At the express request of the SVD Generalate, this work was edited, easy and realistic to read, by Fr. Fritz Bornemann SVD, in which the life of the SVD congregation in general and the provinces in particular is narrated. This edition in English under the series “Analecta SVD 54”, was translated from the German original. It includes stories of failures, surrenders and human weaknesses, in turn, it is intended to be an information material both for the confreres, members of the Arnold’s family, of the intermediate generations, and for the young members of the present and future generations. The idea is to keep the heritage of the past alive and to produce fruitful fruits in the future both for the Church and for the work of the missions. Whoever makes use of this bibliographic material will be exposed to its limits and also to its usefulness. Anyone who ventures to explore this work will be surprised and internally motivated by the life experiences of the men and women of the founding generation, who gave their lives to the service of the universal Mission. As they forged our congregation from its origins, their witness continues to promote enthusiasm for apostolic work in young members.