Daniel Avila Interview
Item
Title
Daniel Avila Interview
Creator
Avila, Daniel
Contributor
McCoy, Kelley Campos
Language
ENG
Relation
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute
Date
12/9/2021
Identifier
SCUAD_pbbi_00036
extracted text
Kelley Campos McCoy: Your full name?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I'm uh Daniel A. um I added Christopher at my
confirmation. So, Daniel Christopher a no, there's no Daniels in my
family. So, I'm kind of a first and so far a last.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, when were you born?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Uh April the 8th, 1961.
Kelley Campos McCoy: And where were you born?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Gustine California. Well, actually I was born
in Modesto, California and then we moved as Children to the little
town of Gustine.
Kelley Campos McCoy: When did your family uh immigrate to the United
States?
Daniel Christopher Avila: So, my father was
in 1953. Uh my mother was born here. Um her
turn of the century of the 20th century um,
had also been in the United States and then
an immigrant. He came over
parents immigrated at the
and my father's parents
returned to the
Kelley Campos McCoy: Was your father's family and your mother's family
from the same island.
Daniel Christopher Avila: They are, they're both from the uh island of
Saint George and um neighbors actually the same then.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, and did they leave the Azores for similar
reasons?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Yeah, most of the people in those in that
generation, of course, looking for opportunities um trying to make a
life on a hard scrabble um piece of rock in the middle of the Atlantic
and volcanic rock at that is nothing easy. So, uh my grandparents came
over in search of greater opportunities And uh my father, uh though
almost 50-60 years later also came for the same reasons to make their
fortune in the in the United States.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, did everyone settled in the Central Valley
then?
Daniel Christopher Avila: All of my family did. Um of course, you know,
as you say, the migration of Portuguese, the big centers would be in
the United States, the east coast and then California. Um but uh all
of my relatives came to California.
Kelley Campos McCoy: What was it about California and the Central
Valley in particular that drew them?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, the immigration I think was based a lot
on, on knowing someone there. So once someone got settled in a place,
then they would invite their friends and relatives and neighbors to
come and join them. Um a draw always in the valley has been of course
the agricultural scene and particularly the dairy business so there
was work to be had in the dairy business, at least in the central
valley. And a lot of uh folks would invite their brothers or, or their
brothers in laws or their cousins to come and join them. Hey, we've
got a job here milking cows.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, so did your family then on both sides work in
the?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Yes. Um my, my grandfather my maternal
grandfather um actually started a dairy owned a dairy at one point.
Um, and then my father came and various attempts with his brothers to
try to start up a dairy. But my father didn't quite have that luck.
So, he ended up working at a dairy, um, until his passing.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, how about yourself as a little boy did you
ever work out on the dairy?
Daniel Christopher Avila: So, we lived on a, on a 40-acre ranch, um, on
the outside of Castine and, um, worked out. I mean, we took care of
pulling up weeds and that kind of stuff by the time I came along and
my brothers, uh the dairy no longer existed um, so, uh we lived on the
dairy, we played in the the barn and in the, for the cows. But, um,
there was no active dairy at that time.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Well, it sounds like when you arrived, there was
already a dynamic kind of Portuguese community in place. But did you
ever hear from your father or your maternal grandparents about what
life was like? Adjusting to a new country?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Oh, yeah. I think, uh, growing up around
those people um, from that immigrant era, um, you heard the stories
you know, it was very common for families to get together on a Sunday
afternoon or spend time together. That was our, our entertainment,
right. We go visit the cousins, visit the aunts and uncles and uh
there you'd hear stories about the people who came over and were
successful and people who came over and weren't successful and how the
life was there and so forth. Um, I remember growing up my, my
grandmother every, at least once a year would pack bundles of clothes
to send back in these large, um, uh, drums, um, these heavy cardboard
drums and they would pack clothes in there to send back to the
relatives in the, who needed the help. Right. So, it was a very,
economically, a very difficult life in the, um, and I think that the
ones who came here felt a responsibility to try to help out, uh, those
who remained there. And, um, and along in my family that was something
that was part of our, our regular, um, uh, family life. Thinking about
those folks in the, and trying to help out where we could.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Was there anything about the Azor that you recall
your father or your grandparents ever saying that they missed that was
lacking here?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I think it was more the, the kind of, uh,
settled and more peaceful life, you know, when an immigrant comes
here. Um, one has to work according to a schedule you had a, uh, a
time schedule you had to keep and work on these days. And my father
was one of those people who work basically seven days a week. Um,
there they would often reminisce about how, you know, they would have
to work very hard up at dawn and into bed by dark, you know, but, um
and working constantly, but it was a more peaceful time of life. It
was like you worked. But you had your neighbors around and you had
the, the celebrations and the feast and those things to kind of
relieve that here. I think once people came here, the obligation to
work and the, and the American mindset of the, the work ethic having
to work, you know, eight hours or 10 hours or 12 hours a day. And um
that became something that I think it was not that they didn't like to
work but it wasn't, they didn't live to work, they worked in order to
live and here almost people live to work So that was tough for them, I
think.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Yeah, sure. How important was it to your parents
that you and your brothers were their sisters or no? Just the three
boys so how important was it to your parents that the three boys grow
up and maintain a strong sense of Portuguese identity?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Was never defined as uh something important
it just was. So, we grew up, my father never really dominated English.
In fact, I'm ashamed to say that at a certain point in my high school
life, I was, I could be embarrassed and my father in public and trying
to speak English, his pronunciation of words would uh make me cringe.
So, you know, growing up and trying to fit in with everybody else, you
know, we say, you know, dad don't talk, we, we'll translate for you.
