WELCOME TO THE
PORTUGUESE HOLY GHOST SOCIETY
OF STONINGTON
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Welcome to the Stonington Portuguese Holy Ghost Society, (hereafter “PHGS”). The following details some of our major activities and our roll in our PHGS community.
Our History
The Portuguese had settled in the Borough, with many originating from the Azores, and the Portuguese community continued to grow in Stonington. Being a hard-working group, many were employed as
fishermen while others worked in the mills and elsewhere. The PHGS has been at our current location in the Borough since 1926. The building is quite old and it is listed as a national & state historical building.
The PHGS Now
The PHGS is governed by our bylaws with Board of Directors (BoD) positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Sergeant at Arms, Receiver, Secretary, and 5 other at large Board positions from the membership, that are elected each year at our annual meeting held on the 3rd Sunday in January. The PHGS also has a lady’s auxiliary that helps support the PHGS Portuguese cultural events throughout the year. The PHGS is a private social welfare organization, under a 501(c)(4) status in the state of
Connecticut. Membership is a privilege and the Board of Directors has the right to revoke a membership at any time for just cause.
Our Events and Initiatives
Feast of the Holy Ghost - The Holy Ghost Society is common in Portuguese settlements throughout the world. Every year members commemorate the 16th century feeding of the famine stricken Portuguese people by Queen Isabella. The religious Queen prayed to the Holy Ghost for relief from floods. The rains
stopped, the waters receded, but the land was barren. Queen Isabella then sold her crown jewels to buy food and feed her people. Each year the people of the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society bear a symbolic crown to St. Mary Church recalling the generous act of the Queen and offering prayer to the Holy Ghost, followed by the Feeding of The Masses at the Holy Ghost Society. Here in Stonington the PHGS honors that tradition on Labor Day weekend.
Stonington Fishermen Blessing of the Fleet Each year the residents of Stonington and the associated fishing community honor those fishermen and their families from the Stonington Fishing Fleet who have perished at sea, as well as to honor and bless the vessels along with their captains, owners, crews and families that will go out to sea in the year ahead. The PHGS participates in the Blessing of the Fleet
Parade, with volunteers, provides food for the event at the Stonington docks and usually continues with food and music in our courtyard.
Josh Piver Memorial Fund – Stonington native Josh Piver tragically passed on September 11, 2001 in NYC. Stonington High School students, each year, are granted scholarships in Josh’s honor. The PHGS opens our courtyard, and our volunteers assist in dinner preparations for the fund’s annual benefit dinner.
Flo Klewin Thanksgiving Day Breakfast – For this event, PHGS volunteers open our doors early
Thanksgiving Day for 4 hours and along with our sponsor Kitchen Little, together we provide a breakfast to the public with all funds from the meals going to Safe Futures or Operation Fresh Start.
Children and Families Halloween Party – Each year volunteers from the PHGS turn our courtyard into a themed event providing games, fun and candy to those families and children who visit us on Halloween.
Benefit Golf Tournament – This event benefits area high school student scholarships.
Donations to OrganizationsBelow are samples of organizations that we have provided donations for their charitable community efforts.
Stonington Free Library
Stonington Cemetery
Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center
Avalonia Land Trust
La Grua Center
New England Science & Sailing Foundation
St. Jude’s Hospital
New Haven Vets Hospital
Little Pink Houses - Families Affected by Cancer
Member HS Scholarships
Operation Fresh Start
John Boyle High School Scholarship
Calgary Church Choir
Stonington Ambulance
John Phillip Sousa HS Music Scholarship
Mystic VFW
Finish the Fight Cancer
Stonington Veteran’s Monument
Dana Faber Cancer
Historic Monsanto Fire Goodwill
Safe Futures – Domestic Violence
Financial
With our benevolent events and donations noted above and our large and historic facility needing
necessary capital improvements, along with taxes, insurance, and general upkeep it is clear to see that we have a large financial responsibility to keep the PHGS operational. In order to make ends meet, the volunteers of the PHGS provides Fish Fry Dinners to the public 8 Fridays before Thanksgiving and 8 Fridays before Easter from 11am to 7:30pm. We have over 70 volunteers (and yes, we need more) who volunteer on average a weekly 4-hour shift to provide chowder and dinners of Cod, Scallops, Shrimp and Combinations of those seafood items with the freshest seafood product to be found in the region.
Other Key Information
- Address: 26 Main St, Stonington, CT 06378 Phone: 860-535-3855
- Our website has activities and information of interest: https://www.holyghostclub.com/
- Inside we have a Members Bulletin Board for announcements and events
- Outside we have a Public Bulletin Board for public announcements and events
- Our upstairs hall and our courtyard are available for rent to public and to members with discounts
- The BoD meets the 3rd Sunday of the month, during summer the 3rd Wednesday of the month
- Member Conduct:
- Respect for employees, members and the general public must be prevalent at all times.
- Alcohol can only be consumed in the hall or on PHGS grounds. Not permitted on streets.
- Our building is smoke free.
- Disorderly conduct will be reviewed by the BoD; membership privileges may be revoked.
We welcome you to our club. We are a thriving community, thanks to our many volunteers! Please don’t hesitate to get involved. You can contact our manager or any Board of Directors member for possible volunteer opportunities.
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The Holy Ghost Society is common in Portuguese settlements throughout the world. In addition to filling a social need, it also has religious significance. Every year members commemorate the 16th century feeding of the famine stricken Portuguese people by Queen Isabella. The religious Queen prayed to the Holy Ghost for relief from the floods which had inundated the land. The rains stopped and the waters receded, but the land was barren. Queen Isabella then sold her crown jewels to buy food and feed her people. Each year the people of the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society bear a symbolic crown to St. Mary Church recalling the generous act of the Queen and offering prayer to the Holy Ghost, followed by the Feeding of The Masses at the Holy Ghost Society.
The Portuguese Holy Ghost Society of Stonington is located at 26 Main St. in the Borough of Stonington, CT and continues to serve the descendants of those who organized it over 100 years ago.
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THE ABOVE PAINTING OF PHGS BUILDING AND BUOYS FOR THE LOBSTER TRAP TREE WERE DONE BY SUSAN NOYES.
PAINTING IS ON DISPLAY AT PHGS.
PRINTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE.
IF INTERESTED, USE "CONTACT US" TAB AT UPPER LEFT
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IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER OF PHGS, CLICK ON "APPLICATIONS, FORMS, ETC" TAB AT UPPER LEFT OR STOP IN AT THE CLUB
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PORTUGUESE HOLY GHOST SOCIETY
26 MAIN ST
STONINGTON, CT 06378
860-535-3855
