COVADONGA, Asturias, Spain
On Saturday, September 20, a guidebook on Covadonga was prsented at the hall of the “Casa del Cabildo” of the Church of Covadonga. In this guide a chapter is dedicated to the figure of Saint Pedro Poveda during the years he spent in that place (1906-1913) and to the Teresian Association he founded in 1911.
At the presiding table were the Abbot of Covadonga, Fr. Juan José Tuñón Escalada, author of the first chapter dedicated to Covadonga, its history and its cultural and spiritual dimension; a member of the Presidency of the “Principado” of Asturias, Mr. Guillermo Martinez Suárez; the mayor of Cangas de Onis, Mr. José Manuel González Castro; and two members of the Teresian Association: Ms. Isabel Martínez Santa María de Unzá and Ms. María Asunción Ortiz de Andrés, authors of the second chapter of the guide.
The Abbot hglighted the role of Covadonga as a sign of historical identity and as a reference of Asturias where nature is the first language of the Sanctuary. In his speech, he emphasized the collegiate environment during the years that Poveda was a canon of the Basilica, "an atmosphere that was imbued with the consciousness of a spiritual mission which, from Covadonga, would be projected beyond Asturias, where the then canon and today a Saint, Pedro Poveda, under the gaze of Our Lady, conceived his great pedagogical project which is embodied in the Teresian Association."
Mr. Guillermo Martinez Suárez referred to the publication as "a roadmap for those who, in the distance, see the Sanctuary of Covadonga and its surroundings as a meeting place."
The mayor of Cangas de Onis arrived to the presentation after attending the "Xtreme Marathon Lagos de Covadonga" and expressed his excitement because in the race they passed below the Cave of Our Lady, "like anyone who loves Covadonga."
Maribel M. Santa María and María Asunnción Ortiz expressed words of gratitude to the “Asociación Asturias Actual,” which promoted the publication, for their excellent work, and to the Abbot of Covadonga for always giving a special place to the figure of St. Pedro Poveda and for his recognition of the Teresian Association. They also highlighted some features of Poveda, what he wrote in that place, and they described some of the photographs found in the pages devoted to him. In the guide itself, before this chapter there are a few pages written by Maite Uribe, Prsident of the Teresian Association, where she writes about the pilgrimage as "an experience in the journey of life."
The guidebook entitled “Asturias, Covadonga and its natural environment. History in time,” consists of various sections devoted to the Royal Place of Covadonga, Saint Pedro Poveda, and the Teresian Association; Cangas de Onis, which was capital of the Kingdom in 774, and an interesting tour of Enol and Ercina lakes, all the towns of the county, its rivers and the extraordinary nature of the area. All of this in nearly 300 pages in full color with a rich and abundant photographic material.
The publication is available through a wide distribution network in Asturias, Madrid, and other communities, in major bookstores and malls. In the Cervantes bookstore of Oviedo it is being promoted with window displays specially prepared for the occasion.
The guide may also be purchased at the Spirituality Center of Santa María at Los Negrales. Part of the funds from the sale will be for the training of choirboys of the Choir of Covadonga and formation projects of the Teresian Association. It is likely that in the coming months the guide may also be presented at the House of Asturias in Madrid.
To read the news in the digital newspaper El Comercio (Asturias), click on the following link:La espiritualidad hecha libro.
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