But it was something that we grew up with. My, my father spoke
Portuguese. My mom and dad spoke Portuguese in the home. We learned
Portuguese. My brothers, at least my older brother and I went to school
knowing no English we had to learn English in kindergarten. Uh my
younger brother already had, had the advanced training because we had
learned it. And so, we're already spoiling him with English. But when
we went to kindergarten, we had to learn English. Um so it was just a
part of our life. Our prayers were in Portuguese. Uh the celebrations
we kept the, the traditions, we kept the food, we ate the language we
spoke. It wasn't something like uh oh, we have to keep our ethnic um
purity. It was who we are and that's who we are.
Kelley Campos McCoy: And how about now, is it who you are? I mean, do
you still maintain um certain Portuguese traditions? Do you still pray
in Portuguese when you're alone?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I don't uh I've, I've become much more
English uh comfortable, you know, in my life. Um But um because I did
learn Portuguese, uh I found it to be a great assist in my work in my
ministry and uh in my life and I appreciate the fact. Um I grew up at
a certain point wanting to give up Portuguese you know, thinking, OK,
now we're now we're in America we're speaking English, right. My
grandmother, my maternal grandmother, was very forceful about saying
no, you it doesn't take up more room in your head to know an extra
language. So, learn Portuguese and sometimes she would use a cane and
she would um teasingly threaten us, you know, you speak to me in
Portuguese or else No. So, um we were, I was forced not to lose my
Portuguese and I'm eternally grateful for that because you know, going
into the life that uh I was led to um Portuguese has been a great
gift. Um unfortunately in our diocese of Fresno where I serve, uh we
don't have a lot of priests who speak Portuguese. And so, when it
comes to uh funerals particularly, or the Portuguese celebrations, you
know, I have a lot of calls because they know that you speak the
language. So, I'm, I'm very grateful to my grandmother for many
things, but one thing was that she didn't allow me to slip out of our
Portuguese language.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, so are there any other Portuguese traditions
that you maintain?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Yeah, there's things I think of all the time.
I love the food. Of course, you know, it's probably evident that I
enjoy a good meal. And um among those good meals are the Portuguese
cuisine. I love the Portuguese sweets and uh the Portuguese drink and
food. Um our traditions around the holidays and so forth. Um I am
always mindful of those, even though I, I guess I would say I keep the
American traditions of Christmas and Easter and so forth. But I'm
always mindful of the things that we would do at home that would uh
you know, mark the celebration, setting up a little altar uh during um
uh l to prepare for Easter praying together the rosary uh as a family,
um my grandmother had a practice of setting a bowl with uh a sponge um
and soaking it and then putting um wheat seeds on there. And during
the time of lent those seeds would then eventually sprout and so the
idea of life growing, I've never seen that in any other cultural
experience. But in the Portuguese tradition, my grandmother did that
every year. She would have that little bowl of wheat uh growing um
there on her, on the altar to remind us of the new life that comes to
us at Easter. So, um yeah, those things are all part of us. Uh part of
me. Um do I see them? I guess as keeping on to some traditions uh It's
just, I see it just as part of who I am, you know.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, you mentioned your ministry. When did you
become a priest? And why did you become a priest?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Uh that’s a, that's a, an hour-long
conversation. So, um I was ordained uh as a for the Diocese of Fresno
in May of 1987. So, I'm going into my 35th year of service here in the
diocese. Why did I become a priest Well, you know, um I'll narrow it
down to two things One of course, we believe that it's a call, right?
That God places that in the heart of a person to want to serve the
church and serve the Lord Jesus in that way, either as a priest or
consecrated religious man or woman. So, I believe the call came from
God. Um On the other hand, um the inspiration I received again from my
maternal grandmother was very um crucial to my vocation developing. Um
It's interesting because um I remember discussing with her really only
once or twice, the my intention to want to be a priest. Um and I
remember her saying to me in her broken English um that, oh, it would
be very hard. Uh you know, and she, she took my hands, she said, you
know, uh priests have to have very soft hands. And um because we were
kids out in the field and out in the ranch, my hands you know, had
their calluses and nicks and cuts and she says just she didn't say no,
but she said priests have to have very soft hands, which was a way of
saying priests don't work and you are made to work. So, um in the, the
mind of the, the traditional Portuguese, the priest life is one of
study, one of prayer. One of uh counseling one of celebrating the
sacraments. And uh so their hands are that of a scholar or, you know,
pure and soft hands. Um But her example is what inspired me She was a
man, a woman of great faith, very generous very giving, very selfless.
Um she was, she was, I think the greatest inspiration for me of
wanting to give my life to something for something. Um and that ended
up being the priesthood.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, did she see you or she did not?
Daniel Christopher Avila: She lived to be 96 years old Um But the last
few years of her life, she suffered from dementia. Um and uh she
passed away um the year that I, I was ordained a deacon. So, I was
just a few months short. Um I would have been ordained a priest in
April or May and uh she passed away in November, but I had the, the
honor of presiding at the her vigil service and at the grave site. So,
I was able to do that for her knowing that she had been such an
inspiration for me.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, we've interviewed um others who have said that
they cannot imagine being Portuguese and not being Catholic and vice
versa as a priest. Can you explain a little bit, what is this
relationship that the Portuguese have with the Catholic Church?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, obviously, the faith came to the
islands, you know, and it's very populating, right? When the islands
were discovered and populated by the, the Flemish and uh, um, the
continental Portuguese and so forth. Catholic. Catholicism was the
state religion in those countries. And so, it became also the religion
that was imported to the and spread and there was nothing else. Um, I
don't think that the, the protestant reformation had much luck in the
right. Um, the last few years, obviously things have changed. There
are now, uh, a plurality of different religious um uh traditions
there. Though predominantly I would say still Roman Catholic, uh I
would, I would easily guess that probably upwards of 85 to 90% of the
would consider themselves Catholic. Now, whether they practice their
faith or not, you know, and, and the, the faith of the church, of
course, has a lot of the things that have become part of tradition for
even non practicing Portuguese who are Catholics the traditions of the
celebrations. Uh What we know as the, the uh honoring the Holy Spirit,
honoring the Blessed Mother, honoring the saints, patron saints those
things, the dances, the food, the music that all are associated with.
