Saint Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore - 20090911

The Diocese of Singapore ( zh, s=圣公会新加坡教区, p=Shènggōnghuì Xīnjiāpō Jiàoqū; ta, சிங்கப்பூர் ஆங்கிலிகன் மறைமாவட்டம்) is a diocese of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia consisting of 27

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

parishes in

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 6 deaneries throughout the

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

region. It has an established history of church-planting as well as providing educational, medical and social services in Singapore and the neighbouring region. The Diocese of Singapore is in communion with the

See of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

. St Andrew's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the diocese. Currently, the diocese is headed by the Right Reverend Dr Titus Chung, who was preceded by the bishop and former vicar of St John's-St Margaret's Church, the Right Reverend

Rennis Ponniah Rennis Ponniah (); is a Singaporean Anglican retired Bishop. He was the 9th Bishop of Singapore. He succeeded Bishop John Chew on his retirement on 4 October 2012. He was also the president of the National Council of Churches of Singapore from 201 ...

Coat of Arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of the Diocese of Singapore which belongs to the category of

ecclesiastical heraldry Ecclesiastical heraldry refers to the use of heraldry within Christianity for dioceses, organisations and Christian clergy. Initially used to mark documents, ecclesiastical heraldry evolved as a system for identifying people and dioceses. It ...

, consists of a

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

surmounted on a

St Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

's Shield. The mitre symbolises apostolic authority and divine endorsement to govern the Anglican diocese in the region. The

crozier A crosier or crozier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholi ...

symbolises the bishop's episcopate and the key represents the access to heaven. Emblazoned upon the St Andrew's Shield are four bunches of wheat symbolising the harvest fields which God has entrusted to the diocese.

History

The Anglican Community in Singapore has its roots in 1826, shortly after the

founding of modern Singapore The establishment of a British trading post in Singapore in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles led to its founding as a British colony in 1824. This event has generally been understood to mark the founding of colonial Singapore, a break from its statu ...

Sir Stamford Raffles Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816, and Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. He is b ...

in 1819 and the arrival of the first English settlers from the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

. Raffles allocated a piece of land between Hill Street and

North Bridge Road North Bridge Road () is a one-way road in Singapore, running north of the Singapore River. It starts at the junction with Crawford Street in Kallang, on the western bank of the Rochor River, and continues in a southwest direction before ending at ...

in his Town Plan of 1822 for the siting of an Anglican church. However, construction of the church did not begin until funds were raised by the community in 1834. The church was named

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

after the patron saint of Scotland in honour of the Scottish community who had donated to the building fund. After falling under jurisdiction of the bishop of Labuan and Sarawak (and no longer Calcutta) in 1869, St. Andrew's Cathedral was made the cathedral church of the diocese in 1870. Officially titled Diocese of Singapore, Labuan and Sarawak in 1881, a diocese over such a large area was quite unmanageable. In 1909 Singapore was made a separate diocese covering the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

, Peninsular Malaya, Siam, Java, Sumatra and adjacent islands, with Bishop Charles J. Ferguson-Davie as the first bishop of the diocese. On 6 February 1960, it was renamed to

Diocese of Singapore and Malaya Diocese of Singapore and Malaya was an Anglican diocese which covered Singapore and West Malaysia (which was also called Malaya). It was renamed from Diocese of Singapore on 6 February 1960. On 8 April 1970, the diocese was dissolved and split i ...

. On 8 April 1970, the diocese was dissolved and split into Diocese of Singapore and

Diocese of West Malaysia The Diocese of West Malaysia is an Anglican diocese which covers the entire West Malaysia. The Diocese of West Malaysia (DWM) was founded on 8 April 1970, as DWM together with Diocese of Singapore split from Diocese of Singapore and Malaya. As ...

. In 1996, the

autocephalous Autocephaly (; from el, αὐτοκεφαλία, meaning "property of being self-headed") is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern Ort ...

Church of the Province of South East Asia The Church of the Province of South East Asia is an autonomous member of the Anglican Communion, created in 1996 with the four dioceses of Kuching, Sabah, Singapore and West Malaysia. There are approximately 98,000 Anglicans within the pro ...

(the "Province") consisting of the Dioceses of Singapore, West Malaysia, Kuching and Sabah was established by the then-Archbishop of Canterbury,

George Carey George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton (born 13 November 1935) is a retired Anglican bishop who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, having previously been the Bishop of Bath and Wells. During his time as archbishop the Ch ...

Moses Tay Moses Tay Leng Kong ( zh, t=鄭靈光; born 1938) is a retired Singaporean Anglican bishop. He was the 7th Bishop of Singapore from 1982 to 1999 and the first Archbishop of the Province of Anglican Church in South East Asia from 1996 to 2000. Tay ...

, Bishop of Singapore, was installed as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province the same year. The Province, which celebrated its 20th Anniversary in February 2016, declared itself to be in impaired communion with the Episcopal Church (previously Episcopal Church of the United States of America or ECUSA) following the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson in 2003. In 2018, the Province recognised the Anglican Church in North America (“ACNA”) as a fellow Anglican province and declared itself to be in full communion with the clergy of ACNA. The ACNA advocates strict adherence to an orthodox Anglican theology based on the traditional doctrinal statement of Anglicanism in the

Thirty-nine Articles of Religion The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (commonly abbreviated as the Thirty-nine Articles or the XXXIX Articles) are the historically defining statements of doctrines and practices of the Church of England with respect to the controversies of the ...

of 1571 and stipulates that these be “taken in their literal and grammatical sense”. In the installation of Titus Chung as the 10th Anglican Bishop of Singapore, the bells at St Andrew’s Cathedral – where the consecration and enthronement service took place – were rung 39 times to symbolise the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion of the Anglican Church.

