The Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão, will begin a five-day official visit to the East Coast of the United States on August 22 to take part in the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England and meet with representatives of the Azorean communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The visit begins with a community meeting at the House of the Azores of New England, in Fall River, which is expected to bring together several representatives from the Azorean communities of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, on August 22, at 7 pm local time.
On the following day, as part of his media duties, the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities will visit the Portuguese Channel, WJFD radio station and the Portuguese Times newspaper in New Bedford.
Later, at 7 pm, he will attend the official opening of the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England and, an hour later, the opening of the exhibitions of Azorean handicrafts and regional products at Kennedy Park in Fall River.
On Saturday, August 24, Paulo Estêvão will participate in the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England traditional ethnographic parade in Fall River. He will also meet the former president of the Rhode Island State Senate, São Miguel-born emigrant John Correia, in East Providence, Rhode Island.
The following day is scheduled for the signing of a cooperation protocol between the Government of the Azores and PALCUS – Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States, an organisation founded in 1991 to defend with one voice the interests of Portuguese-Americans, mostly Azoreans, based in the United States of America.
This protocol is intended to regulate the support of the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, through the Regional Directorate for the Communities, to PALCUS, to benefit the Azorean community and their descendants in the United States of America.
Also on Sunday, the Regional Secretary will attend the Coronation Mass of the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost, held at the Santo Cristo Church in Fall River, presided over by Angra do Heroísmo Bishop Armando Esteves Domingues. The Coronation Procession through the streets of Fall River takes place at 2 pm, an event also attended by special guests.
On the last day of the visit, August 26, the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities will, once again, focus his attention on the media outlets serving the Azorean communities in New England, with visits to the Voz do Emigrante radio station and O Jornal – The Portuguese Journal in Fall River and New Bedford.
At the end of the day, Paulo Estêvão will take part in the traditional closing banquet of the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England, founded in 1986 by São Miguel-born emigrant Heitor de Sousa. It is considered to be the largest popular gathering of the Azorean diaspora.
During his official visit, the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities will be accompanied by the Regional Director for the Communities, José Andrade.
Paulo Estêvão’s first visit to the United States of America as a government official confirms the Azorean government’s intention to increasingly develop and strengthen the social, cultural and economic ties between the Region and its diaspora communities.
The President of the Azorean Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, and the Vice-President of the Government, Artur Lima, have participated in previous editions of the Great Feasts of the Holy Ghost of New England. This year, they are being organised by a committee headed by the Terceira-born emigrant Herberto Silva, as president, and Márcia Sousa da Ponte, from São Miguel Island, as vice-president.
Three groups from São Miguel Island are taking part in this year’s festivities: the Lira Nossa Senhora da Estrela Philharmonic Band, parish of Candelária in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, the Estrela do Oriente Philharmonic Band, parish of Algarvia in the municipality of Nordeste, and the Band of the Vila Franca do Campo Volunteer Fire Brigade.
