THE SENHOR DA PEDRA FESTIVAL- The Victory of Faith

(Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)

By Jorge Lima (Surrey)

On the weekend of August 31 and September 1, 2002, festivities in honour of *Senhor da Pedra, a religious festival held very dear by the Azorean communities of the New World, were held in the city of Victoria, BC, where the vast majority of its Portuguese residents are Azoreans from the Island of São Miguel.

On Saturday afternoon the procession made its way round the churchyard as tradition dictates. The statue of Senhor da Pedra was carried on a litter from the church in which it is normally housed, in yet another external show of faith transported from the Azorean islands by the Portuguese to this garden city of Victoria in the Canadian Province of British Columbia.

The celebration went on throughout the afternoon and evening with its traditional auctions and bazaar. Musical entertainment was provided by the Portuguese Band of Vancouver and the Banda Lira Portuguesa of Victoria. In the evening a dance was held to the musical strains of a local DJ.

On Sunday, the faithful filled the streets as the colourful procession left the Church of Our Lady of Fatima, where the Senhor da Pedra statue is kept for the rest of the year, and proceeded through the surrounding streets, and at the end returning to the Church once more. The litter bearing the statue, beautifully decorated with colourful flowers, presided over the entire proceedings.

Various religious and youth organizations as well as associations from other parts of the province were present. It was indeed surprising and agreeable to see such a big turnout of young children professing their faith alongside their parents, making for the preservation of religious customs in the coming generations

We wish to congratulate the Portuguese community of Victoria for a job well done and hope to be in Victoria next year for the coming Senhor da Pedra Festival, one of the most significant events of the Azorean calendar in the New World.

* Translator's Note: Senhor da Pedra translates roughly as Our Lord of the Stone in English.