Those things are very interwoven with our Portuguese culture. And so,
we can have cat uh Portuguese who are non-practicing Catholics or
perhaps even become um a different uh denomination. But when it comes
time for the celebrations, you know, they still identify very much as
part of the uh the Portuguese culture. So, it's interwoven, it's hard
to, to separate those traditions out.
Kelley Campos McCoy: You mentioned, the, I'd like to focus a few
questions on, on those when we look specifically at them, what do
those events represent in the Portuguese Catholic tradition?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, primarily they were, you know,
expressions of faith and devotion so devotion primarily to the Holy
Spirit, the fascist um secondly, would be devotions to the Blessed
Mother um made even more um central to the faith with what happened in
Fatima in the, the turn of the 20th century the 1917. Um and then the
devotion to the various saints you know, the Portuguese, especially
those in the Zor were probably not literate uh until I would say the
beginnings of the 20th century. So like every other bit of knowledge
and wisdom that is passed on, the faith was also passed on through
symbol and ritual And so the devotion to this saint who is the patron
of, you know, good health or the patron for the animals or the patron
for good weather, or the patron against fire and flood or whatever it
is, this was a way of expressing one's faith um through the devotion
to the saints. And so that become that became very important um
creating the celebrations to honor the saints. Um, having a no. And
the nine days of prayer, you know gathering the family together, it
became um it became essential to how they would express their faith in
God. And in the whole communion of the saints in this country. I think
it carried that tradition, but it also became important as a place to
gather when the immigrants came to this country and, and found
themselves um perhaps in a little bit of communities but not always
gathered to the people that settled in other parts and the
celebrations became the vehicle by which the Portuguese could gather.
Right? So, you know, you have a celebration in Gustine, or you have a
celebration in San Diego, or you have a, a celebration in Tulare or
Turlock. And you'd find the Portuguese if they could do it traveling
to each of these celebrations. Not because the necessarily the food
or, or the, the devotion to that particular saint, but the opportunity
to reunite with um kin and friends um that they would maybe see a lot
during the rest of the year. So, it became a way of preserving their
connections to each other um as family and as kin folk.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So how is it decided father which saint is going
to be celebrated by each community who decides that?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, um I think it's, it's a natural thing.
So, all of our churches and our Catholic tradition and are, are placed
under the patronage of the Saint my parish where you are visiting
today is under the patronage of Saint Jude. So, it would be natural
that our patron Saint, Saint Jude, his feast day would become a
natural occasion to have a right. And um so we would honor him though.
Interestingly enough in my parish we have various celebrations and uh
none of them are for Saint Jude. We have one for the Holy Spirit, 12
for the Blessed Mother, uh one for Saint Anthony, and one for Saint
Peter. One for Saint Jude. So, we're after working to rectify that,
but that would be usually the way things would happen. So, the, the
parish church would be under the patronage of a particular saint and
that feast day would become a reason for celebrating apart from that,
um almost every Portuguese community would want to honor the Holy
Spirit and every Portuguese community would want to honor the blessed
mother in some way, especially during the months of May or October so
it's not really a uh a process of deciding as much as it is. You know,
people feel a devotion to that saint, they happen to be in that
parish. So, let's mount a celebration in honor.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Right. So, is it a community driven, a church
driven or does the church work in partnership with the community?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Often that it's both so um some um places
have organizations that are dedicated they're separate organizations.
Um I think of a group like the Id es, the, they were formed together
as an independent fraternity whose, whose purpose was to keep alive
the celebrations in honor of the Holy Spirit, but also to provide
succor and assistance to families, their members in need. So, in the
time of a bereavement, uh person who's left a widow or an orphan, that
they, they would gather together to support that family at the passing
of the breadwinner or the head of household. Um But they also existed
to continue the devotions to the Holy Spirit so there would be
organizations that are set up for that. Um and uh sometimes it would
be the parish who would uh mount the celebration and organize it. Um
always though there is a committee, um someone who gets to have the
responsibility of being the president for that year and then their
officers help them to mount the celebration, to gather the donations
and to, to plan the whole uh festivities. Um and of course as a pastor
of a parish, uh my responsibility is to work with them to make it a, a
wonderful celebration for the whole community.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, so how does a mass differ from a regular
Sunday mass?
