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The Catholic Church in Singapore is part of the worldwide Latin Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Contents
- History
- List of Roman Catholic churches in Singapore
- List of foreign Roman Catholic communities in Singapore
- References
About 5.7% of Singapore's populace, or about 300,000 people, are Roman Catholics. Catholicism is practiced mainly by people of Chinese (including Peranakan) descent, along with a Eurasian (including Portuguese Kristang), Filipino, Indian, and white European minority.
History
Roman Catholicism in Singapore has its roots from the Portuguese established Diocese of Malacca soon after Affonso de Albuquerque's conquest of Malacca in 1511. It is believed that the first Roman Catholic priest set foot in British Singapore in 1821 to attend to the needs of the growing community consisting largely of Europeans 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.
Acknowledged as the founder of the Catholic Church here, Father Jean-Marie Beurel was notable for initiating the building of several Catholic churches, such as the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd and for establishing the first Missionary schools in Singapore. Of the initial Missionary schools, Saint Joseph's Institution, founded in 1852, was in the care of the Lasallian Brothers while the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, founded in 1854, was in the care of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus. These institutions catered to students of all faiths and backgrounds and many of the non-Catholics subsequently became converts.
Historically, Catholic communities were divided along racial lines - centred along the entire length of Queen St in town:
During World War II, in an attempt to manage the growing needs of the local people in Singapore, many Roman Catholics of Eurasian and Chinese ethnicity were deported to Bahau, also aptly called "Fuji Village" at that time, to be self-sufficient in their own food supply.
In 2005, Singapore held an exhibition, dubbed Journey of Faith, on artefacts from Vatican City in the Asian Civilisations Museum at Empress Building, Roman Catholic-oriented artefacts, 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 and the other with the authority from the Portuguese Mission first from the Archdiocese of Goa and then the Diocese of Macau. This was a legacy of the padroado 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 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore.