Virgil C. Dechant (September 24, 1930 – February 15, 2020) was the twelfth

Supreme Knight The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus (more simply referred to as the Supreme Knight) is the title of the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus. The organization comprises approximately 1.9 m ...

of the Knights of Columbus, a position he held from January 21, 1977, to September 30, 2000.

Biography

Dechant was born September 24, 1930, in Antonino, Ellis County, Kansas, and lived in Leawood, Kansas. His ancestors were German-Russians from the Mariental region. He and his wife Ann L. Dechant had four children and 12 grandchildren. Prior to joining the Knights of Columbus in 1967 in the role of Supreme Secretary, Dechant worked as a farmer and a farm equipment salesperson. He also owned a car dealership. Dechant served as the vice president of the

Vatican Bank The Institute for the Works of Religion ( it, Istituto per le Opere di Religione; la, Institutum pro Operibus Religionis; abbreviated IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank, is a financial institution situated inside Vatican City and run by a ...

, a

Gentleman of His Holiness A Papal Gentleman, also called a Gentleman of His Holiness, is a lay attendant of the pope and his papal household in Vatican City. Papal gentlemen serve in the Apostolic Palace near St. Peter's Basilica in ceremonial positions, such as escorting d ...

, and a Councillor on the State Council for Vatican City. He had the honor of escorting President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Dechant stepped down as Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus on September 30, 2000, at the age of seventy after serving the longest term ever by a Supreme Knight. He was succeeded by

Carl A. Anderson Carl Albert Anderson (born February 27, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the thirteenth Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from October 2000 until his retirement in February 2021. Anderson is the vice president of the Washi ...

. Dechant died on February 15, 2020, at the age of 89.

Distinctions

* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great * Knight of Magistral Grace of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta * Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem * Cross of Merit with Gold Star of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem * National Right to Life award along with Senator

Jesse Helms Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...

(1998) * Gaudium and Spes Medal of the Knights of Columbus

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dechant, Virgil 1930 births 2020 deaths People from Ellis County, Kansas People from Kansas City, Kansas American bankers Roman Catholic activists Papal chamberlains Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great Papal gentlemen Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus Knights of the Holy Sepulchre People from Leawood, Kansas Catholics from Kansas American people of German-Russian descent