Frequently Asked Questions

DeMolay is the world’s largest boys’ fraternal organization, but mostly it is fun. DeMolay is and can be almost anything you would like it to be. We have sports, dances, all sorts of competitions.

We do almost everything and anything. We have dances, parties, and picnics. We play most sports, from basketball, to softball, to volleyball. Members also learn how to conduct business meetings and how to perform the rituals, plays, and speeches that set DeMolay apart from other fraternities.

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 sixteen other countries.

Young men, age 12-21, who like to have fun at great activities and to learn things that will prepare them for the future.

To join DeMolay, you must be a young man between the ages of 12 and 21, believe in a supreme being, be a person of good character and good reputation, and submit a membership application to a DeMolay chapter.

Richardson Chapter has a one-time initiation cost of $100.00, and there are no annual dues. Other costs may be from activities the boys choose to do or travel and competition fees. We do occasionally have fund raisers to help offset some costs.

Most meetings will be at the Richardson Masonic Lodge (528 Lockwood Drive), in Richardson, Texas. We meet Saturday mornings 9:30am – 12:00pm.

You cannot attend a business meeting until you join, but you are more than welcome to visit us any Saturday morning at the Richardson Masonic Lodge building and to attend any of our public functions.

DeMolay is an organization for young men, but there are girls at some of our activities. There are other organizations for young ladies, similar to DeMolay, and sponsored by the Masonic Family, such as the Rainbow Girls.

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. Also, our boys set their own activities, under adult supervision. And DeMolays engage in speaking competitions that are unique to DeMolay. DeMolay will provide you with many lasting experiences.

Ever since DeMolay began in 1919, all of its members have gone through the same initiation ceremonies. This includes such famous DeMolays as John Wayne, Walt Disney, Walter Cronkite, and Dan Rather.

To become a DeMolay, you will 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. It is a play about the trial of Jacques DeMolay. The story of Jacques DeMolay teaches the importance of fidelity and toleration, as he was faithful unto death to the trust reposed in him.

While we have secret signs, words, and modes of recognition, we have no secrets from the world so far as our central purposes are concerned.

What are your secrets? 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.

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, even in the face of death.