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That’s
the question you might be asking yourself. No, it’s not
some government agency. It’s the International DeMolay
Congress, which meets in conjunction with the International
Supreme Council Session annually. The International DeMolay
Congress gives Active DeMolays a chance to meet on an international
level and to exchange ideas with the International Supreme
Council. The presiding officers of the Congress are the International
Master Councilor and International Congress Secretary, who
are elected annually to serve for one year. The Congress is
composed of two delegates from each jurisdiction who are selected
by the Executive Officer. The DeMolay Congress serves two
purposes.
First, to act as an educational forum for Active DeMolays
participants and provide insight into the International Supreme
Council operations. Most of the time, DeMolays have no idea
what the Supreme Council is or does. The Congress gives them
an opportunity to experience firsthand what the Council does
for four days every year. They meet as a collective body to
discuss and decide what is best for our Order by voting on
rules and amendments. Also during the session, the standing
committees of the Council meet several times. For example,
the Ritual, Regalia, Honors and Awards committee meets to
review honor nominations and votes to elect individuals to
receive honors. There are committees that handle every aspect
of the Council’s needs. Together they keep the Council
running smooth and in an orderly fashion.
Second, to give International Supreme Council members a chance
to hear the ideas of Active DeMolays. Many times, Active DeMolays
have the best ideas about improving our Order. The Congress
officers come up with different ideas during the year, which
they think will help our Order. The ideas spawn from concern
about a specific area, such as communication or membership.
At the Congress session, the delegates will debate these ideas
and then decide whether or not they will work. At the last
session, the Congress officers proposed that the Order of
DeMolay would benefit if the age requirement to join were
change to read twelve years old. The old wording stated that
you could be twelve years old and join, but you must have
completed the 7th grade. The Supreme Council wanted to hear
our thoughts on the matter. The same legislation was scheduled
on their calendar. However, they postponed it until they heard
our results. The delegates of the 32nd DeMolay Congress voted
unanimously to approve the amendment. As a result, the members
of the Council voted in the same fashion. Instead of rushing
through and voting, the Council wanted to hear what the DeMolays
thought.
So, the next time you hear the words Congress and DeMolay
in the same sentence. You won’t get confused. You’ll
know that every year a delegation of DeMolays meet to form
the International DeMolay Congress.
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