Centennial Memory #45: Brothers Serving as SMC

To celebrate the DeMolay Centennial, PA DeMolay will be counting down 100 memories worth celebrating that took place within the DeMolay Chapters and Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

Brotherhood is a term used to describe DeMolay and its general purpose. In some cases, the term is taken literal, since family members often join DeMolay together or follow in their siblings footsteps. This trend carries through the leadership of the organization as well, with many family members serving as Master Councilor of their Chapters, and in some cases, the jurisdiction.

There have been three sets of brothers to serve as State Master Councilor for Pennsylvania DeMolay. The first set of brothers were Edwin P. Hoffman, serving from 1961-1962, and William G. Hoffman, serving from 1965-1966, both of Allentown Chapter. The next were Keith A. Bortz, Jr., serving from 2001-2002, and Jeffrey C. Bortz, serving from 2008-2009, both of Reading Chapter. The last, and most recent, were W. Thomas Moyer, serving from 2010-2011, and the current SMC, B. Tyler Moyer, both of Pilgrim Chapter. Now that is true brotherhood at its finest.

Edwin P. Hoffman
Allentown Chapter

William G. Hoffman

Allentown Chapter

Keith A. Bortz

Reading Chapter

Jeffrey C. Bortz

Reading Chapter

W. Thomas Moyer

Pilgrim Chapter

B. Tyler Moyer 

Pilgrim Chapter

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Centennial Memory #62: Brotherhood Weekends with Knights of Pythagoras

To celebrate the DeMolay Centennial, PA DeMolay will be counting down 100 memories worth celebrating that took place within the DeMolay Chapters and Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

In a previous post, I mentioned about PA DeMolay's relationship with the Knights of Pythagoras, a male youth organization sponsored by the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Even though a mutual respect agreement was signed in 2005, the brotherhood between our two organizations existed well before then.

PA DeMolay and Knights of Pythagoras were known to have joint weekends called Brotherhood Retreat Weekends. The weekends consisted of workshops and activities that brought the youth together. Some of the workshops were taught by Advisors, others by members of both organizations. In the end, the bond is what mattered most. Most weekends included a large fun activity, such as a dance or some other event that allowed the members to socialize and have a good time.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Centennial Memory #67: Crusade Chapter Institutes Syracuse Chapter

To celebrate the DeMolay Centennial, PA DeMolay will be counting down 100 memories worth celebrating that took place within the DeMolay Chapters and Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

I mentioned in the past that Chapters love to travel. It's one of the things that helps bring DeMolay brothers together, even if the traveling takes place beyond state borders.

Crusade Chapter made the March/April edition of the DeMolay Cordon because they sent a team to institute a new Chapter. Syracuse Chapter was instituted by Crusade Chapter on February 23rd, 1924. As the article suggests, the Chapter was very large at the time, and had several organizations within the Chapter. Crusade Chapter had more than 500 members in their Chapter and were very eager to share the brotherhood that is found in DeMolay.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Centennial Memory #70: Addition of Squires

To celebrate the DeMolay Centennial, PA DeMolay will be counting down 100 memories worth celebrating that took place within the DeMolay Chapters and Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

Today's memory is a recent one, as the program has only been active in Pennsylvania for close to two years. The Squires program has proven to be a success in Pennsylvania, as there are currently five open manors across Pennsylvania, with more still to come. The active Manors are Liberty Manor out of Northeast Chapter, Carlisle Manor out of Carlisle Chapter, William C. Graham Manor out of Lorraine Chapter, Bayse Newcomb No. 506 out of Friendship-Bray Chapter, and King Arthur Manor out of Allentown Chapter.

The Squires program is designed as a "Pre-DeMolay program" for young men between the ages of 9 and 11. The Squires hold their own meetings, host activities, and elect their own officers. A member of the DeMolay Chapter is chosen as the Squire Mentor, to assist the Squires in their efforts and serve as a role model for when they transition into DeMolay. The complete story of Squires in Pennsylvania is still unwritten, and we look forward to seeing the growth of the program.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Centennial Memory #72: Operation N.A.S.H.V.I.L.L.E.

