Page 18 - March On! God will Provide by Brother Aubert

XVI FOREWORD
Ryken data available there. Brother Ambrose was the
one who had the embarrassing task of informing the
editors of the Encyclopedia of the Missions that the
Xaverian Brothers could not provide twenty lines of
prime-source material on their Founder. He would
never again have to make that admission. In the ar-
chives were five letter-press volumes of Ryken corre-
spondence in his own handwriting or in that of a sec-
retary. There were approximately fifteen hundred letters
written over a span of twenty years. Most of them were
in Flemish with a smattering in French, German, and
English.
During World War II Brother Edmond and Brother
Rudolph could not get back to their province, Belgium,
so they lived in Rome with the Columban Fathers. At
the request of Brother Ambrose, Brother Edmond busied
himsef with the Ryken correspondence and when the
War ended, he had completed one volume. Since
Brother Edmond's aged hands could no longer guide
a pen, other members of the Generalate stafi replaced
him. Chief among these scribes were Brother Anselm
and Brother Aloysius. When Brother Florent was elected
a member of the General Council, he took over as trans-
lator and finished the task.
These translators did the ground work that made
this biography possible. All Xaverians, present and fu-
ture, owe them their gratitude. To them individually
and collectively I acknowledge my indebtedness and
thanks.
I express my thanks to a long list of Brothers in
Belgium, England, and the United States who have
helped in checking possibilities. I am deeply indebted
to many reference librarians whom I have found the
most courteous of mankind. AII of them made me feel
that I was honoring them in allowing them to be of