Daniel Christopher Avila: It would be basically the same um in the,
perhaps the music or the, or the preaching might be uh a little bit
more talking about the particular saint that we're honoring, you know,
giving a little more of a history or explanation about them and seeing
how their example touches our lives. But uh basically the, the
structure of the mass is always um the same Um We might just throw a
few elements there that would be more uh decorative or a music and of
course, in the preaching.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, have you seen uh very many changes in over the
years?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Yeah, there's been a lot of changes I
remember as a child growing up, you know, I had the privilege of, of
growing up in Gustin where probably the largest uh celebration
Portuguese celebration in the, in the valley or in California was
held. Our Lady of Miracles uh Celebration would gather perhaps at its
height. You know, the little town that I grew up in had close to 3000
people. But during the celebration week, it would swell to upwards of
30 to 40,000 people who would come into the community uh throughout
that week to prepare for the celebration um moved by devotion to Our
Lady under that title, Our Lady of Miracles But also again to be
together with family and friends right? So that, that's dwindled a
bit. Um I think now the attendance of celebrations is less the
financial support being offered in the Valley. Of course, dairymen and
uh farmers who are Portuguese descent were the great uh financial
backers of these celebrations. And a lot of those folks have gone to
their eternal reward or have closed up shop, retired. And so there
isn't as much financial backing as there used to be. Um There is still
a core of devotion and many of the celebrations still go and a lot of
the celebrations now in this um uh 21st century have been hitting
their 100th anniversary 100 plus years of carrying on this tradition,
which has been beautiful to see. Um But with the generations changing
again, not to get into all the sociological explanations, but less
immigration. In fact, almost no immigration at this point from the,
and the older folks dying and the younger people not quite as steeped
in the tradition. Um I fear that a day is coming perhaps 10, 20, 30
years from now when we'll see a lot of these celebrations die out. I'm
hoping that's not the case but you know, everything has a life span,
right? And nothing is eternal except heaven and hell.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, are there any efforts that you are aware of
where people are trying to kind of encourage the younger generations
to get more invested and involved?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Many of the groups that I've worked with them
throughout the years uh do that and some of them have, have some great
young people who are involved. You know, here in Easton, the folks
involved with our, the ST Peters, the uh Saint Anthony and Holy Spirit
have recruited some younger members who are participating and it's
great to see because they bring enthusiasm and, and wonderful ideas
and also can be a a moment of crisis, right? Because young people,
young ideas, the old guard and the old ideas, sometimes there could be
a clash. But so far, I think things have been working well. So, uh
again that'll be a, a drama that will remain to be played out. Um how
much will the younger generations will continue to have a desire?
Kelley Campos McCoy: To, to keep things going So, so your maternal
grandparents were from the Azor your father was from the Azor. Have
you been there yourself?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I have. Yes, I went for the first time in uh
1983 and then have returned to maybe 456 times. Now. It's been a long
hiatus. Um especially with COVID and everything. It's been probably
close to 15 or 16 years since I've been back. I still have relatives
there and um uh a home that my brothers and I um inherited is a part
of my, my father's legacy. And so, we have a place here to go and
visit. And so, I, I, I am drawn to go and I enjoy visiting there. Um
But it's been a few years since I've been.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, what was your first experience like? And then
you just said you're drawn there. What draws you?
Daniel Christopher Avila: The first experience was interesting. You
know, of course, going back to the old country, right? As we were all
the old country, I was ‘83. So, I was already um in the seminary. So,
I was probably um 23 or so. And then I went back uh after I was
ordained a priest in ‘87 I went back to celebrate a massive
Thanksgiving my, my paternal grandmother was still living and the
aunts and uncles And, uh, so we had the pleasure of going back to
celebrate. One of my fondest memories was being able to celebrate uh
mass uh for my grandmother, um, there in the church where most, all of
my relatives have been um baptized and married and buried from there.
So it was, uh, it was a marvelous experience for that. Um But it was
the islands then were a lot different than, of course than they are.
Now, I remember going when, you know we electricity would be shut off,
you know, at uh you know, eight or nine o'clock at night. So, there
was no electricity, you would have to enjoy the day and that was it.
Um the course of celebrations were always a part of it, the bull
fights, um the wonderful food and celebrations of, of gathers, rings
of families It's great. The greatest thing was for me to make
connection with those relatives that I had always heard about You
know, these people we would send clothes to, right My, my grandmother,
my, my mom's mother's sister to be able to meet this woman who I knew
from letters that my grandmother would share with us. But think oh my
gosh, to see her in the flesh. I remember that as being a watershed
moment to say you really do exist and you're connected to my
grandmother and the stories that I heard about her growing up and, and
you're growing up and, and how you're here. You are here. I am. You
know, it was like a, an amazing thing to meet in the flesh. Someone
that you only heard about, you know no cell phones, no face time, none
of that stuff in 83. Right? So, to be able to, to make put bone and
flesh to name and history was just uh an amazing thing I go back now
because I enjoy, I, I love the lifestyle I love the surroundings. I
mean, the islands are beautiful tropical islands, uh the waters for
swimming and fishing and uh the celebrations, the food, um the beer
which is excellent there. Um It's just a wonderful uh time for a
vacation. It's a place to go to rest. Um I find myself in my old age.
I'm not looking for very hectic vacations, but the time where you can
put your feet up on the veranda, sip a glass of and enjoy a good book
and a cigar and you can do that.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Well, I have just two more questions for you. Um
So to what extent do you believe that being Portuguese has shaped the
way that you move through life? Um Both as a priest and personally or
maybe one in the same?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, I can't, I can't imagine myself being
anything else. I mean, because that's, that's who I am. I am
Portuguese American. I'm proud to be a part of both cultures and both
traditions and both histories. Um but uh the Portuguese um gift for
faith, the Portuguese respect for family, the Portuguese um importance
of keeping family ties together. And it's all shaped me for who I am.
And the wisdom my grandmother was a wise woman. And I find myself even
in my prisoners might testify to this in my homilies on a Sunday,
oftentimes quoting not Saint Thomas a or saint, but my grandmother
used to say because her wisdom, you know, in very practical advice,
very practical wisdom, very down to earth ways of thinking. And that
has shaped me to be the person I am. Um That wisdom, thank God has not
been lost. It's been passed on to me the next generation. I'm hoping
my nieces and nephews have received the same gift through my brothers
and, and their spouses. Um But it's, I treasure it because it, uh I
can say it has shaped my outlook on life. Um Do I see the world
through Portuguese eyes? Uh I can do no other. That's these are
Portuguese eyes and that's the only way I can see the world.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, so is there anything we didn't cover that
you'd like to share?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I think you've got a pretty thorough uh
questionnaire there. Um I, I really appreciate the project that, uh
Fresno State is doing to uh record some of these oral histories and
keeping this down. This was a way of also passing it on to the next
generation. So kudos to all those involved at Fresno State for making
this uh a possibility.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Well very grateful for your time and you were a
terrific interview. Thank you.
Daniel Christopher Avila: Thank you.
Kelley Campos McCoy: You're welcome.
