The Catholic Church 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 ...

is part of the worldwide

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, under the spiritual leadership of the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In 2016, the Catholic Foundation of Singapore reported the Catholic population in Singapore to be over 373,000. According to the 2020 census, 18.9% of Singaporeans identify as

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

– 37.1% of which identified as Catholic and the 62.9% as 'Other Christians' (chiefly

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

History

Catholicism in Singapore has its roots from the

Portuguese presence in Asia The Portuguese presence in Asia was responsible for what would be the first of many contacts between European countries and the East, starting on May 20, 1498 with the trip led by Vasco da Gama to Calicut, India (in modern-day Kerala state in India ...

. It is believed that the first Catholic priest set foot in Singapore in 1821, two years after

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 ...

' landing, to attend to the needs of the growing community consisting largely of British colonialists and some Chinese; however, it is probable that there had been Portuguese missionaries operating out of Malacca in Singapore during the Portuguese period, 1511–1641, prior to the British conquest.

Founder

Acknowledged as the founder of the

here, Father Jean-Marie Beurel was notable for initiating the building of several Catholic churches, such as the

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Singapore, built in 1847. It is located in the Museum Planning Area within the Civic District. Bounded by the parallel Queen and Victoria Streets, and Bras Basah Road, t ...

and for establishing the first Missionary schools in

. Of the initial Missionary schools,

Saint Joseph's Institution St. Joseph's Institution (SJI) is an independent Catholic educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1852 by the De La Salle Brothers, it is the first Catholic school and the third oldest school in the country. SJI has been offering a dual- ...

, founded in 1852, was in the care of the

Lasallian Brothers french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...

while the

Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus The Sisters of the Infant Jesus, also known as the Dames of Saint Maur, are a religious institute of the Catholic Church originating from Paris, France and dedicated to teaching. History Origins In 1659 Barré, who was a respected scholar wi ...

, founded in 1854, was in the care of the

Sisters of the Infant Jesus The Sisters of the Infant Jesus, also known as the Dames of Saint Maur, are a religious institute of the Catholic Church originating from Paris, France and dedicated to teaching. History Origins In 1659 Barré, who was a respected scholar wi ...

. These institutions catered to students of all faiths and backgrounds and many of the non-Catholics subsequently became converts.

Subdivisions

Historically (prior to independence in 1965), Catholic communities were divided along racial lines – centred along the entire length of Queen St in town: * The vast majority of Catholics in the early years of Singapore would comprise the

Eurasian Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

s, who were chiefly located in the Waterloo St and Serangoon Road areas and were members of St Joseph's Church (143 Victoria St, rear of Queen St), the former Portuguese Mission church, along with two schools, St Anthony's Boys School and St Anthony's Convent. * The British and other Europeans congregated at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. (1A Queen St) * Tamil Catholics, added the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes on Ophir Road, at the other end of Queen St. * Chinese Catholics in the city area were found at Sts Peter and Paul (Queen St), and the Sacred Heart Church (Tank Road). Conversion to Catholicism among the Chinese community in the 19th century was met with disdain among Chinese immigrant societies in Singapore. Many of these Chinese Catholic converts, a large number of whom were wealthy plantation owners, were frequently subjected to harassment from fellow Chinese and working class organised gangs. These were mainly located in the Upper Serangoon and Hougang areas where the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in what was traditionally a Teochew speaking heartland.

Japanese occupation

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in an attempt to manage the growing needs of the local people in Singapore, many Catholics of Eurasian and Chinese ethnicity were deported to

Bahau Bahau ( Jawi: بهااو, ) is the principal town of Jempol District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The town's name is believed to have been derived from a Chinese phrase. Bahau's literal translation is "horse's mouth" while the nearby town, Mahsan ...

, also aptly called "Fuji Village" at that time, to be self-sufficient in their own food supply.

