By this time, the community, which was no more than a locality in the parish of Furnas, was elevated to the status of administrative parish on 24 June 1943. This was due to the efforts of its parish priest, Father José Jacinto da Costa (locally referred to as Padre José Mansinho): at the time the population had reached 1800 residents. The following year, the first elected members of the "Junta de Freguesia" ("Civil Parish Committee"), Luís Linhares de Deus (President/Mayor), João Jacinto Rita (Treasurer) and João Vieira Jerónimo (Secretary) take office, along with the parishes first police authority, Francisco Pacheco de Medeiros. The population of the community would continue to grow, reaching 2421 residents by 1965, where it would begin to decrease due to emigration.