Daniel Christopher Avila: Thank you, God bless you. Thank you.
Daniel Christopher Avila: I'm uh Daniel A. um I added Christopher at my
confirmation. So, Daniel Christopher a no, there's no Daniels in my
family. So, I'm kind of a first and so far a last.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, when were you born?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Uh April the 8th, 1961.
Kelley Campos McCoy: And where were you born?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Gustine California. Well, actually I was born
in Modesto, California and then we moved as Children to the little
town of Gustine.
Kelley Campos McCoy: When did your family uh immigrate to the United
States?
Daniel Christopher Avila: So, my father was
in 1953. Uh my mother was born here. Um her
turn of the century of the 20th century um,
had also been in the United States and then
an immigrant. He came over
parents immigrated at the
and my father's parents
returned to the
Kelley Campos McCoy: Was your father's family and your mother's family
from the same island.
Daniel Christopher Avila: They are, they're both from the uh island of
Saint George and um neighbors actually the same then.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, and did they leave the Azores for similar
reasons?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Yeah, most of the people in those in that
generation, of course, looking for opportunities um trying to make a
life on a hard scrabble um piece of rock in the middle of the Atlantic
and volcanic rock at that is nothing easy. So, uh my grandparents came
over in search of greater opportunities And uh my father, uh though
almost 50-60 years later also came for the same reasons to make their
fortune in the in the United States.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, did everyone settled in the Central Valley
then?
Daniel Christopher Avila: All of my family did. Um of course, you know,
as you say, the migration of Portuguese, the big centers would be in
the United States, the east coast and then California. Um but uh all
of my relatives came to California.
Kelley Campos McCoy: What was it about California and the Central
Valley in particular that drew them?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, the immigration I think was based a lot
on, on knowing someone there. So once someone got settled in a place,
then they would invite their friends and relatives and neighbors to
come and join them. Um a draw always in the valley has been of course
the agricultural scene and particularly the dairy business so there
was work to be had in the dairy business, at least in the central
valley. And a lot of uh folks would invite their brothers or, or their
brothers in laws or their cousins to come and join them. Hey, we've
got a job here milking cows.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, so did your family then on both sides work in
the?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Yes. Um my, my grandfather my maternal
grandfather um actually started a dairy owned a dairy at one point.
Um, and then my father came and various attempts with his brothers to
try to start up a dairy. But my father didn't quite have that luck.
So, he ended up working at a dairy, um, until his passing.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, how about yourself as a little boy did you
ever work out on the dairy?
Daniel Christopher Avila: So, we lived on a, on a 40-acre ranch, um, on
the outside of Castine and, um, worked out. I mean, we took care of
pulling up weeds and that kind of stuff by the time I came along and
my brothers, uh the dairy no longer existed um, so, uh we lived on the
dairy, we played in the the barn and in the, for the cows. But, um,
there was no active dairy at that time.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Well, it sounds like when you arrived, there was
already a dynamic kind of Portuguese community in place. But did you
ever hear from your father or your maternal grandparents about what
life was like? Adjusting to a new country?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Oh, yeah. I think, uh, growing up around
those people um, from that immigrant era, um, you heard the stories
you know, it was very common for families to get together on a Sunday
afternoon or spend time together. That was our, our entertainment,
right. We go visit the cousins, visit the aunts and uncles and uh
there you'd hear stories about the people who came over and were
successful and people who came over and weren't successful and how the
life was there and so forth. Um, I remember growing up my, my
grandmother every, at least once a year would pack bundles of clothes
to send back in these large, um, uh, drums, um, these heavy cardboard
drums and they would pack clothes in there to send back to the
relatives in the, who needed the help. Right. So, it was a very,
economically, a very difficult life in the, um, and I think that the
ones who came here felt a responsibility to try to help out, uh, those
who remained there. And, um, and along in my family that was something
that was part of our, our regular, um, uh, family life. Thinking about
those folks in the, and trying to help out where we could.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Was there anything about the Azor that you recall
your father or your grandparents ever saying that they missed that was
lacking here?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I think it was more the, the kind of, uh,
settled and more peaceful life, you know, when an immigrant comes
here. Um, one has to work according to a schedule you had a, uh, a
time schedule you had to keep and work on these days. And my father
was one of those people who work basically seven days a week. Um,
there they would often reminisce about how, you know, they would have
to work very hard up at dawn and into bed by dark, you know, but, um
and working constantly, but it was a more peaceful time of life. It
was like you worked. But you had your neighbors around and you had
the, the celebrations and the feast and those things to kind of
relieve that here. I think once people came here, the obligation to
work and the, and the American mindset of the, the work ethic having
to work, you know, eight hours or 10 hours or 12 hours a day. And um
that became something that I think it was not that they didn't like to
work but it wasn't, they didn't live to work, they worked in order to
live and here almost people live to work So that was tough for them, I
think.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Yeah, sure. How important was it to your parents
that you and your brothers were their sisters or no? Just the three
boys so how important was it to your parents that the three boys grow
up and maintain a strong sense of Portuguese identity?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Was never defined as uh something important
it just was. So, we grew up, my father never really dominated English.
In fact, I'm ashamed to say that at a certain point in my high school
life, I was, I could be embarrassed and my father in public and trying
to speak English, his pronunciation of words would uh make me cringe.
So, you know, growing up and trying to fit in with everybody else, you
know, we say, you know, dad don't talk, we, we'll translate for you.
But it was something that we grew up with. My, my father spoke
Portuguese. My mom and dad spoke Portuguese in the home. We learned
Portuguese. My brothers, at least my older brother and I went to school
knowing no English we had to learn English in kindergarten. Uh my
younger brother already had, had the advanced training because we had
learned it. And so, we're already spoiling him with English. But when
we went to kindergarten, we had to learn English. Um so it was just a
part of our life. Our prayers were in Portuguese. Uh the celebrations
we kept the, the traditions, we kept the food, we ate the language we
spoke. It wasn't something like uh oh, we have to keep our ethnic um
purity. It was who we are and that's who we are.
