We actively seek out and maintain a diverse workforce and client roster by fostering an inclusive environment where individuals of various ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and religious beliefs can thrive.
In the spirit of inclusivity, we celebrate the autonomy of every individual’s religious or non-religious convictions — including embracing atheistic, agnostic, or other belief systems. As a special note, because we close the firm on all Portuguese and U.S. federal holidays, this may include dates with a religious significance.
Assunção de Nossa Senhora (Assumption Day) is celebrated on August 15th yearly and is a national holiday in Portugal. As it approaches, our firm wanted to take a moment to explain the significance of this holiday.
According to Statistics Portugal, 82.6% of Portuguese people living in Portugal identify as Roman Catholic. Assunção de Nossa Senhora holds great significance in the Catholic and Orthodox faiths, as it commemorates the belief that the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, ascended into heaven at the end of her earthly life and shared the glory of her son.
On Assumption Day, Catholic individuals from various cultures and nations unite to honor the Virgin Mary. Many Catholics attend Mass or religious services specifically dedicated to Mary and her role in Christianity. These services often recount the life of Mary and the significance of her assumption.
In addition to religious ceremonies, Assumption Day is often marked by processions, feasts, and other festivities that showcase Catholics’ deep devotion and love for the Virgin Mary. Catholic communities gather to pay homage to her, expressing gratitude for her intercession and seeking her blessings. The celebration is filled with joy, gratitude, and a sense of unity among Catholics.
At present, our founder is dually based in the US and Portugal. If you would like to learn more about our founder’s experiences living in the Lisbon metro region, please feel free to subscribe to her newsletter, the Tiny, Private Love Letter. It’s free.
We were pleased that, during this month’s papal visit in Lisbon, Pope Francis acknowledged the Catholic Church needs a “humble and ongoing purification” to deal with ongoing clerical sexual abuse. Words are great, and we look forward to seeing them put into action. If you have not yet seen the documentary Spotlight, we encourage you to check it out because it covers how investigative journalism brought clerical sexual abuse to light.
