The launch is open to the general public and parishioners were encouraged in the church\u2019s bulletin last Sunday to come out and enjoy the book party. USM instructor Roberto Arrindell will be the guest speaker and books will be available for the author to autograph for guests, said Sample.<\/p>\n
The 146-page\u00a0Soualiga Catholica\u00a0<\/i>includes over 90 photos, dating from the 1700s to March 2016. The commemorative title also profiles the 32 priests that have served the parish, from its inception to the current priest, Fr. Adam Oleszczuk. Some of the chapters are \u201cThe Reverend Sisters,\u201d \u201cChaos and Confusion,\u201d \u201cLay People in the Parish,\u201d and\u00a0\u201cOur Patron Saint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gerard van Veen, a retired priest, actually follows in a long tradition of priest chroniclers like some of the parish fathers that he writes about in\u00a0<\/span>Soualiga Catholica<\/i>, his ninth book. He\u2019s\u00a0the second most published author by HNP and a Paul Harris Fellow..\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are highlights in the book about the history and people of St. Martin. Some of the persons and family names connected to both of the island\u2019s Catholic churches are cited. Also mentioned are how the church came to acquire property on Frontstreet and Backstreet; and \u201chow the two parishes, in the North and South of St. Martin, are dedicated to the same saint but have different founding dates and fall under different dioceses in the Caribbean region,\u201d said Sample.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m delighted to invite all book lovers and people who love to read and hear about the various recorded parts of our island history to the book party,\u201d said Sample.<\/p>\n Gerard\u00a0van Veen has his hands full between this week and the first week of June when he\u2019ll symbolically represent all of St. Martin\u2019s writers and authors at the 14th<\/sup>\u00a0annual St. Martin Book Fair. \u201cI\u2019m honored to represent our writers and I hope that I can keep up with all of the activities,\u201d said the good-natured Gerard van Veen, who is in his 80s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Each year a St. Martin author is selected by the book fair organizers to represent the island\u2019s writers at the literary festival. The representative\u2019s tasks include attending key events of the three-day fair, \u201cmeet and greet\u201d guest authors from abroad, and conduct an original workshop.<\/span>\u00a0Van Veen\u2019s workshop will be entitled \u201cTips, truths, and touchy topics \u2013 Writing a book about your church history.\u201d<\/p>\n
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