The Order of DeMolay 1919-2006
This week marks the 87th year of the International Order of DeMolay since its Annos Ordinis. This week also marks the 692nd death anniversary of the Last Grand Master of the Knights Templars, Jacques DeMolay, our hero and martyr whose name we have taken into our lips.
Millions of young men from all walks of life all over the world have become members of the Order since its founding in 1919. Many DeMolays became prominent in their fields of endeavor, like Walt Disney, John Wayne, John Steinbeck, Mel Blanc and Former US President Bill Clinton to mention a few. The Order of DeMolay was founded by Dad Frank Sherman Land, a prominent Mason in Kansas City, Missouri. Since its foundation, the Order is kept under the guardianship of the world’s most ancient and noble fraternity, Freemasonry.The Order of DeMolay is the main youth organization of the universal Masonic fraternity.
The Philippines takes pride in being the first to establish a DeMolay Chapter in Asia, the Jose Abad Santos Chapter which was established in March 23, 1946. Today there are more than 70 DeMolay Chapters scattered all over the country existing under the auspicies of the Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay of the Republic of the Philippines. Philippine DeMolay has also its share of members excelling in their chosen fields like the award winning film directors Joel Lamangan and Ben Cervantes, Mayors Jejomar Binay and Nepthali Gonzales Jr, Eli Buendia of the erstwhile Eraserheads, Luke Mejares of the South Border Band, etc.
This year also marks my 25th year as member of the Order of DeMolay. Since my initiation to the Order until now I have always enjoyed the comradeship of my brethren. I consider it a unique privilege to be counted as one among the million of men around the world who have knelt before the altar of everlasting fellowship, beheld our martyr’s trial, took his name sacred and proudly proclaims, “I am a DeMolay”.
To my Brethren in the Order of DeMolay, my stp o grs, sgn o wcm, tkn o btd n wrd o emn,DeMolay! Happy 87th Anniversary!!!
Our Order had endured the test of time and thirteen years more, we will be celebrating our Centennial!
Let your light so shine before Man that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven
March 24th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Congrats to your anniversary Sam. I almost became a Demolay some years ago when a cousin invited me and a mason too. Somehow I kept on delaying it. Maybe if the opportunity comes again, I’d be takin it.
March 25th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Hi Major Tom, we could have been brods pala. I have met a lot of bros from James A. Wilson Chapter, the DeMolay Chapter in Zamboanga City. I suppose you are now already above the age requirement for DeMolay membership. Perhaps you are now more eligible for Freemasonry than DeMolay. But by rule Freemasonry doesn’t invite nor recruit for membership. You must ask one to be one. You can visit the two Masonic lodges in Zamboanga City, the Mount Apo Lodge No.45 and Samboangan Lodge No. 310.
March 26th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
ano po ba yong magagawa ko bilang isang DeMolay? (kung member ako?) marami po ba akong matutulungan at mapapasaya?
Pano po maging isang DeMolay? Katulad din po ba yan ng APO fraternity? may hazing, rituals, at yong common fraternity rules bago maging member?
March 27th, 2006 at 12:19 am
Hi Den. The Order has an age limit for active membership. You can only become a member if you are within the age range of 12-21 years old. Upon reaching the majority age of 22 years old, a member already becomes a Senior DeMolay or a DeMolay alumni. The Order no longer accepts membership for anyone already beyond 21 years old.
The Order of DeMolay has a system of rituals but unlike most fraternities, DeMolay does not subscribe to hazing or horseplay during initiations. The Order is under the strict guidance and supervision of the Masonic fraternity. No DeMolay chapter can exist without the sponsorship of a Masonic Lodge or a regular Masonic body. That is why every DeMolay addresses all Freemasons as “Dads”.
If you are interested and is still eligible in age you can petition for membership in any DeMolay Chapter. For more information about the Order, you can contact the Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay of the Republic of the Philippines at the Philippine DeMolay Youth Center, 1440 San Marcelino Street, Ermita, Manila, Philippines. Tel (632) 523-00-85 or Fax: (632) 524-38-54.
March 27th, 2006 at 12:43 am
I am actually a member of the Tau Gamma Phi–Silliman Chapter. One of my brods egged me that we both knock but I hesitated in the last minute for some reason. He finally became a mason. Maybe if the right time comes, I’d be knocking…
March 27th, 2006 at 8:58 am
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you.
March 27th, 2006 at 9:10 am
wala na pala ako sa age range..
I’m 27 na….pero pag may time ako bibisita ako sa Ermita.. thank po..
April 22nd, 2006 at 1:47 pm
nag aaral po aq s dela selle araneta gusto q pong sumali pero wala pong chapter don and im 22yrs old pano po ba yon interesado po kc aq,gusto q po kcng mag tayo ng demolay s skul nmin
April 24th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
@xianobie
I’m glad to hear about your interest in DeMolay but you are already above the age eligibility for membership. If you are interested to know more about DeMolay try to visit the address I’ve mentioned above.
