The Regional Director for Communities stated in Santo António da Patrulha, state of Rio Grande do Sul, that the Government is "very proud" of hundreds of  manifestations of the Holy Spirit cult that have been annually held in the Diaspora and the archipelago for centuries.
 
Paulo Teves spoke after delivering a Holy Spirit crown to Santo António da Patrulha, a gift from the Government of the Azores. The government official stressed "the strong devotion to the cult of the Third Person of the Trinity" and its importance "as a bridge and cohesion" between the Azores and emigrant communities.
 
"There is no distance that separates us and this a gift from the Azorean People residing in the archipelago the Azorean People that lives as a tribute to your determination, commitment and preservation of the legacy you received from of our pioneers over 250 years ago," stressed Paulo Teves. The government official added that "the cult of the Holy Spirit is an ancestral tradition that congregates all Azoreans and their descendants under the identity reality that best defines and characterises our people, which is 'Azoreanity'."
 
The delivery ceremony of the crown, which is intended to replace the existing one that is about 150 years, was attended by hundreds of people, including several political and social organisations, after which the Regional Director for Communities met with the Mayor and municipal councillors.
 
During his visit to Santo António da Patrulha, Paulo Teves also visited the Public Library, where there is an Azorean Room, and the City Museum. He also spoke to many local inhabitants, who displayed the Holy Spirit flag in their homes.
 
The municipality of Santo Antonio da Patrulha inherited from the Azoreans, who arrived there in 1752, the customs and cultural traditions that are still present and visible in this region, namely in religion, gastronomy, folklore, handicrafts and architecture.
 
The Regional Director for Communities also met with the Mayor, Paulo Roberto Bier, with whom he discussed several subjects of multidisciplinary nature of common interest for both parties. In this regard, he stressed that "the Azorean presence in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, particularly in the city of Santo António da Patrulha, had a noticeable impact on the construction and development of Gaucho culture that the time and distance of the roots could not erase.”