Kelley Campos McCoy: And how about now, is it who you are? I mean, do
you still maintain um certain Portuguese traditions? Do you still pray
in Portuguese when you're alone?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I don't uh I've, I've become much more
English uh comfortable, you know, in my life. Um But um because I did
learn Portuguese, uh I found it to be a great assist in my work in my
ministry and uh in my life and I appreciate the fact. Um I grew up at
a certain point wanting to give up Portuguese you know, thinking, OK,
now we're now we're in America we're speaking English, right. My
grandmother, my maternal grandmother, was very forceful about saying
no, you it doesn't take up more room in your head to know an extra
language. So, learn Portuguese and sometimes she would use a cane and
she would um teasingly threaten us, you know, you speak to me in
Portuguese or else No. So, um we were, I was forced not to lose my
Portuguese and I'm eternally grateful for that because you know, going
into the life that uh I was led to um Portuguese has been a great
gift. Um unfortunately in our diocese of Fresno where I serve, uh we
don't have a lot of priests who speak Portuguese. And so, when it
comes to uh funerals particularly, or the Portuguese celebrations, you
know, I have a lot of calls because they know that you speak the
language. So, I'm, I'm very grateful to my grandmother for many
things, but one thing was that she didn't allow me to slip out of our
Portuguese language.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, so are there any other Portuguese traditions
that you maintain?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Yeah, there's things I think of all the time.
I love the food. Of course, you know, it's probably evident that I
enjoy a good meal. And um among those good meals are the Portuguese
cuisine. I love the Portuguese sweets and uh the Portuguese drink and
food. Um our traditions around the holidays and so forth. Um I am
always mindful of those, even though I, I guess I would say I keep the
American traditions of Christmas and Easter and so forth. But I'm
always mindful of the things that we would do at home that would uh
you know, mark the celebration, setting up a little altar uh during um
uh l to prepare for Easter praying together the rosary uh as a family,
um my grandmother had a practice of setting a bowl with uh a sponge um
and soaking it and then putting um wheat seeds on there. And during
the time of lent those seeds would then eventually sprout and so the
idea of life growing, I've never seen that in any other cultural
experience. But in the Portuguese tradition, my grandmother did that
every year. She would have that little bowl of wheat uh growing um
there on her, on the altar to remind us of the new life that comes to
us at Easter. So, um yeah, those things are all part of us. Uh part of
me. Um do I see them? I guess as keeping on to some traditions uh It's
just, I see it just as part of who I am, you know.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, you mentioned your ministry. When did you
become a priest? And why did you become a priest?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Uh that’s a, that's a, an hour-long
conversation. So, um I was ordained uh as a for the Diocese of Fresno
in May of 1987. So, I'm going into my 35th year of service here in the
diocese. Why did I become a priest Well, you know, um I'll narrow it
down to two things One of course, we believe that it's a call, right?
That God places that in the heart of a person to want to serve the
church and serve the Lord Jesus in that way, either as a priest or
consecrated religious man or woman. So, I believe the call came from
God. Um On the other hand, um the inspiration I received again from my
maternal grandmother was very um crucial to my vocation developing. Um
It's interesting because um I remember discussing with her really only
once or twice, the my intention to want to be a priest. Um and I
remember her saying to me in her broken English um that, oh, it would
be very hard. Uh you know, and she, she took my hands, she said, you
know, uh priests have to have very soft hands. And um because we were
kids out in the field and out in the ranch, my hands you know, had
their calluses and nicks and cuts and she says just she didn't say no,
but she said priests have to have very soft hands, which was a way of
saying priests don't work and you are made to work. So, um in the, the
mind of the, the traditional Portuguese, the priest life is one of
study, one of prayer. One of uh counseling one of celebrating the
sacraments. And uh so their hands are that of a scholar or, you know,
pure and soft hands. Um But her example is what inspired me She was a
man, a woman of great faith, very generous very giving, very selfless.
Um she was, she was, I think the greatest inspiration for me of
wanting to give my life to something for something. Um and that ended
up being the priesthood.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, did she see you or she did not?
Daniel Christopher Avila: She lived to be 96 years old Um But the last
few years of her life, she suffered from dementia. Um and uh she
passed away um the year that I, I was ordained a deacon. So, I was
just a few months short. Um I would have been ordained a priest in
April or May and uh she passed away in November, but I had the, the
honor of presiding at the her vigil service and at the grave site. So,
I was able to do that for her knowing that she had been such an
inspiration for me.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, we've interviewed um others who have said that
they cannot imagine being Portuguese and not being Catholic and vice
versa as a priest. Can you explain a little bit, what is this
relationship that the Portuguese have with the Catholic Church?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, obviously, the faith came to the
islands, you know, and it's very populating, right? When the islands
were discovered and populated by the, the Flemish and uh, um, the
continental Portuguese and so forth. Catholic. Catholicism was the
state religion in those countries. And so, it became also the religion
that was imported to the and spread and there was nothing else. Um, I
don't think that the, the protestant reformation had much luck in the
right. Um, the last few years, obviously things have changed. There
are now, uh, a plurality of different religious um uh traditions
there. Though predominantly I would say still Roman Catholic, uh I
would, I would easily guess that probably upwards of 85 to 90% of the
would consider themselves Catholic. Now, whether they practice their
faith or not, you know, and, and the, the faith of the church, of
course, has a lot of the things that have become part of tradition for
even non practicing Portuguese who are Catholics the traditions of the
celebrations. Uh What we know as the, the uh honoring the Holy Spirit,
honoring the Blessed Mother, honoring the saints, patron saints those
things, the dances, the food, the music that all are associated with.