Contemporary era

In 2005, Singapore held an exhibition, dubbed ''Journey of Faith'', on artefacts from

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

in the

Asian Civilisations Museum The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) is an institution which forms a part of the four museums in Singapore, the other three being the Peranakan Museum at Old Tao Nan School, the National Museum of Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum. It is ...

at Empress Building, Catholic-oriented artifacts, focusing on art and history, were put on display from June to October 2005. The Catholic Church in Singapore was under dual jurisdiction for most of its history, one tracing authority from the Vicariate Apostolate of Siam down to the present

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 ...

and the other with the authority from the Portuguese Mission first from the

Archdiocese of Goa The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Goa and Daman ( la, Archidioecesis Goanae et Damanensis, gom, Gõy ani Damanv Mha-Dhormprant, pt, Arquidiocese de Goa e Damão) encompasses the Goa state and the Damaon territory in the Konkan r ...

and then the

Diocese of Macau The Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau ( pt, 1=Diocese de Macau; ) is an exempt (i.e. an immediate subject of the Holy See and not part of any ecclesiastical province) Latin Rite diocese of the Catholic Church, in contrast with the Roman Catholic Di ...

. This was a legacy of the

padroado The ''Padroado'' (, "patronage") was an arrangement between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Portugal and later the Portuguese Republic, through a series of concordats by which the Holy See delegated the administration of the local churches and gr ...

pronouncement in the 16th century. Dual jurisdiction was ended in 1981, when the Portuguese Mission handed over St Joseph's Church to the Archdiocese of Singapore and, thus, the whole island of Singapore was brought under the

. On May 29, 2022,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

announced that Archbishop of Singapore

William Goh William Goh Seng Chye (born 25 June 1957) is a Singaporean prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as the fourth Archbishop of Singapore since 2013. He was created a cardinal by Pope Francis on 27 August 2022. Biography Early l ...

would be appointed as a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

in August of that year, making him the first native Singaporean cardinal in history.

List of Catholic churches in Singapore

* Church of Sts. Peter and Paul * Church of Our Lady of Lourdes * Church of St. Joseph (Victoria Street) (

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

) *Church of Divine Mercy *Church of St. Bernadette *Church of St. Michael the Archangel * Church of St. Teresa * Church of the Sacred Heart *

Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour The Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, also known as OLPS Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Singapore. It is located at Siglap Hill, Singapore, within the Siglap housing estate, near the Kembangan MRT station. Hist ...

* Church of Saint Alphonsus (Novena Church) *

Church of the Holy Family 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 * C ...

*Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace *Church of St. Stephen * Church of the Holy Trinity *Blessed Sacrament Church *Church of St. Francis of Assisi * Church of St. Mary of the Angels *Church of the Holy Cross *Church of St. Anthony *Church of Christ the King *Church of St. Ignatius * Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea *Church of the Holy Spirit * Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary *

Church of the Risen Christ The Church of the Risen Christ () is a Roman Catholic church in Singapore. It is located at Toa Payoh Central in the Toa Payoh Housing Estate and was founded in 1971. History Construction The growing Roman Catholic community of Toa Payoh origin ...

*Church of St. Francis Xavier *Church of St. Vincent de Paul *Church of St. Joseph (

Bukit Timah Bukit Timah, often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central Wa ...

) *Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary *Church of St. Anne *Church of the Transfiguration (COTT)

List of foreign Catholic communities in Singapore

*Indonesian Catholic Community in Singapore (KKIS - ''Keluarga Katolik Indonesia di Singapura'') *Indonesian Charismatic Catholic Holy Spirit Prayer Group (KKIHS - ''Karismatik Katolik Indonesia Holy Spirit'')

Education

The Catholic Church operates kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and a junior college,

Catholic Junior College Catholic Junior College (CJC) () is a junior college in Singapore, offering a two-year course for pre-university students leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examination. Founded in 1975, Catholic Junior College was the third j ...

. Some schools are operated by the archdiocese and others are under the trusteeship of various religious orders such as the Lasallian Brothers and the Sisters of the Infant Jesus.

References

External links

The official Website of the Archdiocese of Singapore

The Website of the French-speaking catholic community of Singapore

by GCatholic.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singapore Catholic Church in Asia Catholic Church by country