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OLM Festa set to bring tradition, faith and Portuguese pride to Gustine this weekend
olm bode 2025
Faith, family, and tradition filled the streets of Gustine as the 89th annual Our Lady of Miracles Festa brought together generations of Portuguese-American families for eleven days of devotion and celebration. From the solemn novenas at the shrine to the joyful Bodo de Leite parade—where children handed out sweet bread and milk alongside folkloric dancers and milk carts—the event honored heritage with heartfelt pageantry. The presentation of queens and side maids, the symbolic crown exchange, and the procession of the revered statue of Our Lady of Miracles reflected the community’s enduring spiritual ties. With music, food, and cultural rituals culminating in bloodless bullfights, the festa stood as a vibrant testament to the values that continue to unite Gustine: faith, family, and the legacy of tradition. - photo by Dan Gomes

GUSTINE — One of California’s largest and longest-running Portuguese celebrations returns to Gustine this weekend as the Our Lady of Miracles Festa marks its 90th year, bringing novenas, music, parades, folkloric dance, auctions, bullfights and the beloved Bodo de Leite to the Westside. For generations of families, the Festa is more than an event — it is a homecoming rooted in faith, heritage and the traditions carried across oceans by Azorean immigrants.

This year’s Festa leadership includes Father Lenjenie Arcan, chairman and pastor; Kevin Soares, past president; Manuel Lopes, vice president; Augusto Correia Jr., president; Michael Alves, secretary; Durvalina Snoke, treasurer; and Dennis Miguel, marshal. For Correia, who grew up visiting Gustine from Newark, the role carries deep meaning. He remembers childhood weekends spent in Gustine, where he saw how the community embraced Portuguese traditions despite its small size. “They took pride in engulfing the Portuguese community here,” he said. “During the parades, you go down Main Street in Gustine and it’s packed on both sides. All the merchants come out and watch it.”

Correia will lead the celebration alongside his wife, Melissa, serving as first lady, and their daughter, Caitlyn Isabella Correia, who will reign as Senior Queen. Their godchild, Aubrey Ana Chase, will serve as Junior Queen. The Senior Queen court includes sidemaids Gabriela Ann Brazil, daughter of Albert and Martha Brazil, and Mia Ashley Teixeira Silva, daughter of Marc and Paula Silva. The Junior Queen court includes sidemaids Zailey Rose Calderon, daughter of Veronica Machado and Juan Calderon, and Gianna Elia Nunes, daughter of John Nunes and Monica McClure.

Caitlyn Correia, a Fresno State student, said serving as Senior Queen is a deeply emotional honor. She has represented Portuguese organizations throughout her life and said closing this chapter as her parents’ queen is “more meaningful than I could ever fully put into words.” Brazil said she is proud to help keep Portuguese culture alive, while Silva said participating gives her joy and pride in honoring traditions she has known her whole life. For the Junior Queen court, the Festa offers a chance to step into a tradition that has shaped Gustine for nearly a century.

The Festa traces its roots to the 1930s, when Azorean immigrants settled on the Westside. Manuel São Miguel proposed that Gustine host the celebration, and three years later the first OLM Festa was held. It has remained one of the largest Portuguese festas in California ever since, drawing families from throughout the Central Valley and beyond. “We want to welcome everybody regardless of their background and culture,” Melissa Correia said. “Come and see and enjoy with us what we have enjoyed for so long.”

The novenas, considered the spiritual foundation of the Festa, run nightly at 7 p.m. through Sept. 11 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles. They are celebrated by Fr. Marc Valadão of St. Patrick’s Seminary and Fr. Arcan, accompanied by the shrine’s Portuguese choir. Confessions will be offered Sept. 7–10, and the Anointing of the Sick will take place Sept. 9. Families often attend all nine nights, a tradition rooted in gratitude, petition and devotion to Mary. Children have been rehearsing throughout August to serve as angels and choir members, continuing a practice that symbolizes the passing of culture from one generation to the next.

On Saturday morning, Gustine will come alive with the Bodo de Leite, a procession blending agriculture, music and Azorean heritage. This year’s theme, “Along the Roads of California,” will guide participants as they depart from the Shrine at 10 a.m. Singers from Terceira, São Jorge, Fall River, Modesto and Hilmar will join musicians from across the Valley. After the procession, Henry Miller Park will host folkloric dance groups from Gustine, Los Banos, Fremont, Union City, Hilmar, Turlock and San Jose. A 1 p.m. auction of donated animals will follow, continuing a tradition rooted in agricultural generosity that dates back to the Festa’s earliest days.

The weekend will continue with Mass, a candlelight procession, dances at the GPS Hall, cantoria in the park and entertainment throughout Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, Bella Vista Park will host the bloodless bullfights, featuring horsemen and forcados from Hilmar, Turlock, Portugal and Azambuja. The event draws large crowds each year and remains one of the Festa’s most anticipated traditions.

For the Correia family, the Festa is a homecoming — a chance to celebrate the culture that shaped their childhoods and the community that welcomed them with open arms. “The City of Gustine has found a place in our heart,” Augusto said. “We love being here and helping out and enjoying the festival.”

As Gustine prepares for another year of music, faith and tradition, the OLM Festa remains a testament to the community’s heritage — carried forward by generations who continue to honor Our Lady of Miracles and the traditions that have defined the Westside for nearly a century.