Background

The large number of Holy Ghost Societies and Festas throughout California are the ultimate testimony, the strongest and most widespread religious, social, and cultural manifestation of our presence in this State.

In the past, there have been several attempts to research and compile information on this important aspect of our culture. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, twenty-eight Bay Area community members met at the Portuguese Chamber to discuss the possibility of gathering and publishing information on these Societies before more of the original materials are lost. There was unanimous agreement to move forward with the project.

A group of volunteers was selected to head the first work team. They were to prepare the guidelines, establish a contact list of possible researchers and valuable contacts, as well as prepare funding requests for the project.

Those individuals are: José Couto Rodrigues, Dr. Heraldo Silva, Manual F. Duarte, Joe Machado, Dr. Décio de Oliveira, and Tony Goulart. It was also agreed that the project coordinator, at least in this initial phase, would be Tony Goulart.

We believe that the project may be something that might interest you. Please review the material on this web site. Then give us a call to discuss your thoughts and suggestions and tell us the specific organization(s) that you would be willing to (or help us) research, if you so choose. With everyone's serious commitment, we will be able to provide a documented legacy of the role of the Holy Ghost Societies in the lives of the Portuguese immigrants and their descendants in Calif.

Thank you for wanting to be part of this challenging task! It will be nice to have your support.

Tony Goulart

Project Coordinator

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