In 1919, nine boys and a man started a fraternity that aims to help bring about social change through mutual improvement and character development. Its lessons are based on the victories and hardships bared by Jacques DeMolay, the last Grand Master of the Order of Knights Templar. It believes on the union of religious, civil, and intellectual liberties to achieve the only genuine freedom in a government of, by, and for the people.
Now in at least 22 countries[1], the International Order of DeMolay is the world’s oldest and largest fraternity of young men that explicitly values, respects, and protects womanhood.
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- The fraternity survived its early years because of women.
DeMolay traces back its roots in Kansas City, Missouri. It was founded a year after the fighting of World War I ended (1918) and a year before women gained the right to vote in the United States (1920). During the first few years of the fraternity, DeMolay Mothers’ Clubs were established for mothers and women relatives of the members. These female groups helped in promoting the welfare of the chapters, strengthen the interest of each member in DeMolay, and “provide the things which only a mother’s interest can accomplish”[2].
The founder of the Order, Dad Frank Land, claimed that if it weren’t for these women, the Order “would have probably folded during the (Great) Depression of the 30’s”.[3] The fraternity, which was still young at that time, was sustained through the faithfulness, attention, and concern of the mothers and female relatives of our brothers.
Note that the Great Depression in the United States (1929 – 1939) was the “worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world”.[4] During this period there was a drastic change in gender roles. The economic turbulence increased the number of mothers that entered breadwinning – “the central component of paternal identity for a century”.[5] Women offered cheaper labor and many men were disheartened in looking for jobs. Large numbers of men lost self-respect, became immobilized, and stopped looking for work, and some even became abusive to their families.[6] Over 1.5 million American women had been abandoned by their husbands.[7]
During that point in time, for a man to assert that women were the reasons why an organization of men survived proved that Dad Land regarded women very highly and with great respect.
These women may have witnessed the positive developments brought about by the teachings of the fraternity and felt its significance to the society. Despite the spiking family problems spawned by the severe economic depression and their new role as providers, they ensured that they gave time for their sons and the Order of DeMolay. This was how they expressed their love to them and may have wanted them to grow up to become better men.
To this day, DeMolay Mothers’ Clubs work hand-in-hand with our Advisory Councils and continue to guide our brethren across many of our chapters here and abroad.
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- The fraternity teaches us that to honor our mothers we must honor all women.
From the moment a young man joins the fraternity until he reaches the age of seniority (21 years old in DeMolay terms), he is taught about honoring womanhood. Our Ritual of Secret Work and teachings, as well as our public and private ceremonies, do not fall short in reminding our brothers about respecting mothers and women in general. Here are several examples which can be shared publicly:
- 14 Code of Ethics – The second of the 14 is “A DeMolay honors all womanhood.”
- Ceremony of Roses[8] – Commonly known as “Flower Talk”, this is one of the most celebrated ceremonies of the fraternity. It is memorized by heart by almost all DeMolays and delivered in almost all of our public ceremonies. It reminds our brethren:
- ‘The Order of DeMolay teaches many beautiful lessons, but none is more important than honor and true respect for womanhood, and more especially motherhood’.
- For our mother, we should make ‘no woman weep’, ‘hold no woman cheap’, and ‘give no woman scorn’.
- The title was captured from the actions that are done before the end of the ceremony. Each brother offers a rose to his mother, whether alive or departed, to symbolize his appreciation of the sacrifices she has made for him, and the love and care she has given him.
- We are asked to strive to live as to be worthy of our mother’s love.
- Nine O’Clock Interpolation – If our chapter meetings and other functions, whether open or private, reaches nine o’clock in the evening, the brothers are required to give a prayer for a “special blessing for our mothers who have watched over us with unceasing care during all the years of our lives”[9].
- Installation of Officers[10] – The fraternity obliges the Master Councilor, who heads the DeMolay chapter, to ensure that his brothers honor and respect women. Before he is fully installed to the role, the incoming Master Councilor is asked to promise that he will demand of each member ‘deference to womanhood’ while kneeling at the altar with both hands upon the Holy Scriptures.
- At My Chapter’s Altar – Also known as “The Vows of a DeMolay”, clearly states that each member has promised “to honor and protect every woman”.
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The author is a member of:
Ambosio A Flores Chapter No. 45
Mt. Makiling Chapter No. 39 (Dual member)
Thomas Michael Sherry Priory No. 1
Honorable Sires’ Guild – DeMolay Alumni Chapter No. 34
[1] DeMolay International, “Find a Jurisdiction”, https://demolay.org/find-a-jurisdiction/ (accessed 4 March 2022).
[2] No author and date published listed, “DeMolay Light of Knowledge Mentoring Guide”.
[3] Ibid.
[4] History, “Great Depression History”, https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-depression-history (accessed 4 March 2022).
[5] Steven Mintz, “Mothers and Fathers in America: Looking Backward, Looking Forward”, Digital History, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/mothersfathers.cfm (updated 2012).
[6] Griswold, Robert L., “Fatherhood in America: A History”, New York: Basic Books (1993).
[7] “America in the Great War,” EyeWitness to History, http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2000).
[8] DeMolay International, “Flower Talk”, https://demolay.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Flower-Talk.pdf (accessed 4 March 2022).
[9] DeMolay International, “Nine O’Clock Interpolation” (No date published listed).
[10] DeMolay International, “Installation Service”, https://demolay.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Installation-Service.pdf (accessed 4 March 2022).
RED TORPEDO 