September 21st, 2006 at 7:32 pm
anu po bang chapter ang malapit d2 sa amin sa pque?? im 15 yrs. old masyado lang din po kasi akong sumali sa demolay… and anu po ba ang requirements para makasali??
September 21st, 2006 at 7:33 pm
anu po bang chapter ang malapit d2 sa amin sa pque?? im 15 yrs. old masyado lang din po kasi akong interesadong sumali sa demolay… and anu po ba ang requirements para makasali??
September 22nd, 2006 at 11:28 am
Hi, Cairen…visit this site http://mabinidemolay.cowk.com/, the site of Apolinario Mabini Chapter of the Order of DeMolay based in Paranaque City. They meet every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, 2PM at RECRAA Bldg., Vitalez, Compound, Sucat Road, Parañaque City.
September 22nd, 2006 at 10:36 pm
pde po itanong kung anong klaseng ritual ang gagawin?? and anong gagawin nila sa amin para makasali??
November 30th, 2006 at 12:22 am
As Long as there is the Order OF DeMolaY! WE ARE ONE!
November 30th, 2006 at 12:24 am
Gawin????? petition ka nlng para makita kugn gano ka Ganda! sana next ko chat d2 brod na tau.. . —>Kevz FIC
July 8th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Bro, nice postings here. And i am glad that a lot of people here are interested in our Order. Just a reminder, the Order of DeMolay is an international fraternal youth organization of young man between the ages of 13 - 21 bonded together in mutual harmony in order to live clean, manly, upright and patriotic lives so that they will be a credit to their parents and friends and help the commendation of all good-right thinking man. Congrats my brother for being faithful to the pledges that you have made as you mark your 25th Anniversary as a DeMolay. Keep the 7 candles burning. And let us continue to inspire the youth as we lead them to the right path. And let us prove to all men that are ceremonies are not of empty forms but dedicate ourselve to the great martyred hero whose name we have taken upon our lips with the gudance of the Universal Father. For God, For Country, For DeMolay!
Joev Tan, PMC
Gen. Douglas MacArthur Chapter
Order of DeMolay
Sponsored by: Manila-Mt. Lebanon Lodge #1
July 21st, 2007 at 8:34 pm
i`m proudly to say that DeMOLAY is a lifetime membership…… We just always remember dat ONCES A DeMOLAY..ALWAYS A DeMOLAY….
July 23rd, 2007 at 3:10 am
finally i found a site for demolays, it took me couple of hours to find one.
mga bro, hihingi sana ako ng tulong kung meron kayong contact number ng any officer sa Jose Abad Santos Chapter sa Manila.
Maraming salamat mga brads.
Charlesotn Cu
Feliciano Iñigo Chapter
Davao City
August 1st, 2007 at 8:20 pm
brod winston cruz of Feliciano Iñigo Chapter…. muzta nah…. aq ung demolay boyscout na pumunta jan last may 2006…
August 7th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Is there any DeMolay you know in China, particularly in H.K. or Macau.
I’ve never seen any Lodge here yet I want to be a Demolay.
Is there something I should do, Mr. Sam…
Thank you very much for your time.
October 24th, 2007 at 1:42 am
hello sa lahat.im just a visitor here.Gusto ko sanang sumali ng DeMolay kaso lang over age na pala ko im already 25 yrs old sayang so wala na palang chance.gusto ko din kasi sanang mag mason eh.ano bang mga posibilities para makasali ako either of the 2?meron pa ba?anyway thanks.im looking forward for your reply.dito nga pala ko sa UAE.thanks!
October 29th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
i’m very proud that i belong to this fraternal brotherhood, INTERNATIONAL ORDER OF DeMOLAY. hindi ako nagkamali sa pagpili ng pinasukan ko… i’m very proud being DeMOLAY!!!!!!!
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:45 pm
tama ka bro..knocka and the door shall be opened.
December 29th, 2007 at 1:12 am
Hello all,
I became a member of Demolay back in 1994, I lost touch with my Brothers there after moving away in 1998. It was an incredible experience, one that I will Never forget. I thank you all for bringing such a great experience to young men and teaching us so much.
My best to you all,
Matthew~
January 16th, 2008 at 6:59 am
for bryan who sent the message last oct.24,2007 last year, i may not be in charge of this page but in behalf of the org. reading some of the messages posted ive read your mesage, so if for you to have time again and check this message, il just give u an idea because im also here in U.A.E and there is no masonic lodge here since u are over age to join demolay only chances for you to join masonry is either from your country of origin or you have to visit Bahrain bec. me myself i want to knock the doors of masonry, we have only club here in U.A.E name U.A.E SQUARE AND COMPASS CLUB compose of masons,demolays, jobs daughter, rainbow or family member of a mason. if you have question you can call me on my mobile 0507941661 at least in my small ways i can help you.
