Azorean Americans]]> Immigrants]]> Entrepreneurship]]> Veterans]]> Angola--History--Revolution, 1961-1975]]> Agriculture]]> Ethnic neighborhoods]]> Oral History Interview with Mario F. Veiga, November 21, 2016

Biographical Note:
Born on the Azorean island of Graciosa in 1946; son of Luzomira A. (Augusta) and Manuel J. Veiga; Mario F. Veiga was raised on the family’s farm and attended school until age eleven; he continued to work on the family’s farm until age twenty when he was drafted into the Portuguese Army; served two years in Angola, during the Angolan War of Independence; returned to Graciosa where he married Maria Natalia, whose father was born in U.S. and was therefore a U.S. citizen, but had returned to Graciosa (the home of his ancestors); in 1971 Mr. Veiga and his wife settled in Lowell, where she had lived, beginning around 1960, with her family; he immediately obtained a job in the Prince pasta factory in packing and as a machine operator; after nearly eight years at Prince, he opened a small grocery (Mario’s Variety Store) in the “Lower Belvidere” section of Lowell; about three years later he sold the business and opened a furniture store in the “Back Central” neighborhood; run by Mr. Veiga and his wife, “Mario’s Discount Furniture” proved financially successful and remains in business today (2018).

Scope and Contents:
Interview conducted by local historian Mehmed Ali; focuses on Mr. Veigas’ family background, growing up on Graciosa in the 1950s and 1960s; his service in the Portuguese military in Angola in the late 1960s; his marriage and immigration to the U.S.; Lowell’s Portuguese community in the 1970s; working in Lowell’s Prince pasta factory in the 1970s; and owning and operating a family-run business in Lowell’s “Back Central” neighborhood.]]> Ali, Mehmed]]> English]]> Graciosa (Azores)]]> Lowell (Mass.)]]> Catholic Church--Dioceses]]> Portugal--Colonies]]> Priests]]> Politics and government]]> Poverty]]> Agriculture]]> Sugarcane]]>
He alludes to Bishop da Silva's purchase of a new residence and thanks him for praying for him at the tomb of Saint Francis Xavier.

The Bishop of Funchal claims to foresee major obstacles with the execution of the Concordat. He comments on the promptness with which the Holy See not only organized the hierarchy of India, but also structured the 21 dioceses.

Regarding local matters, he describes the difficulties facing his See due to the government's delays in appointing canons, with there not even being a vicar general nor a provisor. He also addresses the issue facing his seminary, for which he has called missionaries from the continent. He states that the end of sweet cane production has contributed to the sorry state of the economy, leading to poverty in families and emigration.]]> Barreto, Manuel Agostinho, 1835-1911]]> ]]> Portuguese]]> Madeira (Madeira Islands)]]> Mylapore (Chennai, India)]]>