Women are taking part in a century-old Catholic festival for the first time

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Thousands of people are gathering this week in New Bedford, Mass., for the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament. It's a century-old Catholic festival with roots in Portugal. And for the first time, women can fully participate. From member Station WCAI, Jennette Barnes has the story.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARIA PEIXOTO: I'm 87. It's hard to believe that we finally got in, that we've been waiting this for many years.

JENNETTE BARNES, BYLINE: This is Maria Peixoto. She says she never thought she'd live to see this day.

M PEIXOTO: We're here, and we're here to say.

BARNES: Peixoto's father was one of four men from Portugal's Madeira Islands who founded this feast. But this is the first year she was eligible to join the committee that runs it. Maria's granddaughter, Jenna Peixoto, is one of seven women who pressured men to open the Madeira Club to women.

JENNA PEIXOTO: We're so excited. You know, my sister's on the committee, my cousins, my aunt, my grandmother. It's just - it's different. We're seeing the feast through a new light, that we're able to actually be a part of the planning.

BARNES: The club that runs the festival held a vote to allow women to join the club last fall. It failed.

(CHEERING)

BARNES: After that, a group of seven women threatened a lawsuit if they continued to be excluded. In April, supporters finally got the 75% majority of men's votes they needed. Jane Gonsalves is a former New Bedford city counselor who was pushing for the inclusion of women.

JANE GONSALVES: That day, as the members left the meeting, there were a lot of members that didn't talk to us on the way out - didn't congratulate us, didn't look at us - anything.

BARNES: Gonsalves says a loss in court, or a settlement would have cost the club money and, possibly, it's nonprofit status. So the men ended up with little choice. John Alves is a member of the club.

JOHN ALVES: Women were not included because, unfortunately, it had been that long tradition from 108 years ago. There were other organizations that just had a history of having separate groups.

BARNES: Alves says it was long past time to let women in, and the club is already benefiting from their expertise.

ALVES: While on the outside, we look like an old feast, you know, frying linguica, putting the money in the cigar box, we're not (laughter). You know, this is serious business.

BARNES: The feast binds generations of family together in a celebration of their proud Madeiran heritage and the larger Portuguese culture. The younger generations return from all over the country to see old friends, hear the music and taste foods they may only get here. Jenna Peixoto says, for her, this moment is the culmination of generations of waiting.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

J PEIXOTO: But very incredible to just feel the connection to my great-grandfather while I stand next to my grandmother, so just feeling very loved and very connected to my heritage right now.

BARNES: Jenna's grandmother, Maria, agrees. This year's Feast of the Blessed Sacrament is different.

M PEIXOTO: Oh, I'm so happy (laughter). I talk about it, I get goosebumps. And my granddaughters kept saying, when is our turn? We finally got our turn.

BARNES: For NPR News, I'm Jennette Barnes in New Bedford.

(SOUNDBITE OF PHILIP GLASS' "MADEIRA RIVER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.