This page invites the public to events put on by the shrine or events that happen at the Temple. We invite you to post pics, interact, and ask questions.
Abu Bekr Temple was organized in March, 1907, with a nucleus of 30 Nobles living in Sioux City and Since that day over 100 years ago Abu Bekr Temple has grown to include a wide area encompassing much of Western Iowa, 2 counties in NE Nebraska and 2 in SE South Dakota.
History: In 1870, several thousand of the 900,000 residents of Manhattan were Masons. Many of these Masons made it a point to lunch at the Knickerbocker Cottage, a restaurant at 426 Sixth Avenue. At a special table on the second floor, a particularly jovial group of men used to meet regularly. The Masons who gathered at this table were noted for their good humor and wit. They often discussed the idea of a new fraternity for Masons, in which fun and fellowship would be stressed more than ritual.
Philanthropy: The Shrine's charitable arm is the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of twenty-two hospitals in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It was originally formed to treat young victims of polio, but as that disease was controlled, they broadened their scope. They now deal with orthopedic care, burn treatment, cleft lip and palate care and spinal cord injury rehabilitation. All treatment offered at Shriner's Hospitals for Children is offered without any financial obligation to patients and their families, and there is no requirement for religion, race, or relationship to a Shriner. Patients must be under the age of eighteen and treatable.
