Melha Shriners Elect Christopher Parker as 115th Potentate

SPRINGFIELD — The Melha Shriners, a philanthropic organization based on fun, fellowship, and Masonic principles, announced the recent election and installation of its potentate (president) and his divan (executive board). At its annual meeting, the Melha Shriners presented the potentate’s fez to Christopher Parker, who will serve as the top-ranking Shriner in Western Mass. for 2025 and the 115th potentate of the Melha Shrine since it was established in 1897.

This year marks 128 years of Melha Shriners’ service to the community and will be filled with public events showcasing its many clubs and units. This is also the year that Shriners Children’s New England will celebrate its 100th anniversary of providing care for children at its Carew Street, Springfield location.

Parker was raised in the Forest Park section of Springfield and graduated from Central High School in 2002. While in high school, he began working part-time at Baystate Cast Products where, upon graduation, he became a full-time employee and remained at the foundry until it closed in 2023. His specialties included molding, finishing, pouring, and general shop maintenance.

Following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, Parker became a fourth-generation Freemason in 2007 at Brigham Lodge in Ludlow.

“Becoming a Freemason is an awesome journey that teaches a person a lot about himself and his place in the world,” he said. “Being from Massachusetts, home of the first Freemasonry lodge in the country, I am very proud of our history and our contributions to our community throughout the years.”

Because Parker’s father was an active Shriner and a member of the Shrine’s Oriental Band, Parker grew up helping out at the Shrine Circus, greeting guests and handing out programs. As he put it, “the Oriental Band is in my blood. It is a great group of guys who love to have fun and play bad music so kids can walk.” He served as president of the Oriental Band from 2013 to 2017 and remains an active member.

Every potentate has a first lady who develops and presides over a special project that supports the group’s philanthropy. “I am sharing my first lady, my mother, with the Shrine this year, as she is now the first lady of Melha,” Parker said.

When asked about her first lady’s project, Sandy Parker explained, “over the years, Shriners Children’s New England has treated a vast number of pediatric patients for polio, orthopedics, scoliosis, and neuromuscular conditions. They transformed many smiles through the cleft-lip and palate program. Shriners Children’s New England continued evolving their services to include sports injuries, physical therapy, speech, and occupational therapy. This year, they are adding a triage burn clinic and a helmet program for babies with cranial deformities.”

With this variety of services in mind, Sandy Parker’s goal is to raise $25,000 for general patient care, so funds raised can used by the clinic to fulfill whatever the current needs may be.

She also holds the position of prophetess for Helma Court #64, Ladies Oriental Shrine of North America, an affiliate of Shriners International, where she participates in several units, including the Laughing Ladies. Her clown persona is Sprinkles, and she can be found clowning around at most Shrine events.

The Parker family has personally experienced the work of Shriners Children’s New England, where doctors there saved the limb of a young family member from being amputated.

When asked about his goals for 2025, Christopher Parker said he is looking forward to “bringing back the fun and fellowship of years past, ‘fraternally uniting nobles,’ while continuing to raise money for the children.”