Page 127 - March On! God will Provide by Brother Aubert

106 YEAR or REvoLUTIoNS
The omens were favorable. He had the organization.
He had the experience. He had the approval of the
Bishop of Bruges and that of eight American bishops.
He would propose to English bishops, Vicars-Apostolic
in official communications only, that with their help he
would train for the English mission exclusively all the
candidates they sent to him. He would operate this
training school in Bruges and he would stafi it with
German priests and German professors.
He visited first the Bishop of York, a relative of Father
Peacock. Having heard the plan, His Excellency felt that
it was within the range of possibility and that it should
be submitted to the other bishops. At Ryken's request,
he provided letters of introduction to Bishop Wareing
of Northampton and Bishop Wiseman of London.
Ryken knew that the man to impress was Wiseman
with his twenty years in Rome, his learning, and his
position as Bishop of London. Wiseman heard him
through and told him that the moment was propitious
for presenting the ofier since all of the English bishops
were expected to be in London on the following July
4th for the consecration of the Church of Saint George.
As soon as the audience was concluded, Ryken made
plans to get home. He had to put that plan in writing at
once.
June fifth, 1848, was the ninth anniversary oI the
founding of the Xaverian Brothers, and Ryken probably
spent most of the day in compiling for the Burgomaster
of Bruges the data on the thirteen Brothers eligible for
limited military service. It was due on the following day.
The situation on the Continent, had grown so tense
that Belgium was calling up the reserves and arming
the citizen-militia. On the previous February 22rad a
crowd of working men and students had been milling
around in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. It looked