Merit Bars Merit Bars primarily are awards that

Merit Bars

Merit Bars primarily are awards that recognize De. Molays for achievement in some phase of Chapter activity. Religion and scholastics are the two exceptions. Merit Bars are awarded to individual members on the recommendation of the Awards Advisor. The Advisory Council makes the final decision about whether an individual has met the requirements for each bar based on the input the member presents to support their application.

Each Merit Bar is produced in five colors. Each color designates the number of times a De. Molay has received a bar in that category. The color designations are: 1 st level - White 2 nd level - Red 3 rd level - Blue 4 th level - Purple 5 th level - Gold

Each time a De. Molay achieves the next level in a category, he turns in his present bar. As a result, at no time would he display more than 18 bars. Most Chapters have a "Merit Bar Bank“ administered by the Awards Advisor. The bank is a depository for merit bars turned in by older members as they progress to different colored bars.

Athletic Merit Bar For participating in a Chapter's athletic program for a full year, with a minimum of six sport events in one or more sports.

Membership Merit Bar For being the first-line signer on three membership applications of individuals who subsequently are initiated in the Chapter. White – 3 members Red – 6 members Blue – 9 members Purple – 12 members Gold – 15 members

Merit Bar For contributing 20 hours of service to De. Molay in an area not covered by another bar without payment to the individual or the Chapter.

Priory Merit Bar For being a member in good standing of a Priory for a minimum of one year and for attending two-thirds of the Priory functions. The Priory must have held a minimum of six activities other than regular meetings.

Religion Merit Bar For attending at least 30 regular weekly religious services per year.

Scholastic Merit Bar For maintaining a "B" grade average (or equivalent) for one full year of school.

Visitation Merit Bar For six visitations at regular Chapter meetings of Chapters other than one's own, or for a total traveled distance of 150 miles one way.

Ritual Merit Bar For near word perfect performance of De. Molay Ritual parts with a minimum of 125 points earned according to the DI point scale. Points usually are based on the number of lines in a part. Points are awarded each time that part is given (see chart).

Ritual Merit Bar Point Scale De. Molay Degree Master Councilor 35 Jacques De. Molay 50 Master Inquisitor 45 Junior Inquisitor 25 Orator 25 Senior Inquisitor 10 Geoffroi de Charney 5 Senior Guard 5 Marshal 5 Lord Constable 5 Ceremony of Light Majority Service Master Councilor Senior Councilor Junior Councilor Chaplain 25 10 20 5 Initiatory Degree Master Councilor 40 Marshal 25 Senior Councilor 20 Senior Deacon 20 Junior Councilor 20 Chaplain 10 Preceptors 15 Senior Steward 5 Junior Steward 5 30 Points Flower Talk 40 Points

Attendance Merit Bar For perfect attendance at regular meetings for one year in a member's Chapter or; if away from home, for the same number of meetings at another Chapter. Make-up meetings counted toward the Attendance Bar may not be used to fulfill the requirements of the Visitation Bar.

Civic Service Merit Bar For 10 hours of service on behalf of the Chapter, without financial remuneration to the individual or the Chapter, in three different civic service projects.

Conclave Merit Bar For attending three jurisdictional events as a participant or visitor.

Fine Art Merit Bar For working with a musical group, with a minimum of three performances, or for participating in a minimum of two Chapter theatrical performances. These need not be De. Molay related.

Fund Raising Merit Bar For working on at least three different fund-raising projects for the Chapter, for a total of 20 hours, without direct financial remuneration to himself.

Correspondence Course Merit Bar For successful completion of each lesson of the five-part Leadership Correspondence Course. This bar is automatically sent to the individual member on completion of the course.

Masonic Attendance For bringing 3 different Master Masons in good standing to a De. Molay Chapter meeting. The list of Masons needs to be confirmed by both the Master Councilor and the Chapter Advisor. In order for the visits to count toward the award, which is limited to one bar a year, the visiting Masons may not be an Advisor of any Chapter.

Masonic Service Merit Bar For participating in three different Chapter Masonic service projects, for a minimum of 10 hours without payment to either the individual or Chapter.

Safe Driver Merit Bar Each year with a clean driving record, the member will earn the next level of the bar. An infraction can halt the earning of future colors, and a serious infraction could mean a loss of the bar itself. The issue date of the license/permit would be the start date for determining the year of a safe driving record.

Questions ? ?

Question # 1 At no time should a member display more than _____ merit bars. a. 12 b. 15 c. 18 d. 21

Question # 2 A De. Molay who has won a particular merit bar three times is awarded a _____ bar. a. red b. green c. blue d. white

Question # 3 The visitation merit bar is awarded for six visitations at regular Chapter meetings, other than your own, or a total traveled distance of _______ miles (one way). a. 25 b. 50 c. 100 d. 150

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