List of Bishops

* The Right Revd

George Frederick Hose George Frederick Hose (3 September 1838 – 26 March 1922) was an Anglican clergyman, Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak from 1881 to 1909. Hose was born on 3 September 1838 in Brunswick Place, Cambridge, the son of Frederick Hose, a clerk, and his wi ...

, Bishop of Singapore, Labuan & Sarawak (1881–) * The Right Revd

Charles James Ferguson-Davie Charles James Ferguson-Davie (1872–1963) was an Anglican bishop, the first Bishop of Singapore, appointed 1910. Born into a clerical family, Ferguson-Davie was educated at Marlborough College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Ordained in 1896, his fi ...

(1909–) * The Right Revd

Basil Colby Roberts Basil Coleby Roberts was an Anglican bishop in the first half of the 20th century. Born into a clerical family — his father was Henry Eugene Roberts — he was educated at Marlborough College and Pembroke College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1912, hi ...

(1927–) * The Right Revd John Leonard Wilson (1941–) * The Right Revd of Henry Wolfe Baines (1949–) * The Right Revd Cyril Kenneth Sansbury (1961–) * The Right Revd Joshua Chiu Ban It (1966–) * The Right Revd Dr Moses Tay Leng Kong (1982–) * The Right Revd Dr John Chew Hiang Chea (2000–) * The Right Revd Rennis Ponniah (2012–) * The Right Revd Dr Titus Chung (2020–)

Parishes

As of 2018, there are 27 Anglican parishes in the diocese: * St Andrew's Cathedral *

All Saints' Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia *All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Austr ...

* Chapel of Christ the King * Chapel of Christ the Redeemer * Chapel of the Holy Spirit *

Chapel of the Resurrection The Chapel of the Resurrection is the centerpiece structure on the campus of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. Primarily used to facilitate many Lutheran campus worship services, the Chapel of the Resurrection also serves as a site f ...

Church of Our Saviour Church of Our Saviour (or Savior), Church of the Savio(u)r, Church of Our Merciful Savio(u)r, or variations thereof, may refer to many Christian churches dedicated to Our Saviour (Our Lord), including: Americas United States (by state) * Church ...

* Church of the Ascension * Church of the Epiphany * Church of the Good Shepherd * Church of the True Light * Holy Trinity Parish * Light of Christ Church Woodlands * Marine Parade Christian Centre * My Saviour's Church * Parish of Christ Church (Tamil) * St Andrew’s City Church * St Andrew's Community Chapel * St George's Church *

St Hilda's Church St Hilda's Church may refer to: * St Hilda's Church, Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England * St Hilda's Church, Bilsborrow, Lancashire, England * St Hilda's Church, Darlington, County Durham, England *St Hilda's Church, Egton, North Yorkshire, Engla ...

* St James' Church * St John's Chapel * St John's–St Margaret's Church * St Matthew's Church * St Paul's Church * St Peter's Church * Yishun Christian Church (Anglican)

Deaneries

There are six deaneries in the Diocese of Singapore: *Cambodia *Laos *Indonesia *Nepal *

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

*Vietnam A dean oversees the mission work in each deanery and regularly reports to the director of missions of the Diocese of Singapore.

Schools

Anglican schools in Singapore: * Anglican High School * Christ Church Secondary School *

Saint Hilda's Primary School Tampines () is the regional centre of the East Region of Singapore. With a population of 265,340 living across its five subzones, it is the second-most populous planning area in Singapore, according to the DOS Population Trends 2022. It is ho ...

* Saint Hilda's Secondary School *

St. Margaret's Primary School This is a list of primary schools in Singapore. Children typically start their primary education in the year they turn seven. Primary education lasts six years, and is compulsory for all Singapore citizens. Primary schools in Singapore are clas ...

* St. Margaret's Secondary School *

Saint Andrew's Junior School St. Andrew's School (abbreviation: SA) is a family of schools in Singapore, affiliated to each other as well as to the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. It comprises St. Andrew's Junior School (SAJS), St. Andrew's Secondary School (SASS) and St. A ...

* St. Andrew's Secondary School * St. Andrew's Junior College *St. Andrew's Autism School Additionally, there are five kindergartens and six childcare centres as of 2020: Kindergartens * Ascension Kindergarten * Queenstown Good Shepherd Kindergarten * St. Hilda's Kindergarten * St. James' Church Kindergarten * St. Paul's Church Kindergarten Childcare Centres * Ascension Kindercare – A Little Seeds Preschool * Kiddy Ark Kindercare – A Little Seeds Preschool * Praiseland Kindercare – A Little Seeds Preschool * Sonshine Kindercare – A Little Seeds Preschool * St. Andrew's Kindercare – A Little Seeds Preschool * St. James' Kindercare – A Little Seeds Preschool

Medical services

Th
St Andrew's Mission Hospital (SAMH)
is a non-profit voluntary welfare organisation under the Diocese of Singapore. It is the corporate headquarters that oversees several medical arms:
St Andrew's Community Hospital
located at Simei Street 3 with over 100 beds
St Andrew's Autism CentreSt Andrew's Senior Care
which provides eldercare services at four centres island-wide
St Andrew's Mission Hospital Clinic
a primary care clinic in Simei and Elliot Road *St Andrew's Lifestreams, located at St Andrew's Village, this Centre provides counselling services primarily for Anglican schools
St Andrew's Nursing Home

References

External links

*
St Andrew's CathedralAnglican Communion official website
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Anglicanism in Singapore