To celebrate the DeMolay Centennial, PA DeMolay will be counting down 100 memories worth celebrating that took place within the DeMolay Chapters and Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

In 2016, PA DeMolay was under the mentality of "Being Different." One thing that helped us in this adventure was the passion that the young men had for NERF guns and equipment. The state officers decided to capitalize on this momentum by creating the first ever all NERF weekend. The event was called Operation N.A.S.H.V.I.L.L.E. Weekend (I still don't know what the letters stand for, please ask Jake Beers when you see him.)

The members of PA DeMolay were split into four teams, and a schedule of games was created for the members to know when their games were. Teams that did not have a game attended workshops, such as Decision Making, Lessons on Leadership, Importance of Teamwork, and even an obstacle course. In the end, the Green team won the tournament and became the recipient of the golden dart. Although the members were at war during parts of the day, brotherhood played a major role in the success of this weekend. Check out some of the photos of this great weekend.

Until next time - 

Centennial Memory #86: Bro-Ties

To celebrate the DeMolay Centennial, PA DeMolay will be counting down 100 memories worth celebrating that took place within the DeMolay Chapters and Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

During the 2015-2016 PA DeMolay state term, State Master Councilor, Adam Pritchard and his officers developed the concept for "Bro-Ties." The Bro-Tie was a bow tie with half of it a black bow tie, and the other half a red bow toe. The concept was to create a mentor for new DeMolays, having the experienced DeMolay member teach them the basics of the organization, from the meaning of the lessons of DeMolay to making him feel included within the Chapter.

The newly initiated member would receive a black bow tie. He would be paired with an experienced member of the Chapter to mentor him. The mentor would wear a red bow tie. After meeting certain expectations and filling out a form to be submitted to the office, the two would share parts of the bow tie, giving each of them a red and black "Bro-Tie."

This program continued on throughout State Master Councilor, Eric Dye's term, with the team simplifying the form needed to earn a Bro-Tie. This program was a successful way to increase the brotherhood initiative within DeMolay.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Why We Do This: "Dad" Loughin's Story

Dad Pullin recently asked the lot of us Pa DeMolay folk to share our DeMolay journey.  Here’s mine.

Starting at the age of 4, I had been involved in sports in varying degrees. I started by racing quarter midgets (think go kart with a roll cage attached), which I decided to end when I was 9 after the car was damaged nearly beyond repair. When I was 6, I started playing football, and stopped at 13 due to my size. I started playing baseball when I was 11. Our local little league was no different than other little leagues: each year, the coaches held a draft for the 8-12 teams, named after currently MLB teams, and worked with the kids based on their abilities. Some of us pitched, the rest played the field. I wasn’t a half-bad player of the left side of the field – 3B, SS, RF, and CF, and was selected to a few All Star games. Baseball soon turned into my primary activity, no different than a lot of our youth today.

During the 1997 season, when I was 12, I befriended another player on the team named David Slugocki. After having spent many months having conversations about life and what we liked to do for fun, David finally said “Hey, I’m a member of this organization you might like.” Not knowing anything about the Masons at the time (none of my living relatives were Masons, so I thought), I agreed to check it out. We both let our dads know, and my dad got more information from his. Funny enough, my dad knew a lot about Masonic history, as more than half of the men at my church were Masons.

My first experience with DeMolay was a basketball practice in January for the upcoming basketball tournament in March. I kept thinking how awesome it was that some of the older guys were helping the younger ones with basic skills, and weren’t getting flustered as they were trying. I was instantly sold. I received my Initiatory Degree on 3/12/1998, and my DeMolay Degree 15 days later. I was installed as Chaplain a few weeks later. In 2001, I was elected and installed as State Junior Councilor. But after my term, I felt that I had given what was necessary to DeMolay, and decided to step aside for others to lead. Save for 2 sports tournaments, I “retired” from DeMolay in 2003, 2 and a half years before my majority.

My adult career kicked off in 2008. I felt that I had been away from the youth aspect long enough, and felt that my experience with DeMolay as a youth could help the current youth grow as best as possible. That October, I went to Elizabethtown and became Advisor certified.  As my chapter had sadly been closed, I was forced to choose a different one to serve with. I eventually settled on Reading, as several of the Council members at the time influenced my youth when I was an active member. Each year that I renew my Advisorship, I remember the 2 reasons why I keep doing this: youth will always need guidance, and I want to continue to work with the life-long friends that I’ve made throughout my career.