February 25th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
ahhmmm gs2 ko lang p sanang mgtnng the same rituals and hazing po ba ang mga gngwa d2 tska sa mga ibang fraternities??interesado po kc akong sumali sa demolay …. .Im 15 yrs old nga pala…from bataan tnx
March 7th, 2008 at 3:41 am
I am glad to have bumped on this post bro. Very informative with regard to our Order.
Best regards,
Sis Sheena Pimentel, PHQ
Bethel #23, IOJD Philippines
March 10th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
waaaahhh
pa add demolay_kev24@yahoo.com
March 11th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Brethren, Sis and Friends,
Sorry for a very delayed reply.
@ RJ: officially walang hazing or horseplay sa Order of DeMolay. Instead we have our rituals and ceremonies where we inculcate upon our candidates our teachings and cardinal virtues. If you’re interested in joining, we have a Chapter in Bataan, the Mt.Samat Chapter, or you can visit our DeMolay Philippines website at http://www.demolayphilippines.org for more information.
@Sheena: thanks for visiting Sis…balik balik nya. I’ve got younger cousins in Malaybalay, Bukidnon who are also DeMolays…in fact, If I’m not mistaken, one is a Past Master Councilor of Gat Andres Bonifacio Chapter. They’re Jaji (a.k.a. Jekoy) and Maiti (mighty) Murillo. I suppose they’re now residing in CDO since their house near the Cathedral was destroyed by fire years ago.
@Kevin… Bro this is a blog, not an e-group or friendster
i don’t know where to add you.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Hehe, natawa ako dunsa message mo for Bro Kevin. :p Nyweiz, i’ll link you and Mom Bambit ah? So I could track yer sites. Uhm, I think the Murillo(s) are ahead of me for several years. Di ko na yata sila naabutan. But I do have cousins who are Murillo(s) but their not DeMolays :p hehe
March 13th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Visit us po http://www.asogdemolay.cjb.net
March 28th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
im 16 years old im now a demolay its hard to be humble if ur a demolay hehehehe….from gat. andres bonifacio chapter malaybalay, bukidnon
longlive demolay!!!!!
May 4th, 2008 at 1:42 am
gud day brethren, bro junne rey here from feliciano iñigo chapter, napadalaw lng, hnp kc ako demolay mobile themes. Kng me alam kau email me nmn, thnx, gmt k pla browser cp k s pgsurf. Mail me s junnereyguinid@yahoo.com
Mukhang mapapdalas pgdalaw k d2, hehe, gud day brethren. Long lived order of demolay…
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I’ve been a Demolay since 1987, way back when I was still in High School. I never realized how wonderful it is to be one until I worked in a cruise ship. I’ve almost toured around the world & visited alot of chapers. It is by these experiences I’ve found out how strong the bonding between brods are no matter what the nationality. The best youth fraternal organization in the world. By the way, I’m from the James J. Wilson Chapter, Zamboanga City.
June 6th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
good day brethrens wonderful site , finally i found a site for
the DeMolay, i lost contact with the brethrens from Kapatiran Chapter since i moved here in Laguna wala namang chapter dito sa Cabuyao, if theres anyone who can help me to keep in touch with the brethrens there especially PSC towa please send me your e-mail address @ h_empreso1@yahoo.com thank you
kuya sam, how can i get a DeMolay ID? since i don’t have one. thank you ulit!!
Once a DeMolay always a DeMolay, MABUHAY KAYO!!!
best regards,
nani empreso
Kapatiran Chapter
Cabanatuan City
June 12th, 2008 at 3:28 am
Hi, you said before that there is no hazing whatsoever. Friend ko po kasi nag attempt na sumali diyan, pero 2 week lang ang tinagal niya kasi daw sinisipa daw siya at sinusuntok habang nakatayo, both of his hands are on the table while reading something, every week po ginagawa sa kanya iyon. Alam po ba ng mga senior ito? by the way abad santos chapter po yung sinasabi ko thanks.
June 14th, 2008 at 9:39 am
To all my Brother DeMolays:
Thanks for visiting my blog. I would also like to inform you that this site is not a DeMolay site. This is a personal blog of mine, hence all postings here are my own and does not reflect the position, official or otherwise, of our great Order nor the Masonic Lodge of which I belong. You can visit the Philippine DeMolay website at http://www.demolayphilippines.org
Thank you and hope you’ll visit again.
June 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
To Jigs
Our Order does not practice nor condone hazing or horseplay in our initiation. But admittedly, just like in any organization, there are brother DeMolays who choose to “sink to the level of the beast” and reduce our Great Order into a mere Street Frat or Street Gang by practicing hazing.
