Job's Daughters
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Job's Daughters International is a youth organization for girls aged 11 to 20 who are related to a Freemason. Members who reach the age of 20 or marry and are in good standing are known as Majority Members.
The organization was founded by Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha, Nebraska in 1920. The purpose of the Order is to band together young girls who are related to a Master Mason and is intended to build character through moral and spiritual development. Specific points of teaching include a greater reverence for God and the Holy Scriptures, loyalty to one's country and that country's flag, and respect for parents and guardians.
Mother Mick was particularly fond of the Book of Job, and took the name of the organization as a reference to the three daughters of Job. She founded the organization after several years of consideration, with the assistance of her husband, Dr. William H. Mick, and several Freemasons. She dedicated the organization to the memory of her mother, Elizabeth D. Wead. Many preliminary meetings were held by a few interested Master Masons and members of the Eastern Star from 1918 through 1920, at the home or office of Dr. and Mrs. Mick in Omaha, Nebraska, prior to the organization's official founding in 1920.
The ritualistic work of the order is based on the triangle, the three daughters of Job, the open book and education. Members meet in local chapters known as Bethels, supervised by an adult Bethel Guardian Council. Most Bethels fall under the jurisdiction of a regional Grand Guardian Council, and all are overseen by a single international Supreme Guardian Council.
The "Jobie to Bee" program gives Bethels a way to involve girls aged 10 in their public and social activities (but not closed meetings) before girls reach the official membership age of 11.
Today, Bethels and Grand Bethels are active in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Philippines and the United States. In order to become a member, you must be a direct descendent of a Master Mason, adopted daughter by law, step-daughter, step-granddaughter, sister, half-sister, step-sister, sister-in-law, niece, grandniece, first or second cousin of a Master Mason, or be so related to his wife or widow...or be the daughter, step-daughter, granddaughter or step-granddaughter, of a Majority Member.
In 2004, the organization officially changed its name from International Order of Job's Daughters to Job's Daughters International and lowered the age requirement to 10.
External links
- Job's Daughters International (http://www.iojd.org)