Just like Dad Pullin, I’m going to encourage you all to share your story. Advisor or Youth, I’d love to hear it. If you don’t feel like typing it out, find me one weekend at Patton and tell me. You never know who you’ll inspire with your story.

The DeMolay Journey

Last night, I was at a Masonic Lodge meeting here in Elizabethtown. While getting ready to leave, I witnessed a new candidate and a brother of the Lodge recognize each other from a common ground away from Freemasonry. It made me realize how important the journey really is. It kind of reminded me of how I joined DeMolay.

It was 2001 and I was a sophomore at Abraham Lincoln High School in Northeast Philly. My school was doing a benefit concert for the 9/11 tragedies; in fact we were in the choir room when the news broke about the towers. Before the concert started, my mom and I were stopped by my Assistant JV Soccer Coach, Scot Riddell, who was also a parent of one of the members of the team. He started talking to my mom about a lot of different things, one of them being DeMolay. My mom knew about DeMolay since she was in Rainbow when she was a teenager, but she was under the impression that the local Chapter closed. The next closest Chapter was in either Trevose or Jenkintown and we had no means of transportation to make either happen, so she never brought it up. Thanks to "Dad" Riddell, my mom learned that Northeast Chapter still existed. He had his son Joel and another member of DeMolay, my first line signer Rich Schofield, talk to me about DeMolay and encourage me to join. In that conversation, I learned things that I didn't know, including the fact that the Music Teacher and the Art Teacher were both Masons. Rich and Joel told me about all of the fun they had, including the Temple of Doom event at Friendship-Bray that was coming up. The selling point was learning that I could be part of a sports team and actually get some playing time. After thinking it over and talking to my mom, and receiving the sign of approval from my music teacher, Mr. Graham, I decided to join. I'd say that I made the best decision of my life, but I think that would actually be an understatement. I'm not sure what life would look like without DeMolay, but I'm glad I don't have to find out. I received my degrees at the Grand High Priest Class in Elizabethtown, where I met several life-long friends, including "Dad" Alex Swift. 

So, why am I sharing this? It's simple. My goal is to get others to share their journeys as well. Maybe you have a memory about DeMolay that you'd like to share with the DeMolay universe. Maybe you'd like to share how you joined DeMolay or the reason you continue to do this. I want to do this on a couple of different levels. The members blog series will be called "DeMolay Spotlight." The Advisor blog series will be called "Why We Do This?" The blog series is open to any member or Advisor from any DeMolay Chapter that would like to share their story. Sweethearts, you can participate as well. Email me at japullin@pademolay.net if you have a submission to this blog series. 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin      

  

Successful Squire Program Forming in PA

The word Squire means "a young nobleman acting as an attendant to a knight before becoming a knight himself." The same can be said about the Squires program in association with DeMolay, as they are a sub-organization for members that are not yet of DeMolay age. Squires are for young men 9-11 years of age, with encouragement for them to join DeMolay when they become 12.

Although this is a new concept in Pennsylvania, the Squires program has been around since 1995. It teaches the important lessons of Justice, Truth, and Wisdom. The proper term for a group of Squires is a "Manor," just like members of DeMolay are in "Chapters." Squires hold meetings, participate in fun events and activities, and interact with the DeMolay members. The DeMolays serve as mentors for the Squires, hoping to one day bring them into the Chapter. 

What does it take to start a Squire Manor? There are several things needed to form a Manor, but the main thing is interest from all involved. A Manor will only exist with interested Squires, Advisors, and DeMolay members. A DeMolay Chapter serves as a sponsor to the Squire Manor. One DeMolay will serve as the Squire Mentor and at least two DeMolay Advisors should serve as the Advisors for the Manor. A Manor should start with 3 Squires, receiving a Charter after receiving 5 Squires. There are several other requirements needed, which I will provide in a link at the bottom of the blog post.

The Squire program can be a successful addition to DeMolay if run properly. It provides a program that can initiate membership for the Chapter. So far, Pennsylvania has 3 Squires Manors that are recognized by DeMolay International: Liberty Manor, sponsored by Northeast Chapter; Carlisle Manor, sponsored by Carlisle Chapter; and William C. Graham Manor, sponsored by Lorraine Chapter. There have been several other Chapters that have expressed interest in starting a Squires Manor as well. The future of DeMolay is bright with the success of the Squire program. 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin 

Starting a Squire Manor in PA

PA Squire Guidelines