Those things are very interwoven with our Portuguese culture. And so,
we can have cat uh Portuguese who are non-practicing Catholics or
perhaps even become um a different uh denomination. But when it comes
time for the celebrations, you know, they still identify very much as
part of the uh the Portuguese culture. So, it's interwoven, it's hard
to, to separate those traditions out.
Kelley Campos McCoy: You mentioned, the, I'd like to focus a few
questions on, on those when we look specifically at them, what do
those events represent in the Portuguese Catholic tradition?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, primarily they were, you know,
expressions of faith and devotion so devotion primarily to the Holy
Spirit, the fascist um secondly, would be devotions to the Blessed
Mother um made even more um central to the faith with what happened in
Fatima in the, the turn of the 20th century the 1917. Um and then the
devotion to the various saints you know, the Portuguese, especially
those in the Zor were probably not literate uh until I would say the
beginnings of the 20th century. So like every other bit of knowledge
and wisdom that is passed on, the faith was also passed on through
symbol and ritual And so the devotion to this saint who is the patron
of, you know, good health or the patron for the animals or the patron
for good weather, or the patron against fire and flood or whatever it
is, this was a way of expressing one's faith um through the devotion
to the saints. And so that become that became very important um
creating the celebrations to honor the saints. Um, having a no. And
the nine days of prayer, you know gathering the family together, it
became um it became essential to how they would express their faith in
God. And in the whole communion of the saints in this country. I think
it carried that tradition, but it also became important as a place to
gather when the immigrants came to this country and, and found
themselves um perhaps in a little bit of communities but not always
gathered to the people that settled in other parts and the
celebrations became the vehicle by which the Portuguese could gather.
Right? So, you know, you have a celebration in Gustine, or you have a
celebration in San Diego, or you have a, a celebration in Tulare or
Turlock. And you'd find the Portuguese if they could do it traveling
to each of these celebrations. Not because the necessarily the food
or, or the, the devotion to that particular saint, but the opportunity
to reunite with um kin and friends um that they would maybe see a lot
during the rest of the year. So, it became a way of preserving their
connections to each other um as family and as kin folk.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So how is it decided father which saint is going
to be celebrated by each community who decides that?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, um I think it's, it's a natural thing.
So, all of our churches and our Catholic tradition and are, are placed
under the patronage of the Saint my parish where you are visiting
today is under the patronage of Saint Jude. So, it would be natural
that our patron Saint, Saint Jude, his feast day would become a
natural occasion to have a right. And um so we would honor him though.
Interestingly enough in my parish we have various celebrations and uh
none of them are for Saint Jude. We have one for the Holy Spirit, 12
for the Blessed Mother, uh one for Saint Anthony, and one for Saint
Peter. One for Saint Jude. So, we're after working to rectify that,
but that would be usually the way things would happen. So, the, the
parish church would be under the patronage of a particular saint and
that feast day would become a reason for celebrating apart from that,
um almost every Portuguese community would want to honor the Holy
Spirit and every Portuguese community would want to honor the blessed
mother in some way, especially during the months of May or October so
it's not really a uh a process of deciding as much as it is. You know,
people feel a devotion to that saint, they happen to be in that
parish. So, let's mount a celebration in honor.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Right. So, is it a community driven, a church
driven or does the church work in partnership with the community?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Often that it's both so um some um places
have organizations that are dedicated they're separate organizations.
Um I think of a group like the Id es, the, they were formed together
as an independent fraternity whose, whose purpose was to keep alive
the celebrations in honor of the Holy Spirit, but also to provide
succor and assistance to families, their members in need. So, in the
time of a bereavement, uh person who's left a widow or an orphan, that
they, they would gather together to support that family at the passing
of the breadwinner or the head of household. Um But they also existed
to continue the devotions to the Holy Spirit so there would be
organizations that are set up for that. Um and uh sometimes it would
be the parish who would uh mount the celebration and organize it. Um
always though there is a committee, um someone who gets to have the
responsibility of being the president for that year and then their
officers help them to mount the celebration, to gather the donations
and to, to plan the whole uh festivities. Um and of course as a pastor
of a parish, uh my responsibility is to work with them to make it a, a
wonderful celebration for the whole community.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, so how does a mass differ from a regular
Sunday mass?
Daniel Christopher Avila: It would be basically the same um in the,
perhaps the music or the, or the preaching might be uh a little bit
more talking about the particular saint that we're honoring, you know,
giving a little more of a history or explanation about them and seeing
how their example touches our lives. But uh basically the, the
structure of the mass is always um the same Um We might just throw a
few elements there that would be more uh decorative or a music and of
course, in the preaching.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, have you seen uh very many changes in over the
years?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Yeah, there's been a lot of changes I
remember as a child growing up, you know, I had the privilege of, of
growing up in Gustin where probably the largest uh celebration
Portuguese celebration in the, in the valley or in California was
held. Our Lady of Miracles uh Celebration would gather perhaps at its
height. You know, the little town that I grew up in had close to 3000
people. But during the celebration week, it would swell to upwards of
30 to 40,000 people who would come into the community uh throughout
that week to prepare for the celebration um moved by devotion to Our
Lady under that title, Our Lady of Miracles But also again to be
together with family and friends right? So that, that's dwindled a
bit. Um I think now the attendance of celebrations is less the
financial support being offered in the Valley. Of course, dairymen and
uh farmers who are Portuguese descent were the great uh financial
backers of these celebrations. And a lot of those folks have gone to
their eternal reward or have closed up shop, retired. And so there
isn't as much financial backing as there used to be. Um There is still
a core of devotion and many of the celebrations still go and a lot of
the celebrations now in this um uh 21st century have been hitting
their 100th anniversary 100 plus years of carrying on this tradition,
which has been beautiful to see. Um But with the generations changing
again, not to get into all the sociological explanations, but less
immigration. In fact, almost no immigration at this point from the,
and the older folks dying and the younger people not quite as steeped
in the tradition. Um I fear that a day is coming perhaps 10, 20, 30
years from now when we'll see a lot of these celebrations die out. I'm
hoping that's not the case but you know, everything has a life span,
right? And nothing is eternal except heaven and hell.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, are there any efforts that you are aware of
where people are trying to kind of encourage the younger generations
to get more invested and involved?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Many of the groups that I've worked with them
throughout the years uh do that and some of them have, have some great
young people who are involved. You know, here in Easton, the folks
involved with our, the ST Peters, the uh Saint Anthony and Holy Spirit
have recruited some younger members who are participating and it's
great to see because they bring enthusiasm and, and wonderful ideas
and also can be a a moment of crisis, right? Because young people,
young ideas, the old guard and the old ideas, sometimes there could be
a clash. But so far, I think things have been working well. So, uh
again that'll be a, a drama that will remain to be played out. Um how
much will the younger generations will continue to have a desire?
