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 of America on August 22 to take part in the Great Feast of the Holy Spirit in New England and to 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 on the 22nd, at 19:00 local time. Dutzends of representatives of the Azorean communities of Massachusetts and Rhode Island are expected to attend.
The following day, as part of his media duties, the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities will visit the Portuguese Channel, radio station WJFD, and the Portuguese Times newspaper in New Bedford.
Later, at 7 p.m., he will attend the official opening of the Great Feast of the Holy Spirit 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 24th, Paulo Estêvão will take part in the traditional ethnographic parade of the Great Feast of the Holy Spirit in New England, in Fall River, and will meet with the former president of the Rhode Island State Senate, John Correia, an immigrant from the island of São Miguel, in East Providence, Rhode Island.
The following day, the Azorean government is scheduled to sign a cooperation protocol with PALCUS—Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States, an organization founded in 1991 to defend the interests of Portuguese Americans, mostly Azoreans, living in the United States.
This protocol is intended to regulate the support of the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, through the Regional Directorate for Communities, to PALCUS to benefit the Azorean community and their descendants in the United States of America.
Also, on Sunday, the member of the Azorean executive will attend the Coronation Mass of the Great Feast, held at the Church of the Lord Santo Cristo in Fall River, presided over by Bishop Armando Esteves Domingues, Bishop of Angra. At 2pm, the Coronation Procession will take place through Fall River’s streets, with special guests’ participation.
On the last day of the trip, the 26th, the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities will once again focus his attention on the media that serve 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 Spirit in New England, founded in 1986 by Heitor de Sousa, an emigrant from São Miguel, which is considered to be the largest popular gathering of the Azorean diaspora.
The Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities will accompany the Regional Director for Communities, José Andrade, throughout his official visit.
As the press release states, Paulo Estêvão’s first trip to the United States as an Azorean government official confirms the Azorean government’s intention to increasingly value and strengthen the social, cultural, and economic ties between the region and its emigrant and Azorean descendant communities.
It should be remembered that the President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, and the Vice-President of the Government, Artur Lima, took part in previous editions of the Great Feasts of the Holy Spirit of New England, this year organized by a committee led by the emigrant from Terceira, Herberto Silva, as president, and the emigrant from São Miguel, Márcia Sousa da Ponte, as vice-president.
Three groups from the island of São Miguel are participating in this year’s Grandes Festas: the Lira Nossa Senhora da Estrela Philharmonic from the parish of Candelária in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, the Estrela do Oriente Philharmonic, from the parish of Algarvia in the municipality of Nordeste; and the Charanga of the Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Vila Franca do Campo.

In Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.