My brothers over the last several weeks I have been traveling around the state for the district meetings. My purpose in doing this is to promote DeMolay throughout the state.

As many of you know our Deputy Grand Master, Roger Crouse, suffered a stroke recently and was unable to attend the district meetings except for the last meeting. The one thing you may not know about our Deputy Grand Master is that he is a Senior DeMolay and is poised to be the Second Senior DeMolay who is Grand Master of the state of Vermont.

As with many of the things Brother Roger does, he was passionate and eloquent when he gave his speech at the district 5 meeting. The entire speech was about increasing membership. With his permission I am including a portion of his words from that night for this article, specifically his comments about DeMolay.

Although we in Washington Lodge have heeded this call to rally around DeMolay even before it went out, I think it is important to hear what was being said by a member of Grand Lodge and the importance he sees when it comes to the Masonic Youth organizations.

“There is another opportunity for increasing our Masonic membership – DeMolay.  Vermont has 9 DeMolay chapters – the largest growing DeMolay jurisdiction, per capita, in the world!  There is no guarantee that a DeMolay boy will become a Mason, but consider who a DeMolay boy is.  How many here are Senior DeMolays?  How many have become honorary DeMolay members?  If you are not a Senior DeMolay or honorary member, you have the opportunity to become one next month.  See one of us after the meeting.

What draws a young man to DeMolay aside from, perhaps, prodding by a father or other male relative who has been a DeMolay or is a mason.  It is different from sports or a school club, Here is an organization that is focused on building a young man’s character:  religious, family, fidelity, comradeship, patriotism, to name a few of that organization’s precepts.  The young man, who looks for something different from an organization, that which DeMolay offers, is clearly someone who might fit within Masonry,

And we need more DeMolay chapters in Vermont – and more advisors. Every larger town, maybe not every town with a lodge (though that is a noble objective) should have a DeMolay opportunity for young men.  And, they are our future - a great resource pool for us.

I have two comments about DeMolay in Vermont:  first, there are not enough boys involved, and second, there are not enough DeMolay opportunities (i.e. chapters).  We, as individuals and as lodges, should change that:  both in District 5 and throughout our jurisdiction!

So, in summary as I wrap up my remarks, thanks for your support sent in my direction over the last couple of months.  And I charge each of you to seek more Masonic members in our communities, and grow our DeMolay presence.  Do it for those other men, do it for the boys, do it for you, do it for the Brother sitting next to you, do it for DeMolay, do it for our jurisdiction, do it for Masonry.”

Roger Crouse, Deputy Grand Master, Free and Accepted Masons of Vermont.

I am proud to be the Dad Advisor of Lafayette Chapter of DeMolay and very proud to be a member of Washington Lodge. In Washington Lodge we, as members of the Masonic fraternity see the importance of DeMolay to young men and to Masonry.