The I.D.E.S. Society of Lovelock will hold its 89th Annual Portuguese Festa this Sunday, May 18, 2025. Everyone in the community is invited to take part in the Festa, which is a religious, civic, and cultural celebration of Thanksgiving. The Festa is sponsored by persons of Azorean-Portuguese descent to commemorate the end of a dreadful famine in Portugal in the year 1323. The letters I.D.E.S. stand for ‘Irmandade do Divino Espirito Santo’ in Portuguese. When translated, this phrase means, ‘Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Spirit.’ Every year many out of town visitors come to the Festa.
On Sunday, May 18th, an outdoor procession will start at 10 a.m. at the Catholic Hall on the corner of 11th and Grinnel Avenue. From there the procession will walk to Western Avenue continuing to the Pershing County Courthouse, circling the islands in front of the Courthouse, and back on Western Avenue to Franklin Avenue, stopping in front of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, located at 1045 Franklin Ave.
Leading the procession will be Kyle Blanchard, Kellan Moura, and Izzah Foley. They will carry the large American and Portuguese flags and the I.D.E.S. banner.
Lily Burt
Senior Queen of the Festa this year, representing Queen Isabel of Portugal, is Lily Burt. Her attendants are Sugerily Valtierra and Mili Gonzalez. Mary Edge and Fatima Gonzalez will be Cape Bearers for the queen. Her guard-of-honor will be Landen Burt and Rylie Burt.
Izabellah Foley
The Junior Queen is Izabellah Foley with Adalyn Nolan and Abby Burt as her attendants. The Junior Cape Bearers will be Rebah Foley and Nalani Guerrero. Trace Nolan will represent St. Anthony, patron Saint of Portugal. His attendants will be Bige Duncan and Marco Guerrero. When the procession reaches the front of the Church, all present will pause at the base of the steps to pay tribute to one nation and Bless the Valley for a bountiful and prosperous year. The procession will then enter the Church for the Festa Mass.
Father Beda Martirez will celebrate the Festa Mass at 10:30 A.M. on Sunday, May 18th. Altar Servers will be Mya Gauvin, Carlos Hernadez, and Lorenzo Hernandez After the Mass, the procession will continue and end at the Catholic Hall. At noon we will gather at the Community Center where a meal featuring the traditional Portuguese sopas will be served. A special note, Mass will also be celebrated at 5:00 P.M. on Saturday evening, May 17th, for those who wish to attend at that time.
After the dinner there will be an auction of delicious baked goods and handmade items donated by members and friends of the society, as well as the traditional Portuguese Linguica and Portuguese Sweet Bread. We hope to see you at our 89th Annual Festa! Please join us for fun and delicious food!!