Some additional information about Prince Henry Society
The Society is limited to business and professional people of Portuguese descent (only one parent need be Portuguese) who become members by invitation. They must want to be active and personally contribute to our goals. Our by-laws limit the membersship to 100 in each chapter and we do not allow more than four from any one profession or business in order to give us diversification of membership in the community.
Although it is a service club, it also has strong fraternal bond among its members which makes it a brotherhood as well.
In serving the communties, the Prince Henry Society of Massachusetts, Inc. has contributed in excess of 500,000 dollars to charities and scholarships since its inception. In addition, we have recognized a number of individuals who have contributed in one way or another to the betterment of life in our area. These are some of the goals the founders envisioned.
We hope to continue to enhance our image in the community by our actions as we approach the twenty-first century with great optimism for continued growth and service to our community.

The History of Prince Henry
Prince Henry, a member of the Portuguese royal family, was born in 1394 and died in 1460. Never in his lifetime did he personally command a ship, and only rarely did he sail the seas. But more than any other man, it was Henry who made long voyages into unkown waters a possibility. His work was the turning point in the history of discovery. He encouraged mapmakers to draw the maps and charts that sailors needed in order to know where they were and where they were going. And if sailing on the open seas was ever to be anything but guesswork, such knowledge was essential.
Prince Henry made navigation a science. He replaced wild fears and superstitions about geography with facts about the world as it really was.
Prince Henry also improved the instruments of navigation, such as the compass. He designed ships that were suited to long, dangerous journeys. He raised money to sponsor frequent voyages of discovery. He trained the crews and personally helped to plan each voyage.
To Henry, exploration was more than just a hobby. It was the central purpose of his life. He never married, seldom enjoyed luxuries, and had few friends other than the men with whom he worked. All of his energis were concentrated on gaining new knowledge. He gathered his information for his own sake, but also to win riches aand power for his nation, Portugal, and to help Christianity in its great struggle against the Muslim religion of the Arab peoples.
Prince Henry lived in a time of great change when European civilization stood ready to embark on great ocean voyages that would prove fateful in the history of the world. Inspirition for those journeys was born in the mind of Prince Henry of Portugal.