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What
is DeMolay?
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DeMolay is fun. DeMolay is and can be most anything you would
like it to be. We have sports, dances, all sorts of competitions
in all sorts of areas and it's the largest fraternal (fraternity)
organization for young men in the world.
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What
do you do?
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We do almost everything and anything. We have dances, parties,
and picnics. We play most sports from basketball to softball
to volleyball.
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How
big is DeMolay?
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DeMolay was started in 1919, and since that time over 4 million young
men just like us have joined. Today there are about 1500 chapters,
located in the United States, Canada and several other countries.
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Who
belongs to DeMolay?
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Lots of guys just like us, who like to have fun at great activities
and to learn things that will prepare them (and us) for the future.
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What
are the membership requirements?
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To join DeMolay, you must be a young man between the ages of twelve
and twenty-one; believe in a supreme being; be a person of good character
and good reputation; and petition a DeMolay chapter.
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How
much does it cost to join?
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There is a ONE! time membership fee of $55.00. We do have to pay for
some of the activities we do....
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When
and where do you meet?
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Most of the Chapters meet in Masonic Lodge Halls. We meet twice
a month, once to conduct business and plan projects and activities,
and once to initiate new members or work on some type of project,
like finishing last minute details for a softball game or a dance.
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Can
I attend a meeting?
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Well, you can't formally attend a meeting until you join, but you
can come to our activities and meet some of the guys. If you
really want to attend a meeting to see what it's like, you can come
down to our next meeting for a while and I will introduce you to all
the guys.
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Are
there any girls in DeMolay?
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DeMolay is an organization for young men, but there are girls at almost
all of our activities. There are other organizations, for young
ladies, similar to DeMolay, and sponsored by the Masonic Family such
as Job's Daughters, and Rainbow Girls.
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What
makes DeMolay different from other young men's organizations?
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What sets us apart from the other young men's groups is that we have
a feeling of "brotherhood" that comes from belonging to
our fraternity. DeMolay will provide you with many lasting
friendships.
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What
are the ceremonies I would go through?
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Ever since DeMolay began in 1919, all of its members have gone through
the same initiation ceremonies. When you join you will go through
the same one that all DeMolays went through, including John Wayne,
Walt Disney, Walter Cronkite, and Dan Rather.
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What
is the initiation like?
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To be a DeMolay you must go through two ceremonies, which we call
"degrees". The first is the Initiatory Degree where
the Seven Cardinal Virtues (Precepts) of a DeMolay are explained to
you by the members of the chapter. The second degree is the
DeMolay Degree. This one is great, it's where we dress up in
costume and put on a play for you to watch. The play is about
the trials of Jacques DeMolay (the person DeMolay is named after),
and teaches us about the bonds of friendship and loyalty we share
as DeMolay MEMBERS.
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What
are the seven cardinal virtues?
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They are the basic principles that we feel help us to be better people.
They are:
- Filial Love
(Love of Parents)
- Reverence
for Sacred Things (Respect for things you feel are important,
or for things others feel are important.)
- Courtesy
- Comradeship
(Friendship)
- Fidelity
(Being true to your friends and beliefs)
- Cleanness
- Patriotism
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Is
DeMolay a religious group?
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No. DeMolay is not a religious group, DeMolay teaches no religion
but expects each member to profess a belief in a Supreme Being and
be tolerant in your opinion of others.
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What
is a fraternity?
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A fraternity is an organization whose members have a special bond
with one another regardless of age or position. It is a brotherhood
built on common interests.
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Is
DeMolay a secret fraternity?
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We are not a secret fraternity, and hold no secrets from non-members
as to our type of organization, our purposes, activities and beliefs.
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What
are your secrets?
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The only thing that someone might consider secret about DeMolay are
our passwords, signs, and handshakes. This is our way, like
all fraternities, to make being a member really special.
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Where
does the name DeMolay come from?
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Jacques DeMolay lived around the 14th century in France, during the
time of the great Crusades. He was the last Grand Master of
the Knights Templar, which was the fraternity of Crusaders in France.
He was a Knight and a leader of men who stood up for the less fortunate
and was true and faithful to his cause and his friends until death.
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Abbreviations
PMC
= Past Master Councilor, RD=Representative
DeMolay, Chev=Degree of Chevalier, LOH=Legion
of Honor, COH=Cross of Honor, AM=Active
Member of ISC, DM=Deputy Member of CSC, PGM=Past
Grand Master, ISC=International Supreme Council,
PJMC=Past Jurisdictional Master Councilor,
SD=Senior DeMolay
Any
one of the following implies Senior DeMolay or Advisor (LOH,
COH, AM, DM, PGM)
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