DeMolay International
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DeMolay International (Also known as the Order of DeMolay), founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1919, is an international youth fraternity for young men. DeMolay derives its name from Jacques DeMolay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. It is a Masonic-sponsored youth organization for boys ages 12-21, and no relation to a Mason is required in order to join. DeMolay was incorporated in the 1990s and is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3).

Overview

DeMolay is open for membership to young men between the ages of 12 to 21, and currently has about 38,000 members world wide.^[1] It uses a model of mentoring; adult men and women, often fathers and mothers of DeMolay members, and past DeMolay members, referred to as Senior DeMolays and DADS, mentor active Demolay members. The mentoring focuses on the development of civic awareness, leadership skills and personal responsibility.

As a member of the Masonic family of service organizations, DeMolay is closely modeled after Freemasonry, and like Freemasonry, members are initiated into DeMolay through ritual and an allegorical program. Though not directly connected to Freemasonry, DeMolay is considered an appendant body to it. DeMolay is also considered to be part of the Masonic Family along with other youth groups like Job's Daughters, and the Rainbow Girls. Unlike in Job's Daughters, a young man does not need to have a family tie or sponsor in a Masonic organization to join DeMolay.

DeMolay has seven Cardinal Virtues, which are the soul structure of what they follow. Those Cardinal Virtues are :

• Love between a parent and child
• Reverence for all that is sacred
• Courtesy
• Comradeship
• Fidelity
• Cleanness
• Patriotism

An aspiring member would be referred to as a "petitioner"

History

The organization is named after Jacques DeMolay, a knight and crusader who was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Members are encouraged to model their conduct after his example of loyalty and fidelity.

DeMolay was founded in 1919 by Frank S. Land, a successful businessman in Kansas City, Missouri. During World War I, Land became concerned with the plight of boys who had lost their fathers to the war. He decided that there was a need for an organization where they could associate with other boys and learn responsibility and other important life skills. A fatherless boy named Louis Lower and eight of his friends became the first DeMolays.

The organization rapidly grew, and by the end of 1921, Land realized he had to devote full time to the new organization. As the organization continued to grow, interest developed in the Masonic fraternity, and official recognition and approval by Masonic groups began in many states. Today, many members of DeMolay go on to join the Masons.

DeMolay continued its growth, initiating new members and instituting new chapters in every state of the USA. DeMolay then went international, as the organization was developed in many foreign countries.

Since then the organization has spread to many other countries around the world, including Canada, the Philippines, Aruba, Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Panama, Colombia, Paraguay, Mexico and Latin America .

Structural organization

A local DeMolay organization is known as a Chapter and is headed by the Master Councilor. The Master Councilor is elected by members of his Chapter and is usually among the older members of the group. The Master Councilor is assisted in his duties by a Senior Councilor and a Junior Councilor. The Senior Councilor is usually considered to be next in line as Master Councilor and Junior Councilor to follow, though two people can run against each other. The officers of a Chapter which are appointed, are done so by the Master Councilor, except the Scribe, who is appointed by the Chapter's Advisory Council.

Senior DeMolays, Masons, or other adult mentors supervise the Chapter and are usually referred to by the moniker "Dad," a term hearkening back to one of the first members, who thought of founder Frank S. Land as the father he never had, and took to calling him "Dad Land." In recent years, women have also served as advisors for the group, and are referred to as "Mom".

Above the individual Chapter, the DeMolay organization has an officer structure at the state level. A State Master Councilor or Jurisdictional Master Councilor is the head of a statewide DeMolay organization. There are also other state positions based on the officers of a chapter, which vary for each jurisdiction. The lead advisor (usually a Master Mason) in a state is called an Executive Officer and the lead advisor (usually a Master Mason) nationally is known as a Grand Master. There are also officers at an international level as well; the International Master Councilor and International Congress Secretary are the heads of the International DeMolay Congress and serve on the Board of Directors. These officers are always past State Master Councilors.

Chapter officers

DeMolay functions through a set of officers. Some are elected, and some are appointed. The Master, Senior, and Junior Councilors are always elected, but some appointed officers are elected in some jurisdictions. The officers of a DeMolay Chapter are as follows:

Activities

DeMolays participate in a wide range of activities including: Camping, Holding Dances with Rainbow Girls and Job's Daughters, Playing Basketball, Football, Baseball, Soccer, Tennis, Paint ball, Billiards, Going Canoing & Kayaking, Taking long distance trips and much more. The Chapter collectively decides what events they enjoy doing, then plan them accordingly, and in many case hold fund raisers to finance them.

Honors and Awards

Degree of Chevalier is the highest honor that an active DeMolay can receive. This honor may also be granted to a Senior DeMolay. The Degree is a citation for outstanding DeMolay service and activity. In order to receive the honor, a DeMolay must be at least 15 years old on January 15th of the year nominated and have been a member for at least two years as of that date.

The Legion of Honor is the highest Honor conferred by the International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay. Since amendment of the Statutes of the International Supreme Council in 1985, nominees for the DeMolay Legion of Honor must be at least twenty-five years of age before January 15. The International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay may confer the DeMolay Legion of Honor (LOH) upon a Senior DeMolay for outstanding leadership in some field of endeavor, service to humanity, or for success in fraternal life, including adult service to the Order of DeMolay. The International Supreme Council may confer upon a Freemason, who was not a DeMolay, who has performed unusual and meritorious service in behalf of the Order of DeMolay, or who has evidenced a spirit of cooperation and appreciation for the Order of DeMolay, the Honorary Legion of Honor (HLOH).

Some DeMolay chapters elect a "Chapter Sweetheart" to serve as the female representative of the chapter. Her duties include attending chapter functions and acting as the Master Councilor's escort. The "Sweetheart" must meet the age requirements of a particular jurisdiction or chapter, usually set at twelve to twenty-one. She may be member of a neighboring Job's Daughters Bethel, Rainbow Assembly, Triangle, or Constellation, but that is not a set requirement. Some chapters also elect a "Duchess", "Princess", or "Junior Sweetheart" in addition to the Chapter Sweetheart.

Order Of Knighthood

The Order of Knighthood is an appended organization of Older DeMolays. The Knighthood program is for active DeMolays between 16 and 21 years of age who are organized into a subordinate unit known as a Priory with its own officers and ceremony work.

The Order of Knighthood made its debut in 1946, when it's ritual was exemplified before the Grand Council, now known as DeMolay International's Supreme Council.

Through the years, the activities of the Knights have consisted of social and educational programs geared to older DeMolays, with a special emphasis on career planning and coed activities.

The official name of the order of Knighthood is the Chivalric Knights of the Holy Order of the Fellow Soldiers of Jacques DeMolay. It is not an honorary degree or award, but a working body whose purpose is to extend fellowship and serve the Order of DeMolay.

The main functions of a Priory are to:

• Extend and assist the Order of DeMolay and its Chapters.
• Maintain the active interest of older DeMolays.
• Provide an interesting program for the Priory members.
• Above all to provide and maintain a proper example for all DeMolays.

Hall of Fame

Over the years, DeMolay has had many alumni who have gone on to achieve wide recognition outside of the organization. Some of them have been elected to the DeMolay Hall of Fame.^[2] However, not all DeMolays who have received recognition have been inducted into the Hall of Fame; some of them can be found on other lists.^[3]

The following is a list of the members of the DeMolay Hall of Fame:

References

External links

• DeMolay International's website
• http://www.shvoong.com/internet-and-technologies/social-organizations/1780137-http-www-demolay-org/