b'KNIGHTS of COLUMBUSGEORGIA STATE COUNCILFraternal greetings and best wishes to all our Brother Knights and their families for a most enjoyable and successful 119th annual state convention. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUSGeorgia State CouncilMARK HOFMANNMay 13, 2021 State Deputy, JacksonBrothers, lovely ladies and guests,Welcome to the 119thAnnual meeting of the Georgia Knights of Columbus on historical Jekyll Island.It will be a challenge to stay focused while surrounded by such natural beauty, but I am grateful we have this time to gather and take care of our business as required by our By-Laws.What a joy to be gathering with friends and acquaintances once again - to renew old friendships and create new, to worship together, to laugh, reminisce and celebrate our suc-cesses.I ask that all of you be cautious during our time here as we are still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.As we come near the end of this fraternal year, I am proud of our councils for not allowing the Covid-19 pandemic to stop us. After flying by the seat of our pants for many months - we finally figured things out!Holding virtual meetings, attending mass via Facebook, and becoming the busy sanitizing bees for our parishes.Weve held food drives and blood drives, made monetary contributions to our parishes and communities,mourned with our brothersover the loss of a loved one.Weve grown as Catholic men through this experience and faced the struggle of growing councils and maintaining membership. Has it been easy?Not by a long shot.But I can proudly say I have never doubted my Georgia Brother Knights for one second.We are men who lead, serve, protect and defend.Please continue to stand with the Knights as we strive to support the needs of our communities.Thank you for attending our Annual Meeting.My prayers are with you and your families during this time; stay safe but enjoy the weekend.Vivat Jesus,Mark W. HofmannMark W. HofmannState DeputyST. MARY MOTHER OF GOD, PRAY FOR US7'