By my own experience those who are eager to whack a petitioner are those who actually did not experienced hazing. Gusto lang nilang i-prove sa iba their worth, because they have none. May kasabihan kami sa Chapter (University Chapter, MSU Campus, Islamic City of Marawi) namin noon, kung sino ang “Gigil yun ang walang Pangil.” Like those who are eager to go to War are those who actually haven’t experienced or seen the face of war.
Please email me the details of this incident and I’ll see what I can do about it. My email is: samuel.bilibit@gmail.com
June 19th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
im a demolay and im also a past master councilor last 2004-2005.. im proud to be a member of demolay..im from #66 tirso H. gador chapter tuguegaarao city cagayan..
June 19th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Sana yung sasalihan ko na chapter walang hazing o kaya yung hindi binubugbog, pangit kasi tignan, parang nagiging street gang ang demolay kung ganyan. I salute the demolay at mataas ang tingin ko sa inyo, sana po wag sirain ang magandang image. Hope to be one of your brothers. I really want to join, but no one replies on my email.
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 am
sir panu po ba sumali sa demolay?im chandler,12 yrs.old…
sa balanga city po aq nktira,,,im very interested po kc…please po…/salamat…
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
What i can say about my chapter, the Feliciano Inigo Chapter of Davao is this, and i will put it bluntly, no more will i try to explain/reason/cover for these people. People I once thought of calling my brethren. People who ruin the good name of the Order with its good beliefs, people who when they joined seemed so angelic as petitioners, bowing and all, with their masks of good nature and humility only to sprout horns and show the fangs behind their masks when the next batch of petitioners come. A few slaps here and there with a good amount of the so called psychological warfare to teach petitioners humility and force them to study our good book and learn from it is acceptable. But no, they prefer outright excess, extreme humiliation and the extreme brutality of hazing. People I once thought to at least be passive, passive enough to at least not do anything shameful. But no, you people shame me. With your sick and twisted ways.
For 12 years I’ve been a Demolay, much of my family have joined the Order and its affiliations which made me proud to be a part of it. Only to find how hollow “it”, the Chapter back in Davao at least was and is, practically little time was left to the ideal lectures and community service and more to the so called “happy hour”.
I thought little by little you could weed out these people who give the chapter a bad name and show petitioners that their way wasn’t THE way. But then they tend to make petitioners believe that the vicious cycle of getting back at the next incoming batch was the acceptable or right thing to do.
This chapter is going downhill my brothers as in 270 degrees down. You know how i know? I tried asking in front of a fellow brother, 2 new kids(who had 2 batches after them) what the 7 cardinal virtues were and to my surprise they couldn’t remember. lol
After 12 years what I say is this, no amount of weeding will clean this garden soon not with this belief and bad attitude going around. To be honest, other frats and their members with your very violent reactions and opinions are very much welcome. But I believe that the Order is more than some frat that whacks its petitioners asses with a their holy paddle as a sign of utter caveman-ness and even piss on their initiates for no good reason at all. This Order was meant for something better, i think if you know its history and teachings in the book you’ll know what i mean.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Carlo in my 27 years as DeMolay, there was never an instance, not once, did I regret of becoming one. Not even if people will give our great Order a bad name. Not even if the Chapter where I was initiated no longer exist, I will always remain loyal to the Order. As such, I will remain true to my obligation, to be ever loyal to a brother of this Order and will seek to aid him in time of trouble and need, and will always remain silent if I cannot speak a good word for him in the presence of the uninitiated.
Whatever is your beef against, or axe to grind with your brethren or your Chapter, keep it to yourself and say it to those concerned in a proper time and place. Announcing your gripe to the whole world will help at nothing but put our Order in bad light and its great name be subjected to unfounded condemnation. In so doing, you have just made yourself at par with those you claim to be bringing shame to our Order.
Remember my brother no amount of bad eggs will bring the Order down. It had existed even before your grand father was born, and it will remain so beyond ours and our children’s lifetime. It had withstood the test of time, and had survived far worst crises than that of simply having in its fold a bunch juvenile delinquents whacking their way to old age.
27 years thence and I am now a Master Mason. And to tell you my brother, one thing that inspired me to knock the doors of the Temple, and walk the light of Freemasonry - is my being DeMolay.
I greet you my brother with our step, welcome you with our sign, and under the token of our brotherhood I whisper to you our word of emulation.
Always DeMolay,
Bro. Cris M. GAERLAN
Past Master Councilor, 1985
University Chapter, Order of DeMolay
MSU Campus, Islamic City of Marawi
Jacques DeMolay Memorial Lodge No.305 F.&A.M.
Masonic District NCR-A, Manila
Under the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of
Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines