The Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and comes under the jurisdiction of the

Archdiocese of Singapore The Archdiocese of Singapore (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Singaporensis'') is an exempt archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church. Its territory includes all that is under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Singapore. Its current ...

. The church is located at

Yishun Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, An ...

Street 22.

History

The church had its beginnings in the Naval Base area, in August 1949. This is now the area around Sembawang Road. Religious services started at an old Japanese language school which was left over from World War II. The school was located in Jalan Kedai, off Canberra Road. Fr.

Dominic Vendargon The Most Reverend Tan Sri Dominic Aloysius Vendargon (29 August 1909 – 3 August 2005) was a Ceylon Tamil priest and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. Early life and family Vendargon was born on 29 August 1909 in Naranthanai in no ...

, (Aug 29, 1909–Aug 3, 2005) was appointed by the then Bishop of

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

& Singapore, Bishop Michel Olçomendy,

M.E.P. The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons ...

, to formulate a self-sufficient parish. In August 1950, Fr. Vendargon was succeeded by Fr. Albert Fortier (Apr 24, 1911—Jan 13, 1998). Fr. Fortier conducted everything, from Masses, marriages and all other rites, at the Japanese school. By 1952, the old school had become so rundown and unsafe that the British Colonial authorities advised Fr. Fortier to build a new church. Fr. Fortier found a plot of land in Jalan Sendudok which was part of the British Naval Base. The British Colonial authorities approved the site for a 21-year lease. The building of the church was completed in 1953. Fr. Fortier was succeeded by Fr. I. Fernandez, for the next 10 years, followed by Fr. Bernard Binet from 1964 to 1968. Fr. Albert Fortier returned to assume the role of Parish Priest in July 1968. Fr Fortier served in the church until his retirement on 31 December 1986. Fr. Amiotte-Suchet Louis (Aug 29, 1917—Oct 17, 1998) was appointed to take over from the duties of Fr. Fortier. On 26 August 1987, the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea was informed by the authorities that "the premises and the land are scheduled to be cleared by 31 December 1987 and you are hereby notified to move out by this date

The present site for the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea was bought by the Archdiocese of Singapore on 6 March 1989. The church was officially blessed by the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of Singapore,

Gregory Yong Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean D.D., J.C.D. (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Yòng Sui-ngèn'') (20 May 1925 – 28 June 2008) was the second, and the first local, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore. Biography Early years Archbishop Yong was born in ...

, on 30 May 1992.

Organisation

The Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea currently has 3 priests administering to a parish population of 6000plus parishioners. The priests are: * Parish Priest Reverend Father Gregoire van Giang, M.E.P. * Reverend Father Lourdusamy Prasanna, H.G.N. The church has the following ministries: * Catechists * Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) *

Legion of Mary The Legion of Mary ( la, Legio Mariae, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve it on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Marian movement by the layman and civi ...

* St. Vincent De Paul Society (SVDP) * Natural Family Planning * Sacristy Family * Choirs * Altar Servers *

Youth Ministry Youth ministry, also commonly referred to as youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry of faith groups or other religious organizations, usually from ages 12 to 30, whose mission is to involve and engage with young people who attend the ...

* Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion * Churchwardens * Lectors * Ministry of Sick * Art & Deco * Elders Group * Bookshop * Canteen * Chinese-speaking Apostolate * Indian-speaking Apostolate * Filipino Apostolate Neighbourhood Christian Community (NCC): * Zone 100 * Zone 200 * Zone 300 * Zone 400 * Zone 600 * Zone 700 * Zone 800 * Zone Sembawang * Zone Sembawang New Town

References

External links

Official site
{{churches in Singapore Roman Catholic churches in Singapore Yishun