DeMolay International

The logo of DeMolay International

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Order DeMolay presence in the World.

DeMolay International, founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1919, is an international fraternal organization for young men ages 12 to 21. It was named for Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. DeMolay was incorporated in the 1990s and is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

Organizational overview

DeMolay is open for membership to young men between the ages of 12 to 21 of good character who acknowledge a higher spiritual power. It has about 15,000 active members in the United States and Canada.^[1] There are active chapters in Australia, Argentina, Aruba, Philippines, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Italy, Peru, Romania, France, Albania, Japan, Montenegro, and Serbia^[2].

Overview

Although not a "Masonic organization" as such, DeMolay is considered to be part of the general "family" of Masonic and associated organizations, along with other youth groups such as The Organization of Triangles, Inc. of New York, the A.J.E.F., the Order of the Knights of Pythagoras, Job's Daughters and International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. A family connection to Masonry is not a prerequisite for membership into DeMolay.^[3]

Founding

The Order of DeMolay was founded in 1919 with nine members, most of whom lived near each other in Kansas City.^[4]

The crown appearing in the self-adopted heraldic arms (the emblem) of the order contains 10 rubies, each representing one of the original nine members and the organization's founder, Frank S. Land. The rubies were originally portrayed as pearls; as each founding member died, the pearl representing him was changed to a ruby.

Values

DeMolay has seven Cardinal Virtues, taught as its basic ideals. They are:

• Filial love (the love between a child and parent)
• Reverence for sacred things
• Courtesy
• Comradeship
• Fidelity
• Cleanness
• Patriotism

Organizational structure

A local DeMolay body 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 remaining officers of a Chapter are appointed by the Master Councilor, except for the Scribe, who is appointed by the Chapter's Advisory Council.

Senior DeMolays (former members now 21 or older), Masons, or other adult mentors supervise the Chapter and are referred to as "Dad." One of the founding members thought of Frank Land as a father figure and called him "Dad Land". In recent years, women have also served as advisors [sic] for the group. Women advisors are referred to as "Mom".

In addition to the individual Chapter, DeMolay has an officer structure at the state, provincial, or other large regional level led by a State Master Councilor, Provincial Master Councilor, or Jurisdictional Master Councilor. In some countries, DeMolay may have a national level organization headed by a "National Master Councilor". There are also other state, provincial, or jurisdictional positions, based on the officers of a chapter, which vary for each jurisdiction. The lead advisor (always a Master Mason and a member of the Supreme Council) in a state, jurisdiction, or country, is called an Executive Officer. The lead advisor internationally is known as a Grand Master, who governs the International Supreme Council. There are also Active DeMolay officers at an international level; 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.

In some countries other than the United States, the International Supreme Council of DeMolay has ceded control to an independent Supreme Council created to govern DeMolay in that country. Such a Supreme Council has its own Grand Master and officers. (Examples are Australia, Brazil, and the Philippines.)

Jurisdictional officers

Each state or jurisdiction holds an annual (or biennial, in some) event known as a Conclave or Convention. At this event, the members of the state or jurisdiction may vote on the State Master Councilor (or, in some cases the Provincial Master Councilor / Jurisdictional Master Councilor) and other elected positions. Some jurisdictions may elect a Deputy State Master Councilor, Sweetheart, and / or various other positions. In same cases, these officers are appointed by the Executive Officer of jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions may hold a specific event, called Congress, separate and apart from Conclave or Convention to elect their jurisdictional officers and vote on any changes to the jurisdictional by-laws, then install the new officers at their Conclave or Convention.

Jurisdictional/State Officers are the leaders of their state/jurisdiction. They plan, lead, and execute all of the events happening in their state. They also serve as a resource for the DeMolays in their state to help them with events, ceremonies, and any other DeMolay related activities.

International leadership

The International Supreme Council is the governing body of DeMolay International. It is composed of dedicated adult leaders from around the world who are responsible for the growth and success of DeMolay. The Grand Master, the Grand Senior Councilor, the Grand Junior Councilor, the Grand Secretary, and the Grand Treasurer are the elected leaders of the International Supreme Council.^[5] In certain parts of the world, such as Brazil, for example, DeMolay International has created daughter Supreme Councils and has ceded local control of DeMolay in those regions to the local Supreme Council.

Adult supervision

Each chapter must be sponsored by a local masonic body or some other group composed exclusively of masons.^[7] The sponsoring body is responsible for providing the chapter with adult advisors^[7] and a place to meet. Members of the sponsoring body form the chapter's initial "advisory council". The advisory council selects one of its members to be its chairman, and he is the official liaison between the chapter and the sponsoring body. Another member of the advisory council is designated the "chapter advisor," and he is the official liaison between the advisory council and the chapter.^[7] The chapter's advisory council is responsible for supervising the chapter and its activities.

Activities

DeMolays participate in a wide range of social and sports activities that may include: camping, holding dances with members of Rainbow and Job's Daughters, playing basketball, football, baseball, soccer, tennis, paintball, or billiards, going canoeing and kayaking, and taking long distance trips. Both Chapters and individual DeMolays participate in competitions for the best performance of the various Ceremonies of the Order. Winners of local competitions, in ritual and sports, may compete for State Championships, and sometimes State winners compete at higher levels. The Chapter collectively decides what events they enjoy, plans them, and in many cases holds fund raisers to finance those events.

DeMolay International Hall of Fame

DeMolay alumni have gone on to achieve wide recognition outside of the organization. Some have been elected to the DeMolay Hall of Fame.^[8] Not all DeMolays who have received recognition have been inducted into the Hall of Fame; some can be found on other lists.^[9]

The following is a partial list of the members of the DeMolay Hall of Fame. The full list is available on the DeMolay International Web site.^[8]

References

External links

• DeMolay International's website
• Young Men on the Go (1960s), Internet Archive