Gerard Van VeenGerard van Veen was born in Alkmaar, the Netherlands in 1933. He came to the Caribbean in 1961, where he played an active role in pastoral, social, educational, and cultural fields, particularly in Aruba and St. Martin. Van Veen is the author of t. Theresa's, San Nicolas (1971), Savaneta, Antes y Awor (1974), Tur Cos a Cambia (1975), Religious Snapshots (1993), Ten Years of Struggle (1994), Colorful Religion (1999), Lambee & The Road that Couldn't be Built (2003), and Hakuna Matata & Other Travel Stories (2008). His Soualiga Catholica was published on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the St. Martin of Tours parish (1841-2016). Articles and columns by Gerard van Veen have appeared in the Newsday and Chronicle newspapers. He retired as a probation officer in 1993 and started teaching sociology and Dutch language at the University of St. Martin. Awards and honors include a Paul Harris Fellow/Rotary International and a Member in the Order of Oranje-Nassau. Gerard van Veen, a former Roman Catholic priest, is a senior author of St. Martin. His column Church News Bits has appeared in the Weekender supplement of The Daily Herald for over 20 years. Read More Read Less