The Regional Secretary for the Economy, Vasco Cordeiro, assured on Sunday that the Government of the Azores follows the Holy Spirit Festivities in New England with “all care and attention” as this event is a tribute to the most deep-rooted traditions of the Azorean people, which is also symbolises the growing claim of the Azorean communities in the economic, social and political scene of their host countries. 
Vasco Cordeiro was the guest of honour, on behalf of the Azores, in this year’s festivities. On Sunday, he participated in the Solemn Mass, held at the Santa Ana Church, as well as in the Procession that passed along some of the streets of New Bedford.
During a dinner offered by the Fall River City Hall, the Regional Secretary for the Economy emphasised the support awarded by the local authorities to this initiative, which has brought together thousands of people at the Kennedy Park for three days, hence demonstrating that the “relevance of the Portuguese community, particularly of the Azorean, has increasingly grown in the life of the host communities.”
For Vasco Cordeiro, this “is very significant since it demonstrates a full integration, either of the generations that left the Azores for the United States or of the second and third generations of Luso-descendants who continue to be proud of their roots.”