Being among those overseeing nearly two million members of a worldwide organization might be a daunting task for most, but Hahnville’s Rennan Duffour manages just fine – the Knights of Columbus are in his blood, after all.
Duffour is a third-generation member of the Knights of Columbus, after father Rene and grandfather Sidney. There will soon be five generations of Duffours in the Knights, with son Glynn already a member and grandsons Joshua and Evan soon to join.
As a member of the Supreme Council’s Board of Directors, Duffour has decision making authority over the 2,000,000 members of the Knights of Columbus located in 15,900 councils located in 17 different countries. The organization has been in existence for 136 years and is the largest catholic men’s fraternity in the world. While serving as Grand Knight of St. Charles Council 2409, he led it to achieve the Top Council Award in Louisiana, and as Faithful Navigator, he led Msgr. Paul Richard Assembly 3091 to earn the Master’s Award.
“I’m proud of what we do,” said Duffour. “The Knights of Columbus helps men to become better men, better fathers, better Catholics … it helps you grow your contributions in your church and in your community. It’s a special organization. I’d venture to say a lot of people’s lives have changed in a positive manner because of the Knights of Columbus.”
He joined the group in 1989 and over the years has stepped into numerous leadership roles. None brought him more pride than being asked to serve on the Knights’ Supreme Board of Directors in 2020, something that came as a true surprise.
“They called me and asked if I’d be able to speak with the Supreme Knight, and I said of course. They let me know they’d be calling at this time, and it wouldn’t only be him, but all Supreme officers would be on the call.
“So, now I’m wondering what I did. Either I did something really wrong, or I did something really well.”
It was the latter, as it turned out. He was asked to interview for the position – and the impromptu interview process began immediately.
“OK, go!” Duffour recalled. “We talked for about 30 minutes and they asked me questions. It caught me off guard and I had nothing really prepared.”
But he made the right impression. Not long after, he was elected to the position.
“It was a total surprise. I’m not the type of guy looking for limelight or looking to politic into leadership positions. But when I’m asked, I can’t say no. I thought I was done with leadership positions and I was going to go back to being a regular knight. But I serve where I’m needed.”
Duffour has served 11 Years in leadership responsibilities at the State Level including District Deputy, State Warden, State Treasurer, State Secretary and State Deputy.
He called all of it an eye-opening experience.
“To see the depth of what the organization does and the causes it helps further, it’s really enlightening,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to meet people and develop relationships with people that I’d have never had the opportunity to in the past.”
The group’s charitable impact is something he takes immense pride in being a part of.
“Domestically and internationally … when a disaster comes, the Knights are on the scene ready to help out,” he said. “We want to be first in Faith as well as first in charity. We adhere to four virtues with the order – charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.”
His roles have with great responsibility. In Louisiana alone there are approximately 45,000 knights and their families and 300 different councils. When he served as state deputy, he was all but responsible for all in-state operations.
“It’s a full-time job basically,” said Duffour, 70. “You pretty much have to be retired.”
Under his guidance, Louisiana’s Knights achieved the Circle of Honor distinction, recognizing the accomplishment of goals by a jurisdiction set forth by the Supreme Board.
“That makes me pretty proud, but being elected to the board really is the crowning achievement,” Duffour said.
Prior to joining the Knights, Duffour earned a civil engineering degree from Southwest Louisiana University and worked for both Chevron and Texaco in technical and management roles for 28 years, bringing him to numerous worldwide locations. His family has lived in Rumbai, Duri and Indonesia over the years and he has worked in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong and South Africa.
Duffour has also served as an Engineering Project Manager for St. Charles Parish Public Works, with a focus on Hurricane Protection Systems and Flood Prevention Systems. His responsibilities included the Design and Construction of Pumping Stations and Levee Protection Systems. He also served as the Public Works Coordinator of Services at the Emergency Operations Center.
Now, his time and effort is focused on the Knights.
“It’s a lot to be in charge of, and you’ve got to have help to be effective,” Duffour said. “It’s a real team effort with a lot of good people pulling together.”
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