Detroit — The Order of the Alhambra will hold its 54th international convention July 9-13 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn.

Two hundred fifty delegates (Sir Knights) and their wives (Sultanas) are expected from Alhambra caravans throughout the United States and Canada.

Besides electing new officers and considering various resolutions, the convention will also include a trip to the Orchard Lake Schools campus, where members will unveil a plaque and attend a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka.

They will also visit the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit, where Msgr. Ricardo Bass, the Alhambras’ supreme chaplain will conduct a tour.

The last time the Alhambras held their convention in Detroit was 1959, and one of their 2011 convention’s social functions will be a 1950s-themed dance, featuring The Reflections, best known for their 1964 hit “(Just like) Romeo & Juliet.”

The Order of the Alhambra is a Catholic fraternal organization founded 111 years ago. It Michigan, it has about 1,000 members in eight local “caravans.”

The Alhambras are best known for their charity work involving developmentally disabled children and adults. In addition to sponsoring the construction of group homes for developmentally disabled persons (of which there have been three built in the Archdiocese of Detroit), they also operate St. Francis Camp on Goose Lake in Jerome, Mich.

At the camp, each week from June through September, 60 developmentally disabled children or adults enjoy fishing, hiking and other activities.

The Alhambras also provide scholarships for students training to work with the developmentally disabled.

For information on membership in the Order of the Alhambra, call Mike De Podesta at (734) 464-7677.