Welcome to the registration site for the 2024 Grand Prioral Council Meeting of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem - Grand Priory of America.
Dear Confreres and Consoeurs,
On behalf of the Commandery of the West, I am delighted to invite you to our 2024 Grand Prioral Council in Newport Beach, California, October 24 to 27, 2024. Our GPC 2024 Planning Committee has been hard at work to ensure that we have a most enjoyable and spiritually fruitful annual meeting. Since we will be in California amidst the great Missions which brought the gospel to this part of the country, our theme will be "Siempre Adelante! - Always Forward!" This was the motto of the great apostle of California, Saint Junipero Serra. It is also a fitting motto for us as the Order of Saint Lazarus as we continue our almost thousand year tradition of chivalry and outreach to the sick and needy of our world.
The site of our meeting in 2024 will be the fabulous VEA Newport Beach, A Marriott Resort & Spa. This is a newly renovated resort property overlooking the Pacific ocean in a magnificent setting. I think you will be very pleased with the beautiful rooms, amenities and facilities of the resort. We were able to negotiate a very competitive rate of $299 per room in a hotel in which the same class of rooms regularly sells for over $600 per night. This is an incredible discount to our members who take advantage of early booking, which I strongly recommend.
The Newport Beach location offers many advantages to our members:
- Very close to John Wayne Airport (SNA)
- Also accessible to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Disneyland is nearby!
- Spa, beach, hiking trails, golf, harbor cruises and so much more!
By registering as soon as possible you can take advantage of this greatly reduced rate. There is a limited block of rooms so I encourage you to take advantage of it.
For our Friday evening Vigil, we will be using Queen of Angels Catholic Church and for the Saturday Investiture, we will use Christ Church by the Sea United Methodist Church. Both of these are near our hotel. At the Vigil, we will be treated to the singing of the Norbertine Fathers of Saint Michael's Abbey and will have the privilege of having the relics of Saint Damien de Veuster and Saint Marianne Cope (brought from Hawai'i for the occasion) present during our prayer service.
Right across the street from our hotel is the huge Fashion Island which includes many exclusive shops as well as excellent restaurants for our Commandery dinners on Thursday evening.
Our Friday evening dinner will be in a beautiful outdoor setting overlooking the Pacific and bluffs and cooled by ocean breezes. Our Hawai'i Cadre will be arranging a Hawai'ian/Polynesian evening of delicious dishes and beautiful entertainment. Our formal Saturday evening gala dinner will be in a resplendent ball room with a magnificent band for dancing the night away.
Our official Thursday morning excursion (optional) will be to the very interesting Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. Other tours can also be arranged to the San Juan Capistrano Mission or St. Michael's Abbey. Both are well worth visiting.!
Our 2024 Grand Prioral Council promises to be a wonderful occasion to renew our bonds of friendship, chivalry and Christian service and have a fabulous time doing it! I hope to see you all there!
The Very Reverend Marcos J. Gonzalez, ECLJ, CMLJ, SMLJ, MDiv, MS
Commander, Commandery of the West
GPC SCHEDULE
When the schedule is published it will be linked here. Thanks for your patience as we finalize all the details!
HOTEL RESERVATIONS
Don’t delay in making hotel arrangements! Reservations are open now.
The Grand Prioral Council Meeting will be hosted at the VEA Newport Beach, A Marriott Resort& Spa located at 900 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660.
Click here to take a virtual tour of the VEA Newport Beach.
