Vigil Membership

Vigil membership

The Vigil Honor is a high mark of distinction and recognition reserved for those Arrowmen who, by reason of exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest, have made distinguished contributions beyond the immediate responsibilities of their position or office to one or more of the following: their lodge, the Order of the Arrow, Scouting, or their Scout camp.

The Vigil Honor is the highest honor that the Order of the Arrow can bestow upon its members for service to a lodge, council, or Scouting.

Many in Tamegonit Lodge have received the Vigil Honor, and someday you may hear your name called as well. You must be a Brotherhood member for at least 2 years before you are eligible to receive the Vigil. The Vigil call can be heard annually during ceremonies at Fall Fellowship. The Lodge cannot submit more than 1 petition for the Vigil Honor for every 50 registered Arrowmen, and at all times, the petitions for youth (not yet 21) must equal or exceed the number of petitions for adults.

Did you know..... That since 1955, Tamegonit Lodge has bestowed over 800 Vigil Honors?

Naturally, many Arrowmen desire the Vigil, but few are granted. At no time is tenure a stand alone consideration for Vigil Honor. Here are a few thoughts for you to keep in mind while you conduct yourself in the Lodge (new Arrowmen as well as seasoned Brotherhood members should take note). It is not despicable to desire the Vigil, however, the Vigil Honor cannot be achieved by conscious endeavor. It is awarded as a recognition of unselfish leadership in service.

Seek to serve the Order of the Arrow and the Lodge and in so doing, serve the Boy Scouts of America. A thoughtful compilation of various "Opportunities to Get Involved" can be found looming within the pages of this book. Certainly, this list is not complete. If it were, we would be a very static organization rather than the dynamic one we are. Whenever you see a need, step forth and accept the challenge.

The true meaning of the Vigil can be reduced to "Unselfish" and "Service". The Vigil Honor recognizes those Arrowmen who exemplify to the truest degree those two words. It does not recognize those who perform a great deal of service, but are always concerned with who's seen them doing the work, is there a patch for it, and is there a bead for it? It requires, "Unselfish service".

Vigil HOnor Nomination Process

Nominations must be RECEIVED at the Heart of America Council Service Center by July 1. Nominations must be made on this form only. The nominee must be a registered member of the Heart of America Council, BSA and must also be a current dues-paying member of Tamegonit Lodge. The nominee must have been a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow for a minimum of two years before being considered for selection as a Vigil Honor member. Nominations submitted between now and July 1, 2019, will be considered in the 2019 Vigil Honor Selection cycle.

Each year, the Lodge is responsible for publishing a list of individuals that are eligible to be nominated for the Vigil Honor. The purpose of this list is to aid you in identifying a Lodge member that, based on our records, are eligible for nomination to Vigil Honor. Please keep in mind that we have been working for the past four years to try to clean-up our records. We have made great strides in providing more accurate information, but we also acknowledge that we have a lot of work left to do! Please help us ensure the accuracy of this list as well as our membership database by submitting dues in a timely manner, providing Ordeal, Brotherhood and Vigil dates where applicable when updating membership data each year and politely notifying us if there are inaccuracies in this list or any of our membership information. Remember, the youth of our Lodge are doing this work while supported by capable adult volunteer advisers and this will be a great learning experience for our youth leaders; help it be a positive learning experience for them!

For a list of individuals that have become Vigil Honor members of the Order of the Arrow through Tamegonit Lodge, click Tamegonit Lodge Vigil Honor Roll.

Vigil Honor Vest

A tradition of Tamegonit Lodge, the Vigil Vest is available to any Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow who is a member of Tamegonit Lodge. Members who become a Vigil Honor member of the OA through Tamegonit Lodge receive, at no cost to the individual, their Vigil Vest from the Lodge upon completion of the Vigil. Members who become Vigil Honor members in another lodge, yet find themselves as a member of our Lodge after receiving Vigil Honor may purchase a Vest for $50.00. Download the Tamegonit Lodge Vigil Vest Order Form.

Vigil Vest History:

Some years ago those of the Vigil Honor were seeking a way to promote Vigil Ceremony and increase participation at the sunrise ceremony. Other lodges use a Vigil participation patch and we adopted one for the Lodge. That was the easy part. There was much concern, conversation, debate and the like to come up with a place for theses patches. We came close to having a blanket as a lodge in Oklahoma uses but finally decided on a vest.

This vest was designed with a triangle patch, representing the Vigil, as the centerpiece of the back of the vest. The owners Lenni Leanpe name and year received would be on a separate patch below the triangle patch. Since this is not a “brag” vest but a symbol of this honor, nothing else would go on it other that the participation patches for each Vigil in which that member would participate after completing his/her Vigil ceremony. Thus began the vest we use today.

The first vest was given to our first Vigil, Bob Tompkins, and is framed and hangs in the Great House today. From then on the vest has been given to each new Vigil as, not only a symbol of this honor but a place to put the “turtle” participation patch. These patches are a controlled numbered patch; they can only be earned by participation in the complete Vigil sequence and cannot be replaced if lost or damaged. The patches are put on the vest beginning with the first one centered below the name, each successive one after that is put under it thus forming the shaft of an arrow. Once the shaft is completed, the patches can be put on each side of the first one and so on.

Remember, the Vigil Honor is not for what you have done in the past; it is for what you are expected to do in the future.