Portuguese American Journal

Portuguese American Journal

Featured Stories
100 years ago | Devastating earthquake shook Faial Island Sports | Fernando Pimenta world canoeing champion Community | 20th Anniversary of Portas da Cidade Celebration Community | The Holy Ghost Festival of New England returns Community | Judge Luis Matos nominated to Rhode Island Supreme Court
 

100 years ago | Devastating earthquake shook Faial Island – Azores

One hundred years ago today, on the morning of August 31, 1926, the island of Faial was violently shaken by one of the most destructive earthquakes in the modern history of the Azores.  A century later, the Museu da Horta is commemorating the disaster with historical photographs, educational activities and an earthquake-preparedness exercise involving about […]

Sports | Fernando Pimenta world canoeing champion – Poznan, Poland

Portuguese canoeing star Fernando Pimenta was crowned world champion in the K1 1000 meters, winning a dramatic final at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland, on August 29, 2026.  The achievement adds another historic chapter to the career of the athlete from Ponte de Lima, widely regarded as Portugal’s greatest canoeist. Pimenta currently […]

Community | 20th Anniversary of Portas da Cidade Celebration – Fall River, MA

Mayor Paul Coogan, in conjunction with the Portas da Cidade Advisory Committee and the Prince Henry Society, will host a special ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Portas da Cidade (City Gates), one of Fall River’s most recognizable symbols of its Azorean heritage.  The celebration will take place Monday, August 31, at 10:30 am […]

Community | The Holy Ghost Festival of New England returns – Fall River, MA

The Holy Ghost Festival of New England will be held in Kennedy Park in Fall River, Massachusetts, from August 26–30. Former Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is expected to visit Fall River as a guest of honor for the 40th-anniversary festival celebration, according to reports. The President of the Regional Government of the Azores, […]

Community | Judge Luis Matos nominated to Rhode Island Supreme Court – Providence, RI

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has nominated Superior Court Associate Justice Luis M. Matos, a Portuguese-born jurist with extensive state and federal experience, to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court.  Governor McKee said his responsibility was to select someone with “unquestionable qualifications, an impeccable reputation and a strong record in strong and fair judging.” […]

Book: ‘Voyage to India’ by Gonçalo M. Tavares – Editor’s Note

19 December 2016

Voyage to India is the story of Bloom, our hero, as he makes his way from Lisbon to India in a decidedly non-heroic age. Gone are the galleons, gone is god; so too the swords of the swashbuckler and sacerdotal certainty. In such an era, where is wisdom to be found? Bloom―ever deliberate, ever longwinded―takes […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Featured

Portugal: Pope Francis to visit Portugal on May 2017 – Vatican City

17 December 2016

The offices of the Vatican and the President of Portugal have confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Fátima, Portugal, on May 12-13 of next year, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Marian Apparitions. According to the Catholic News Agency, “On the occasion of the centenary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin […]

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Posted in Azores, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Portugal, Religion, World

C7R: Cristiano Ronaldo awarded 4th Ballon d’Or – Paris, France

14 December 2016

Portuguese international footballer Cristiano Ronaldo won his fourth Ballon d’Or award presented by the prestigious France Football  magazine to the soccer player with the best performance of the year. The announcement took place  in Paris, France, on Monday, December 12. Ronaldo had received the honor in 2014, 2013, and 2008. He was picked from a […]

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Posted in Awards, Featured, Heritage, Madeira, Organizations, People, Portugal, Sports, World

Book: ‘Cattle of the Lord: Poems’ by Rosa Alice Branco – Editor’s Note

13 December 2016

Love. Sex. Death. Meat. Traffic. Pets. In Cattle of the Lord, Rosa Alice Branco offers a stunning poetic vision at once sacred and profane, a rich evocation of daily life troubled by uneasy sacramentality. In a collection translated by Alexis Levitin and presented in both Portuguese and English, readers find themselves in a world turned […]

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Posted in Arts&Culture, Books, Featured, Heritage, People, Portugal, World

Today in History: António Guterres sworn in as 9th UN Secretary General – United Nations

12 December 2016

Former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres was sworn in as Secretary-General of the United Nations today, December 12, at a ceremony in which Portugal was represented by the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister António Costa. António Guterres begins his five-year term of office on January 1, 2017. He was […]

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Posted in Community, Featured, Heritage, Organizations, People, Politics, Portugal, World

Martin Scorsese: The epic journey of Portuguese Jesuits in 17th century Japan – Paramount Pictures

11 December 2016

The highly anticipated religious drama, Silence,produced and directed by Martin Scorsese, tells the heroic deeds of two young Portuguese Jesuit missionaries in 17th century Japan. Premiered in Vatican City on November 29, with the participation of Pope Francis, the film will be released in selected theaters in the United States on December 23, and nationwide starting January […]

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Posted in Entertainment, Featured, Film, Heritage, Organizations, People, Portugal, World