PRESENTATION

Initiated by Fr. Ludovic Nobel, Star of Bethlehem is an online teaching and research platform on the New Testament and Christianity in general.

You will find daily reflections on the Gospel, short articles on the New Testament, links to podcasts and videos on biblical themes and books, information on biblical and cultural trips, as well as extensive information on the history, apostolate, and spirituality of the missionaries of Bethlehem (SMB).

The Missionary Society of Bethlehem (SMB) is dedicated to the universal mission of the Church. Founded in 1921 by Father Pietro Bondolfi in Immensee in the canton of Schwyz, the SMB is the only Catholic missionary society in Switzerland. Our work extends both internationally and nationally: the community is present in several countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

The form and organization of our Society stem from the fundamental missionary mandate of integral liberation and life fulfilled in God. We are guided by the biblical model of the community of Jesus’ disciples. For us, this means following Jesus through fraternal collaboration.

In July 2023, the General Chapter of the SMB elected the new General Council, composed of three member-brothers. Ludovic Nobel, the youngest member of the society, was elected Superior General. He will be assisted by Emilio Näf as Vicar General and by the former Superior General Josef Meili as General Councillor.

We draw our spi­ri­tua­li­ty from the sour­ces of the word of God, from lit­ur­gy and tra­di­ti­on and from our ex­pe­ri­ence of the faith. The na­me of ‘Beth­le­hem’ stands for a spi­ri­tua­li­ty in­spi­red by the In­car­na­ti­on of Je­sus. We trans­la­te it in­to concre­te terms in the fol­lo­wing fun­­da­men­tal phi­lo­so­phy:

The Spirit of Childhood. The Child, with his great trust in his parents, is the model for the boundless confidence which Jesus expressed in the word ‘Abba’. This attitude helps us to survive grave difficulties and even overcome failure.

The Spirit of Simplicity. Openness for the Gospel frees us from concern and fear for ourselves. It liberates us for service to others. In this way we attain to the love which stems from God and which is at the core of the Gospel. It manifests itself in sincerity, transparency, objectivity, straightforwardness without guile and ambiguity.

The Spirit of Renunciation. We are prepared to dispense with familiar securities and become involved with people of different cultures, religions and levels of society. We let ourselves be guided by the Spirit of God who speaks through them. We strive for modesty in the use of material means. We make it a point neither to create one-sided dependencies nor to lay claim to power.

The Spirit of Missionary Presence. The most important witness to our faith is our personal life; for “what we are says more than what we speak”. We try to be present even in difficult situations and to remain among the poor and those who have been deprived of their rights.

The Spirit of Fellowship. Our witness will be essentially shaped by the way in which we deal with one another. In our relationships, as in those among brothers and sisters and partners, we experience both loving care and a challenge. We strive to achieve a climate of forgiveness and confidence, which enables us to bear better with human limitations and renders our work more fruitful. We are on the way together with believers of other churches and with all people who, in loyalty to their religions or their convictions, engage themselves for a world in which the fullness of life will be possible for everybody. In doing so, we understand ourselves as equal partners, independent of individual situations of life and of cultural or religious backgrounds.

Spirit of solidarity. Connectedness with all people.

In our work, we aim to combine the proclamation of the message of Jesus and development cooperation. In doing so, we are guided by the following principles:

• We proclaim and celebrate the God of life
• We place ourselves at the service of the disadvantaged and marginalised
• We promote exchange between religions and cultures

Our community is currently active in several countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Wherever we are, we work closely with the local church. We are active in pastoral care, teaching, training, the press – wherever we are needed, and our services are in demand.

Born in 1978, Ludovic Nobel grew up in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. At the age of 20, he entered the seminary and began studying theology. He graduated in 2003 and was ordained a priest in May 2005. A year later, he became a member of the SMB.

After serving as a vicar in Singine, he resumed his studies in the fall of 2007, pursuing a doctorate at the University of Fribourg. Three years later, he was appointed rector of the Marian Shrine of Bourguillon, a position he held for 10 years. From 2020 to 2023, Ludovic served as the pastor of the German-speaking parishes in the city of Fribourg.

Alongside his pastoral service, he continued his academic activities. In March 2011, he published his thesis entitled “Paul, Onesimus, and Philemon, Free Masters and Slaves.” With a doctorate in biblical sciences, he continues to publish books on the Holy Land and the New Testament. He teaches at the Faculty of Theology in Fribourg.

For several years, Ludovic was a member of the Board of Directors of the Bethlehem Children’s Hospital (Caritas Baby Hospital). Since 2018, he has served on the General Council of the SMB until he was elected Superior General in 2023.

Fr. Ludovic continues to regularly accompany and guide biblical pilgrimages to the Holy Land and other significant Christian sites.

A specialist in international law, he is interested in implementing a Christian approach based on human rights

A specialist in ecumenical theology, he is interested in the phenomenon of collective intelligence in relation to the Christian liturgical model of the community. For him, between the concepts of 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 and 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑜, “Star of Bethlehem” is primarily a project aimed at using modern technological means to serve the mission in an information-driven society