The ceremony honoring Father Carlos Macedo and Father José Mesquita aimed to celebrate the community's unity and to highlight its history, memory, and traditions, always prioritizing people.
During this celebration, two public spaces were renamed Largo Padre José Teixeira de Mesquita and Largo Padre José Carlos Leite Macedo, a fitting tribute to these two significant community figures.
The President of the Municipal Chamber of Celorico de Basto emphasized the importance of these figures: “If a community is built through its people, there are people who, through the mission they chose and the way they carried it out, end up leaving a mark that transcends their own time, and priests are often one of those examples. More than being responsible for the spiritual dimension of communities, they were and often continue to be constant presences in the lives of each of us. They accompany moments of joy and sorrow, know entire families, witness generations, and become part of the collective memory of the places where they exercise their mission. That is why it is particularly gratifying that, on this Day of the Union of Freguesias, we can honor two priests who, at different times, have left and continue to leave a very significant mark on this Union of Freguesias, particularly in the parish of Gémeos; they are the late Reverend Father José Mesquita and the esteemed Reverend Father José Carlos”.
The ceremony was marked by gratitude for the work, respect, and sense of mission that these priests perform or have performed in the communities that host or have hosted them. The mayor assured that “tributes are always born from a feeling of gratitude and collective memory”.
