Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tai Dong (Agenzia Fides) – In 1953, upon the invitation of Bishop André-Jean Vérineux, MEP (1897-1983) of Hwalien, Fr. Giger Alfred (1919-1970), the first missionary of the Bethlehem Foreign Missions Society (SMB) from Switzerland, arrived in Tai Dong (in the eastern part of Taiwan). By 1960, the 23 Swiss missionaries had founded 60 parishes and missionary stations in the eastern part of the island of Taiwan. Having concluded this phase of building from the ground up (1953-1960), then came the growth phase (1961-1971), thus the phase of self-sufficiency (1972-1990) and lastly, its spreading (1991 to the present).
Following the spirit of the Society's founder, Fr. Pierre-Marie Barral, the missionaries of Bethlehem dedicated their lives to the poor, the sick, marginalized, and sinners, following in the footsteps of Christ. They founded the famous Catholic hospital of Luo Dong, the Institute for Professional Training, and the Social Service Center, and looked after families and young people. Their presence was not so obvious to the people of Taiwan, perhaps because they were only 14 missionaries or perhaps because they always worked in the poorest areas of the island, in the midst of those most in need.
In 1921, the first missionaries of the Bethlehem Foreign Missions Society from Switzerland, reached China, in the Province of Hei Long Jiang, in the northeastern part of the mainland. From then on, nearly 50 missionaries were working at the Chinese mission until 1949.
The Society of Bethlehem Foreign Missions Society in Switzerland is a society of apostolic life (with only a masculine branch), which began with the Apostolic School of Bethlehem, founded in 1895 by Fr. Pierre-Marie Barral (1855-1929) of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Thanks to the support of the Swiss Bishops, the Swiss priest Fr. Pietro Bondolfi (1872-1943) founded the Society of Bethlehem Foreign Missions Society in Switzerland on May 30, 1921. The missionaries work in the areas of healthcare, education, and social work, with youth and in other pastoral settings, to promote the lasting progress of countries of the Southern Hemisphere, such as the Philippines, Taiwan, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The Society has 148 members, 109 of them being priests. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 11/03/2009)
