PORTUGUESE HOLY GHOST SOCIETY FESTIVAL RETURNS

Stonington — The century-old Portuguese Holy Ghost Society Festival will once again be held Saturday and Sunday at the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society in the borough.

The event celebrates the “feeding of the masses,” by Queen Isabel, who was said to have helped bring about a miracle end to a Portuguese famine in the 14th century. The traditional story says Isabel offered her jewels, crown and scepter to the church if the floods causing the famine would end.

The queen of this year’s festival will be Kalyn Bomster, daughter of Christine Pacheco and Michael Bomster. Admission is free and the public is invited.

The festivities begin at 5 p.m. Saturday with a procession led by the Westerly Band from the Main Street club to St. Mary Church to pick up the symbolic crown and scepter before returning through the streets of the borough. That will be followed by music from the Portuguese rock band Faith and the annual sweetbread auction from 6:30 to 11 p.m.

On Sunday, there will be a procession from the club to to St. Mary Church at 10 a.m. for the blessing of the crowns and scepters at a 10:30 Mass in memory of the deceased members of the Holy Ghost Society.

That will be followed by a parade through the borough to the Portuguese club. At noon there will be the traditional feeding of the masses with soup and roasted meats. The meal is free. That will be followed by music from the band Rewind from 1 to 6 p.m. From 1:30 to 6 p.m. there will also be auctions of sweetbread, crafts, seafood and other items.

The celebration ends at 6:30 p.m. with the drawing of names of the seven families who will hold the crown and scepter for the upcoming year and the selection of the sponsor of the following year’s feast.