On the afternoon of April 26, feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel, about fifty people gathered in the parish hall of St. Rita’s in Madrid for the presentation of the book “Beats of a Restless Heart,” written by the Augustinian Recollect Priest, Fabian Martin Gomez.
Six o’clock in the afternoon was the time set to begin the official presentation of the book. All the seats were occupied. At the presiding table were fathers Juan Carlos Avitia, vicar of the Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Order of Augustinian Recollects, Fabian Martin, author of the book, and Marciano Santervas, who acted as the presenter.
After reciting a prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel, Marciano took the floor to greet and welcome everyone: religious coming from the houses of the Province in Madrid and Valladolid; St. Joseph House, which is dependent on the General Government; members of the Augustinian Recollect Secular Fraternities of Madrid and Getafe and other parishioners and friends.
Marciano made a brief presentation of the author and some comments on the book to give the floor to Fr. Fabian, who, for about twenty-five minutes, exposed with ardor and clarity the most outstanding aspects of his work: Why he wrote the book and what was its purpose, what message he wanted to convey with the title of the book, structure, and content of it, presence of the doctrine and spirituality of St. Augustine in this work and the public first thought of when writing the book. When Fabian finished his speech, the audience paid tribute to him with applause.
The presenter opened the question and answer segment of the event. Fr. Fabian eloquently answered, clarified, and explained.
After a few questions and answers, Fr. Juan Carlos Avitia, speaking on behalf of Fr. Provincial Carlos Gonzalez, thanked everyone for their presence, congratulated Fabian for his work, and encouraged him to continue writing for the good of the Augustinian Recollect Family and any audience in general. Avitia also announced that Fabian would be signing copies of his book after the official event. A long line started to form, eager to have their 248-page book dedicated to and signed by the author.
Having to exit the hall for a following event, Fabian Martin continued the book signing in a nearby restaurant, where he was followed by all the attendees and shared a reception.