Kelley Campos McCoy: To, to keep things going So, so your maternal
grandparents were from the Azor your father was from the Azor. Have
you been there yourself?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I have. Yes, I went for the first time in uh
1983 and then have returned to maybe 456 times. Now. It's been a long
hiatus. Um especially with COVID and everything. It's been probably
close to 15 or 16 years since I've been back. I still have relatives
there and um uh a home that my brothers and I um inherited is a part
of my, my father's legacy. And so, we have a place here to go and
visit. And so, I, I, I am drawn to go and I enjoy visiting there. Um
But it's been a few years since I've been.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, what was your first experience like? And then
you just said you're drawn there. What draws you?
Daniel Christopher Avila: The first experience was interesting. You
know, of course, going back to the old country, right? As we were all
the old country, I was ‘83. So, I was already um in the seminary. So,
I was probably um 23 or so. And then I went back uh after I was
ordained a priest in ‘87 I went back to celebrate a massive
Thanksgiving my, my paternal grandmother was still living and the
aunts and uncles And, uh, so we had the pleasure of going back to
celebrate. One of my fondest memories was being able to celebrate uh
mass uh for my grandmother, um, there in the church where most, all of
my relatives have been um baptized and married and buried from there.
So it was, uh, it was a marvelous experience for that. Um But it was
the islands then were a lot different than, of course than they are.
Now, I remember going when, you know we electricity would be shut off,
you know, at uh you know, eight or nine o'clock at night. So, there
was no electricity, you would have to enjoy the day and that was it.
Um the course of celebrations were always a part of it, the bull
fights, um the wonderful food and celebrations of, of gathers, rings
of families It's great. The greatest thing was for me to make
connection with those relatives that I had always heard about You
know, these people we would send clothes to, right My, my grandmother,
my, my mom's mother's sister to be able to meet this woman who I knew
from letters that my grandmother would share with us. But think oh my
gosh, to see her in the flesh. I remember that as being a watershed
moment to say you really do exist and you're connected to my
grandmother and the stories that I heard about her growing up and, and
you're growing up and, and how you're here. You are here. I am. You
know, it was like a, an amazing thing to meet in the flesh. Someone
that you only heard about, you know no cell phones, no face time, none
of that stuff in 83. Right? So, to be able to, to make put bone and
flesh to name and history was just uh an amazing thing I go back now
because I enjoy, I, I love the lifestyle I love the surroundings. I
mean, the islands are beautiful tropical islands, uh the waters for
swimming and fishing and uh the celebrations, the food, um the beer
which is excellent there. Um It's just a wonderful uh time for a
vacation. It's a place to go to rest. Um I find myself in my old age.
I'm not looking for very hectic vacations, but the time where you can
put your feet up on the veranda, sip a glass of and enjoy a good book
and a cigar and you can do that.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Well, I have just two more questions for you. Um
So to what extent do you believe that being Portuguese has shaped the
way that you move through life? Um Both as a priest and personally or
maybe one in the same?
Daniel Christopher Avila: Well, I can't, I can't imagine myself being
anything else. I mean, because that's, that's who I am. I am
Portuguese American. I'm proud to be a part of both cultures and both
traditions and both histories. Um but uh the Portuguese um gift for
faith, the Portuguese respect for family, the Portuguese um importance
of keeping family ties together. And it's all shaped me for who I am.
And the wisdom my grandmother was a wise woman. And I find myself even
in my prisoners might testify to this in my homilies on a Sunday,
oftentimes quoting not Saint Thomas a or saint, but my grandmother
used to say because her wisdom, you know, in very practical advice,
very practical wisdom, very down to earth ways of thinking. And that
has shaped me to be the person I am. Um That wisdom, thank God has not
been lost. It's been passed on to me the next generation. I'm hoping
my nieces and nephews have received the same gift through my brothers
and, and their spouses. Um But it's, I treasure it because it, uh I
can say it has shaped my outlook on life. Um Do I see the world
through Portuguese eyes? Uh I can do no other. That's these are
Portuguese eyes and that's the only way I can see the world.
Kelley Campos McCoy: So, so is there anything we didn't cover that
you'd like to share?
Daniel Christopher Avila: I think you've got a pretty thorough uh
questionnaire there. Um I, I really appreciate the project that, uh
Fresno State is doing to uh record some of these oral histories and
keeping this down. This was a way of also passing it on to the next
generation. So kudos to all those involved at Fresno State for making
this uh a possibility.
Kelley Campos McCoy: Well very grateful for your time and you were a
terrific interview. Thank you.
Daniel Christopher Avila: Thank you.
Kelley Campos McCoy: You're welcome.
Daniel Christopher Avila: Thank you, God bless you. Thank you.