jurisdiction, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
2. York Rite — A collective name for three related bodies: the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, the Council of Royal and Select Masters, and the Commandery of Knights Templar. The Knights Templar is the only appendant body that explicitly requires a Christian profession.
3. Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Shriners International) — Founded in New York City in 1870, the Shrine dropped its requirement for Scottish Rite or York Rite membership in 2000, allowing any Master Mason in good standing to join directly. Shriners International operates 22 Shriners Children's hospitals across North America, providing pediatric specialty care regardless of a family's ability to pay (Shriners International).
4. Order of the Eastern Star — Open to Master Masons and their female relatives. With chapters in all 50 states, it is among the largest fraternal organizations in the world admitting both men and women (Order of the Eastern Star General Grand Chapter).
5. Grotto (Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm) — A lighter-toned appendant body focused on fellowship and fun rather than elaborate degree work. Founded in Hamilton, New York, in 1889.

Common scenarios

A Master Mason at a mid-sized lodge in Ohio might receive his third degree and, within the same year, petition the local Scottish Rite Valley for the 4°–32° cycle, which most Valleys confer in a single multi-day class. That same Mason might separately join a Shrine temple for its charitable mission without ever pursuing the York Rite.

The reverse is equally common: a Mason drawn to the Christian-focused Knights Templar proceeds through the York Rite sequence over two or three years, earning the Royal Arch degrees before reaching the Commandery, without ever affiliating with the Scottish Rite or the Shrine.

Some Masons remain solely in the blue lodge for an entire lifetime. Appendant bodies are optional additions, not obligations. The masonic-dues-and-obligations page addresses the financial dimension of multiple affiliations, which can accumulate quickly across bodies.

Decision boundaries

Choosing whether to join an appendant body — and which one — depends on three practical considerations:

• Purpose alignment: The Shrine's identity is inseparable from its hospitals. The Scottish Rite's Southern Jurisdiction has long supported dyslexia research programs through its RiteCare network. A Mason motivated by a specific charitable mission may find one body a cleaner fit than another.
• Time and cost: Scottish Rite Valley fees vary by jurisdiction but commonly range from $150 to $300 for the degree cycle, plus annual dues. Shrine membership carries its own dues structure on top of that. A Mason active in lodge, a York Rite Commandery, and a Shrine temple is maintaining at minimum 3 separate annual obligations.
• Theological requirements: Most appendant bodies impose no religious test beyond the theistic belief already required for blue lodge membership. The Knights Templar exception — requiring a Christian profession — is meaningful and should be understood clearly before petitioning a Commandery.

The grand-lodge-system page provides context for how state grand lodges relate (or deliberately do not relate) to the governance of these bodies. For anyone mapping the full scope of what Masonic affiliation can encompass, the key dimensions and scopes overview is a useful starting point, as is the broader freeandacceptedmason.com reference.