Introduction
Under Virgil Dechant’s leadership, the Knights of Columbus, that is, the local rank and file of the Knights, continued to raise millions of dollars in charitable funds for worthwhile projects at home and aboard including refugee relief programs especially in the Middle East; assistance to victims of natural disasters in the U.S. and abroad; the restoration of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and other Vatican antiquities; support for prolife emergency pregnancy services; and financially assistance to special needs groups.