Power of the Spirit Goes Coastal
Our Award Winning book Power of the Spirit – A Portuguese Journey of Building Faith and Churches in California, has gone coastal in the last couple weekends with book introductions at the F.D.E.S Hall in Monterey and at Cayucos’ Conselho Beira-Mar.
The communities of both locations welcomed the PHPC representatives on hand and showed their enthusiasm by acquiring our books, particularly our last release Power of the Spirit, which is moving out the door very quickly. If you have not yet acquired your copy of Power of the Spirit, please do so as soon as possible before it sells out. You can purchase this and other PHPC published books at: www.PortugueseBooks.Org
Portuguese Heritage Publications of California, Inc. is a non-profit organization, created to research, preserve and disseminate vanishing memories and current relevant events about the Portuguese presence in California, for educational purposes.
Power of the Spirit – Named Finalist “Best Nonfiction, Multi-Author Publication of 2013”
Power of the Spirit – A Portuguese Journey of Building Faith and Churches in California, is a finalist in the 15th. Annual International Latino Book Awards, the largest awards in the USA celebrating achievements in Latino literature.
The International Latino Book Awards, allowed this year, for the first time, entries from Portuguese authors in either English or Portuguese language. The award recognizes Power of the Spirit as a finalist in the category of Best Non-Fiction – Multi-Author. The awards ceremony will be held the evening of May 30, 2013, at the Instituto Cervantes in New York City. This year, the awards are sponsored by Libros Publishing; Scholastic; the University of Arizona Press and Arte Publico Press.
Each year the International Latino Book Awards are held during Book Expo America, the largest publishing trade show in the USA. Last year the Awards honored 148 publishers and authors.
All finalists’ books will be displayed at a BookExpo booth. This event is attended by thousands of booksellers and the display is designed to help expose the winning titles to these booksellers. This year each individual finalist author and publisher will be filmed in an interview. These videos will be used to help promote the winning titles. There will be a special limited edition surprise gift for all finalists.
We congratulate the authors: Joe Machado, José Rodrigues and Ferreira Moreno, as well as all contributor volunteers who worked so hard on this project. We also thank our volunteer members who are sacrificing their personal time, working with parishes and at social events to make Power of the Spirit known throughout California.
To learn more about PHPC and how to acquire Power of the Spirit, please visit us at: www.PortugueseBooks.Org in addition, don’t forget to LIKE US on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/PortugueseHeritagePublications
Portuguese Heritage Publications of California, Inc. is a non-profit organization, created to research, preserve and disseminate vanishing memories and current relevant events about the Portuguese presence in California, for educational purposes.
Gilroy Community Welcomes “Power of the Spirit”
Members of the Portuguese Heritage Publications of California, will be on hand during the IFEDS – Irmandade do Divino Espirito Santo (Gilroy) Holy Ghost Festa, on May 4th and 5th. They will answer questions about the recently released book: Power of the Spirit – A Portuguese Journey of Building Faith and Churches in California.
It took over 4 years to compile the history of the many churches the Portuguese built throughout California, from Immaculate Conception in Hawkinsville, to Saint Agnes, in San Diego, as well as the many churches in which they played a major role in its construction and parish leadership. The Power of the Spirit project involved 3 authors and over 30 volunteer researchers and contributors.
In addition to the history of these 40 churches spread throughout California, the book includes short biographies of over 110 members of the Portuguese-American clergy who guided the spiritual lives of our communities for the last 150 years.
This is a book that you will forever be proud to own and gladly share with your family and friends, for it encapsulates 150 years of the history of our forefathers’ “Powerful Spirit” – A wonderful Mother’s Day gift!
For more information about Portuguese Heritage Publications of California and more details about the book Power of the Spirit, please visit: www.PortugueseBooks.Org, and “Like Us” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PortugueseHeritagePublications
Portuguese Heritage Publications of California, Inc. is a non-profit organization, created to research, preserve and disseminate vanishing memories and current relevant events about the Portuguese presence in California, for educational purposes.
“Power of the Spirit” – Book Project
The Power of the Spirit book project continues to progress steadily towards publication.
In a chapter to be titled “Pastores do Espirito” in the upcoming book, a history of all the Portuguese churches in California, Ferreira Moreno, a well known columnist and history investigator, is leading the research on the biographies of the many Portuguese priests who served the community in California since the late 1800s.
Ferreira Moreno will bring to light the biographies of these outstanding men, most of them born in the Azores, who left their homeland to come and serve the spiritual needs of the Portuguese speaking communities in California, including the construction of many of our churches.

If you have, or know someone who has any documentation, specially photos, of the many Portuguese priests serving in California before WWII, please contact us at: info@portuguesebooks.org , or leave a post on this blog. Help us pay the proper homage to these courageous individuals who sacrificed their lives at the service of our community.