Legacy Pride in Family, Religion, and Tradition

José Filipe Macedo Madruga was named after his grandfather, cousin, uncle, etc! José was a popular name in his family and came from St. Joseph. Similarly, all of the girls in José’s Family were named after the Blessed Mother Mary, aka Maria. José was born on March 24th, 1949 in Silveira Lajes do Pico, Açores to Filipe and Maria Madruga. His parents were from Pico and had ten kids, with José being the second oldest of five brothers and four sisters. Some of José’s childhood memories on the island of Pico include working with his dad, Felipe, and helping his mom, Maria. He remembers getting up early every morning to work in the fields and recalls when Filipe tried to teach him how to milk a cow at six- something that didn’t go too well then but a skill José later figured out. Helping his mom by waking up early to pick oranges so the family could have them with breakfast and sweet potatoes was another fond childhood memory for José. He also (not so fondly) remembers going to school around the age of seven and watching people working outside plowing fields with bulls, wishing he was them. José never cared too much for school and said those four years were stressful. He was in school until the fourth grade, which was commonplace then.

At fifteen, Joseph “Joe” Madruga came to California with his mom and siblings in October of 1964. His dad had come first in December of 1963 to start work and eventually earned enough money to bring the rest of his family over. Maria Madruga made the overseas trek with her ten kids, who spoke no English. Before she left Pico, a friend wrote a note that stated Maria’s name, where she was going, and her cousin’s phone number, then pinned it to the front of her dress. Joe and his Family took a boat from Pico to São Miguel, then flew to Santa Maria, where they got on another plane headed for Fresno and, from there, made it to their final destination of Leemore, where Maria’s cousin lived The Madruga family reunited and settled in Hanford, where they lived for about nine years. Filipe and Maria decided to leave their island of Pico so their children could have a better life and brighter future.

They ended up in the Central Valley thanks to Maria’s cousin from Lemoore, who wrote a letter on the family’s behalf stating that they would be taken care of if allowed to come to America.

In 1971, Joe was invited by two priests from Pico to go to a young adult’s retreat in Turlock, and he decided to go. These priests were working on starting a Portuguese church community in Turlock since many Azorean immigrants were settling there- today, the church they established is known as Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA). Eventually, the rest of Joe’s Family moved to Turlock and made themselves at home among the Portuguese-American community where Joe has resided ever since…fifty years to be exact! As far as adjusting to life in America, Joe remembers being put into eighth grade as a fifteen-year-old and hating it because he didn’t know anything in English. Still, he started working milking cows shortly after. He could do this because Joe didn’t go to high school, something he sometimes regrets but says he didn’t have a choicehe needed to work to help his family, plus he isn’t a book person.

Keeping Portuguese roots through a solid Portuguese identity was very important for the Madruga household after immigrating to the United States. Local Portuguese priests and Our Lady of the Assumption played vital roles through Portuguese masses, retreats, festas, and the bodo de leite. Joe met his wife, Connie, at an Our Lady of the Assumption retreat! Maria and, eventually, her daughters still made traditional foods such as sopa de couves and arroz doce. The family continued to speak Portuguese since Joe’s mom never larned English, and listening to filarmónicas never got old. Once Joe married Connie Aguiar, an immigrant from the island of São Jorge, in 1986, they passed down their Portuguese traditions to each of their five kids- Helen, Isabel, Paul, Teresa, and Daniel. These traditions include the Catholic faith, attending festas and the bodo de leite, cooking traditional meals, speaking Portuguese, and listening to filarmónicas.

Now, Joe has four grandchildren- Melanie, Natalya, Joseph, and Oliver. He has enjoyed seeing their parents continue passing the same Portuguese traditions onto the next generation. Naturally, Joe and Connie have played roles in this as well… no one can resist Avó’s arroz doce!

Joe Madruga has had the pleasure of returning to the Açores islands three times! The first time was in 1995- thirty-one years after he had come to America. Joe said on this trip that he found it interesting to see the changes that occurred since he had left but wasn’t too surprised since friends and family had been telling him of these changes for years. These changes included electricity, running water, bathrooms inside houses, and cars. Joe’s next trip was in 2006, with nothing too different compared to the trip in ‘95; then he went again in 2018 as part of a group with the Teams of Our Lady of the Assumption- a church group he and Connie are heavily involved with. Finally, Joe, Connie, their children, spouses, and grandchildren will go to the Açores in July of 2024 to reconnect with their roots.

The Portuguese-American community and Joe fit together like a hand in a glove. His experience within the Central Valley comes from playing a part in building Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Turlock. Joe has loved seeing the church’s growth and how generations of Portuguese-Americans continue to gather together there. His proudest moments with the Portuguese-American community come from seeing people grow in their faith as he and his wife are still actively involved in their church (OLA), which has caused them to form deep connections with parishioners. Joe Madruga is a proud Portuguese-American. He is most proud of his yard! Just kidding, but he does have a green thumb and way with farm animals- the agricultural industry has played a significant role in Joe’s life as he worked in poultry production and on dairies, owning his own for many years. Joe is genuinely most proud of his marriage to Connie and their Family; according to him, “I may not be rich in worldly things, but I am rich in family”. He is shaped by being Portuguese-American with how he saves money, doesn’t waste, and is convinced that if you go outside when your hair’s a little wet, you’ll get a cold. In other words, Joe has been affected by being Portuguese-American in all aspects of his life, from his finances to old wives’ tales!

Today’s Portuguese-American community differs significantly from the one Joe grew up in since everything changes as new generations take over. He is curious about what will happen to traditions- will they continue or die off? Only time will tell, but Joe hopes these traditions will continue and young people will express interest in their roots.

To Joseph “Joe” Madruga, being Portuguese-American means working hard and always making time for Jesus and Family because those are the two consistent things in life. From José Filipe Macedo Madruga to Joseph “Joe” Madruga, he has and always will remember his Azorean roots and maintain a robust Portuguese identity.