Autor: Tony P. Goulart

Editora: Portuguese Chamber of Commerce of Caalifornia

Sinopse:

The adventure of the sea and the lure of gold propelled them to these shores. It was the land, always the land, as vast as their native Atlantic, that anchored them to every corner of the Golden State.

Their women soon followed, and together, these daring Portuguese, largely of Azorean peasant stock, formed families, farmed the land, and established businesses.

But land alone does not nourish the soul. In concert, they founded mutual aid societies, built churches, and created the centerpiece for their spiritual and social life: the Irmandades do Divino Espírito Santo – the Brotherhoods of the Holy Spirit.

The chronicling of the Holy Ghost festas, the most celebrated socio-religious event of Azorean-Americans, was long overdue. What better way to show our admiration than to follow their example of volunteerism and teamwork. Scores of their descendants throughout California interviewed elders, searched archives, probed memories, and ferreted out that long lost photograph of grandma in her festa cape. Truly, it has been a labor of love.

Maria da Ascensão da Cunha Carty