On June 15th, 2016, young men and leaders from DeMolay came together to hold and celebrate the 49th International Congress at San Diego. The event kicked off at San Diego Zoo, where the young men were able to roam around with each other, exploring the expansive and diverse area. Later in the evening, the young men and delegates to the Congress shared time with each other, talking about their home jurisdictions, and sharing the fraternity.
The next morning, Session was started early, and the Congress photo was taken. This year, Brother Donovan Lam, the State Junior Councilor and Sean Lam, the State Master Councilor, were delegates to the Congress and represented the Palmetto DeMolay Association this 49th International Congress After more discussion and voting of new legislation, the individual Regions met with each other to discuss plans for the upcoming term. In addition to that, the new Region Representatives were elected, with Craig Maddux being elected unanimously to serve as our Region 3 Representative. The night concluded as it begun, with fraternity and bonding time.
The second day began with committee reports on the new long term Retention Plan and Ritual Plan. The Retention Plan is a marketing Automation Program designed to teach new members what demolay is and let them know how much we, as an organization appreciate their fraternity. The Ritual Program is focused on releasing videos to DeMolay members through eScribe and, later, the new DeMolay App which can be found on the Google Play Store and the App Store on the iPhone. More info about the app can be found here Both items were passed and after lunch the International Master Councilor and International Congress Secretary Caucus Sessions were held. Brother Gabriel Jones Gallardo was elected as our 50th ICS and brother Braden Zimmerman was elected as our 50th IMC for the upcoming term. The Palmetto DeMolay Association gives them a grand welcome and congratulates them on their elections to their respective offices. After the Caucus Sessions, a Joint Installation was held to install the newly elected officers and the new Grand Master of DeMolay, Dad Bill Sardone. In addition to that, Dad and Executive Officer Damon Lam was appointed to the office of Grand Orator. Congratulations on your appointment and your hard work in the Order of DeMolay, for the Palmetto DeMolay Association, and for DeMolay International.
The next morning, Session was concluded, having discussed and passed all of the Call Items, the first time in a very long time for the Congress. Newbury Lunch was after, and celebrated the new officers and the accomplishments of the individual Jurisdictions. We are proud to announce that for our hard work and effort on working on membership, DeMolay International Awarded the PDA the Frank S. Land Membership award for achieving more initiates than majorities in the past year. Session concluded as it always has, with the Grand Master’s Banquet. At the Banquet, two new Senior DeMolays were inducted to the DeMolay Hall of Fame. After joining in the lobby to say our last farewell to the new friends we made at this year’s 49th International Congress Session, the Palmetto DeMolay Association left the following morning at 4:40 AM.
-Sean M. Lam, SMC of the Palmetto DeMolay Association, SMC@palmettodemolay.org
