It
is such an honor to serve as the U.P.S.E.S. 2011 Festa President.
Since I was young, the Portuguese Festa has been a beautiful and inspiring event – with
the parade forming at the Hall, and proceeding to St. Agnes Catholic Church where
the High Mass is celebrated and the new King and Queen are crowned. I find that
every Festa is beautiful – whether an elaborate or more conservative production.
Each year the Portuguese Festa is celebrated here on Pentecost Sunday in honor
of the Holy Spirit, with our Portuguese-American community coming together to
demonstrate their ongoing devotion.
The Novena to the Holy Spirit is one of my
favorite devotions and the Festa has been one of my favorite Portuguese traditions.
Beyond
the beautiful pageantry, I find the real beauty of the Festa is in the profound
faith messages intertwined
throughout. And hearing the “Alva Pomba”,
a hymn honoring the Holy Spirit, played over and over as the parade marches,
brings tears to my eyes. With each crowning, we invoke the blessing of the Holy
Spirit in Latin as the “Veni Creator Spiritus” is sung. The beautiful
reminders of Queen Saint Isabel of Portugal, who had great devotion to the Holy
Spirit and a servant’s heart to feed the poor, are evident in our Festa.
We eat sopas in the U.P.S.E.S. Hall, and we are reminded to share our bread with
those in need following the example of Queen Saint Isabel. The Miracle of the
Roses reminds me of God’s love and protection.
This year as I watched the 2010 U.P.S.E.S. Festa Centennial Parade march down
the street, I never imagined the possibility that I would be introduced as
the 2011 Festa President. I believe it was God’s hand gently nudging me to
consider the commitment to be President of the 2011 Festa do Espírito
Santo.
When I discovered that no one had offered to do next year’s
Festa, I was disappointed. I began thinking about the beautiful
Centennial Festa and how Evelyn
Feliciano made the Feast in memory of her late husband Michael Feliciano.
Suddenly a wonderful idea struck me – the possibility
of having the Festa in memory of my beloved brother David
J. Silveira, a Portuguese-American fisherman who
died at sea off Alaska on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008.
As I continued to
mull things over, another idea came to mind.
I remembered that the DaRosa/Feliciano family would be passing
the Festa Crown to the next King and Queen in 2011. This
thought was most compelling.
Larry
DaRosa and David were best friends (more like brothers) and the entire DaRosa
family
was special to David. Knowing that the Festa Crown would be passed to our
family from theirs in 2011 filled me with joy. I knew that David would be
proud and
honored as well. And so my journey to be U.P.S.E.S. 2011 Festa President
began.
It is with much JOY that I pass this inspiring tradition of faith and devotion
to my son, Joseph Gregory Seiter, King of the 2011 Festa do Espírito
Santo. What a blessing it is to celebrate our lovely Portuguese heritage
together just
as my parents (Lee & Sally Silveira) and my Avós (Manuel & Mary
Goncalves and Joaquim & Ana Silveira) passed on their traditions to their
children.
Orchestrating a successful Festa depends upon the efforts
of each person in the community; no one person can make the
Festa happen. I want
to extend
an
invitation
to all in the community (and beyond) to take part in the 2011 Festa celebration – a
huge endeavor that includes many Fundraising Events and religious celebrations.
Please help support the Festa by participating in some of the Festa fundraiser
events scheduled throughout the year.
Our first event will be the Golf Tournament
on September 17, 2010. Please mark your calendars to save the date! Even
if you don’t play golf, come and
cheer on your friends who are playing, and plan to join us for the Dinner
and Silent Auction.
Please feel free to contact me at: upsesfesta2011@gmail.com – I’d
love to hear from you.
Thanks again to everyone who has supported the
Festa do Espírito Santo
celebrations in the past. Your willingness to be a volunteer, whether
to prepare or serve food, to obtain donations, to be a group
leader or committee member,
to help with decorations, to work at the bazaar, to be involved in
the parade, to offer financial support at our fundraising
events, or any other component
of making the Festa happen; is much appreciated. All of your time and
effort dedicated to the Festa supports our community. And
the Festa is in need of your
generosity of time and talent again this year!
I hope you will be inspired
to help so that, together, we can make the 2011 Festa do Espírito
Santo as beautiful as those of the past 100 years in this ongoing celebration
of our faith.
Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with the fire of your love. Increase
our faith. Like Queen Saint Isabel, bless us with a servant’s heart of love and humility.
Holy Spirit, bless and inspire us as we go forward to volunteer out time, talents,
and our support for the 2011 Festa do Espírito Santo in Your
honor.
May God bless you in abundance.
Deborah Ann Seiter
President – U.P.S.E.S. 2011 Festa
