One of the basic precepts of the Loyal Order of Moose is that "no institution that labors for self and self alone can remain great and mighty, and serve posterity." Therefore, the two highest degrees conferred on members of the Moose Fraternity are bestowed as a reward for devotion and service to the philanthropic programs of the Order. These are the Fellowship Degree and the Pilgrim Degree of Merit.
When a man is enrolled into the Loyal Order of Moose, he automatically becomes a member of the first degree, and becomes eligible for advancement to the Second Degree, the Moose Legion. Once enrolled as a Moose Legionnaire, he is eligible to wear the maroon Moose Legion blazer, striped tie and lapel pin, and to participate in the celebrations and other activities of his Moose Legion Unit.
If a member has demonstrated his leadership ability by giving of his time and effort to serve on various Lodge and/or Moose Legion committees and by being a loyal, enthusiastic and active member of his Lodge and Moose Legion, he may be granted the honors of the third degree--the Fellowship Degree of Honor. He is then able to wear the Fellowship regalia and the Fellowship lapel pin. Conferral of the Fellowship Degree takes place at the International Moose Convention and at state and provincial association conventions and authorized special meetings.
The first full week in December is set aside each year as "Fellowship Degree Honor Week," and all Lodges throughout the Moose domain are requested to conduct appropriate activities to pay tribute to their members of the third degree.
The highest and most coveted degree of the Order, the Pilgrim Degree of Merit, is conferred on roughly 150 to 200 Moose members each year, and only once a year, in a solemn and impressive ceremony held in late May or early June in the House of God on the Mooseheart campus. This degree was originally created on August 1, 1918.
Only those who have compiled an outstanding record of meritorious service to the Order over a period of many years receive this distinction. Pilgrims are entitled to wear the gold Pilgrim jacket and tie, and the Pilgrim lapel pin.
One of the most colorful rituals in the Moose is the Pilgrim regalia presentation ceremony. When a new Pilgrim is named, his home Lodge sponsors a ceremony in which Pilgrims in the area convene in their regalia to invest him with his Pilgrim apparel.
The regalia of the Moose Legion, Fellowship Degree of Honor, and Pilgrim Degree of Merit can be worn at any authorized Moose function--but must be worn in their entirety it is improper to wear a degree jacket without its correlating necktie, or vice versa.
Members of the Fellowship Degree and Pilgrim Degree are recognized throughout the Moose organization as fraternal leaders because they have earned the respect of their brother Moose by their service to the Order
