Coastal Friends has announced that Patrick Connell, senior diplomatic fellow at UNF, will be the guest speaker at the Feb. 4 Coastal Friends luncheon at Marsh Landing Country Club.
Connell is also the former acting ambassador and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See at the Vatican. Prior to arriving at the Vatican, Connell led a team of diplomats, USAID officers and U.S. Army Special Operations Forces providing stabilization and humanitarian aid in Northeast Syria as the forward leader of the Syria Transition Assistance Response Team, aimed at securing the enduring defeat of ISIS. He is also a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service and has spent 24 years with the U.S. State Department.
The luncheon will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 4, and runs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Marsh Landing Country Club, 25655 Marsh Landing Parkway, Ponte Vedra Beach. The menu will consist of house salad with berry vinaigrette, chicken marsala, mashed potatoes, green beans and chocolate cake with strawberries (just in time for Valentine’s Day). The cost to attend is $25 and the lunch is open to Coastal Friends members, guests and the community. Reservations must be made in advance by contacting the luncheon chairman at bartshar@comcast.net as soon as possible. The deadline for checks to be received is Friday morning, Jan. 30, 2026, at the latest.
Coastal Friends is a women’s social club established in 1998. It is comprised of women who live in Ponte Vedra Beach, Nocatee, Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, St. Augustine, Jacksonville and the surrounding area. Its members consist of women who have had a change in circumstances, are new to the area, recently retired or just want to meet new people in a fun and welcoming environment. Some of the activities offered are: adventures and outings, book club, bunco, canasta, happy hour, lunch in, lunch out, mah jongg, samba and wine socials. All of these activities allow women to foster friendships through social activities and have fun in the process. They also highlight a specific charity each month at their luncheons.
Luncheons are held on the first Wednesday of every month at Marsh Landing Country Club except for July and August. New members are welcome throughout the year. For more information about Coastal Friends or how to join, contact the membership chair at brookemeister@msn.com.
