Singapore

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Roman Catholicism in practiced by about 4.6% of Singapore's populace, or about 210,000 people. Roman Catholicism is practiced by people of Chinese (including Peranakan) and Eurasian descent, along with an Indian and European minority.

Contents

History

Catholicism has its roots from the Diocese of Malacca. The first Catholic priest set foot on Singapore in 1821, and attended to the needs of the growing community, comprising largely of Europeans and some Chinese. Within a time span of several years, notable Catholic churches such as those of Cathedral of the Good Shepherd were built. Missionary schools, notably Saint Joseph's Institution, were established and attended by Catholics and non-Catholics (many of whom became converts).

Conversion to Catholicism among the Chinese community in the 19th centiry, 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 Chinese Secret Societies.

During World War 2, 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 as Journey of Faith, on artefacts from Vatican City in the Asian Civilisations Museum at Empress Building, Catholic-oriented artefacts, focusing on art and history, were put on display from June to October 2005.

List of Roman Catholic churches in Singapore

See also

Further reading

External links

Retrieved from "http://www.thecatholicguide.com/wiki/Singapore"
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