Page 47 - March On! God will Provide by Brother Aubert

VAN DEN POEL AND RYKEN 27
with orders to undertake along with his friend, Father
De Bruyne, the founding of St. Philip's College in nearby
Hamtramck
Alone in Bruges the dumfounded Ryken was wonder-
ing what to do. Providentially he thought of Rev. Isi-
dore Van de Kerckhove, a hard-working Jesuit on the
home mission, who inwardly was eaten up with the de-
sire to be on the American mission. Ryten tells what
happened when he as a perfect sranger walked in on
Father Van de Kerckhove and poured out his tale of woe:
I happened to hear in 1835 at Mechlin a serrnon
by Father Van de Kerckhove. I do not know
whether this was the reason why later I was anxious
to have him as an advisor for my enterprise.
In October, 1836, when he preached a retreat at
the seminary in Bruges, I went to speak to him for
the first time about my plans, explaining that in
connection with a certain priest I had in mind the
establishing of a Congregation for the instruction
and education of youth, especially in America, that
I had returned to Holland, my country, to collect
money among my {riends and relatives for this pur-
pose. I had collected about a thousand francs.
I also told him that I had gone to the Stares in
l83l and thar on the advice of this priest I had
returned with him to Belgium to establish a house
in that country for the training of our members.
When I had returned from Holland, I learned that
the priest had returned to America without leaving
any instructions or news for me.
This made me uneasy because I had left the States
only to found that house in Bruges. Left alone at
present, I knew not what to do. Furthermore, there
was another priest, more or less connected with the
first priest, who had bought a house destined as the