Roman Catholic 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 of Singapore. Its current archbishop is the Most Reverend Monsignor William Goh Seng Chye, DD, STL. Archbishop Goh took over the Archdiocese on 18 May 2013, after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of his predecessor Archbishop Nicholas Chia Yeck Joo. The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Singapore.
Archdiocese of Singapore Archidioecesis Singaporensis | |
---|---|
The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Singapore. | |
Location | |
Country | Singapore |
Metropolitan | Immediately Subject to the Holy See |
Coordinates | 1.29596°N 103.85131°E |
Statistics | |
Area | 639 km2 (247 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2010) 4,990,000 185,208 (3.7%) |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Latin Rite |
Cathedral | Cathedral of the Good Shepherd |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Archbishop | William Goh |
Vicar General | Ambrose Vaz Philip Heng, S.J. |
Bishops emeritus | Nicholas Chia Archbishop Emeritus (2001–2013) |
Website | |
Website of the Archdiocese |
As an exempt diocese, the archdiocese is not a part of an ecclesiastical province, but comes under the direct jurisdiction of the Holy See. The archdiocese is a member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
History
The Roman Catholic Church in Singapore was initially under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Malacca,[1][2][3] which was established on 4 February 1558 as a suffragan (other being Diocese of Cochin) to the Archdiocese of Goa.[4]
The diocese of Malacca was transferred to the Vicariate Apostolic of Ava and Pegu[5][6] in 1838 and then the Vicariate Apostolic of Siam[7] in 1840. In 1841, the Church was placed under the jurisdiction of the Vicariate Apostolic of Western Siam that was erected from the Vicariate Apostolic of Siam. Initially called the Vicariate Apostolic of Western Siam, the name was changed to the Vicariate Apostolic of the Malay Peninsula and finally the Vicariate Apostolic of Malacca-Singapore.
In 1888, the Church was once again placed under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Malacca when the Diocese was revived. The Diocese of Malacca was raised to the rank of an archdiocese in 1953. In 1955, the Archdiocese of Malacca was split and an ecclesiastical province was formed in its place comprising the Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore as the metropolitan see and the Diocese of Kuala Lumpur and Diocese of Penang as suffragan dioceses.
In 1972, the Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore was split into the Diocese of Malacca-Johor and the Archdiocese of Singapore with the Archdiocese of Singapore coming under the direct jurisdiction of the Holy See.
From 1838 to 1981, there was dual jurisdiction situation in Singapore, 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.
Ordinaries
Diocese of Malacca
- (1558–1576) Jorge de Santa Luzia, O.P.
- (1579–1601) João Ribeiro Gaio
- (1604–1612) Cristovão da Sá e Lisboa, O.S.H.
- (1613–1632) Gonçalvo (Gonzalo) da Silva
- (1637–1638) António do Rosário, O.P.
- Sede vacante (1637–1691)
- (1691–1701) Antonio a Saint Theresia, O.F.M.
- (1701–1738) Emmanuel a Santo Antonio, O.P.
- (1738–1743) Antonio de Castro
- (1746–1748) Miguel de Bulhões e Souza, O.P.
- (1748–1760 Geraldo de São José, O.P.
- Sede vacante (1760–1782)
- (1782–1785) Alexandre da Sagrada Familia Ferreira da Silva, O.F.M.
- Sede vacante (1785–1804)
- (1804–1815) Francisco de São Dâmaso Abreu Vieira, O.F.M.
- Sede vacante (1815–1838)
- Sé suprimida (1838–1841)
Vicariate Apostolic of Malacca-Singapore
- (1841–1844) Bishop Jean-Paul-Hilaire-Michel Courvezy (Vicar Apostolic of Siam from 1834 to 1841)
- (1845–1871) Bishop Jean-Baptiste Boucho
- (1871–1877) Bishop Michel-Esther Le Turdu
- (1878–1888) Bishop Edouard Gasnier
Diocese of Malacca
- (1888–1896) Bishop Edouard Gasnier
- (1896–1904) Bishop René-Michel-Marie Fée
- (1904–1933) Bishop Marie-Luc-Alphonse-Emile Barillon
- (1934–1945) Bishop Adrien Pierre Devals
- (1947–1953) Bishop Michel Olçomendy
Archdiocese of Malacca
- (1953–1955) Archbishop Michel Olçomendy
Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore (Metropolitan See)
- (1955–1972) Archbishop Michel Olçomendy
Archdiocese of Singapore
- (1972–1976) Archbishop Michel Olçomendy
- (1977–2000) Archbishop Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean
- (2001–2013) Archbishop Nicholas Chia Yeck Joo
- (2013–present) Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye
Statistics (2012)
- Roman Catholic population: 303,000 (including PRs, Expats and Immigrants)
- Churches: 32
- Seminary: 1
- Diocesan Priests: 71
- Religious Priests: 71
- Religious Brothers: 36
- Religious Sisters: 166
- Candidates for the Priesthood: 12
- Baptisms: 3521
- Catechumens: 895
- Marriages: 977
- Charitable and Social Institutions: 18
- Educational Institutions: 54 Schools, 53,124 Students
Key office holders
Following the appointment of Archbishop William Goh, a new group of key appointment holders were appointed to assist him.[8] There are as follows:
Churches
The archdiocese is divided into five districts covering the entire city-state of Singapore, namely the City District, East District, West District, North District, and Serangoon District.
Of the thirty-two churches, three churches in the City District are not parishes, namely, the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Saint Joseph's Church, and the Church of Saint Alphonsus.
- City District
- Cathedral of the Good Shepherd – 'A' Queen Street
- Saint Joseph's Church (Victoria Street) – 143 Victoria Street
- Church of Saints Peter and Paul – 225A Queen Street
- Church of Our Lady of Lourdes – 50 Ophir Road
- Church of the Sacred Heart- 111 Tank Road
- Church of Saint Teresa – 510 Kampong Bahru Road
- Church of Saint Alphonsus – 300 Thomson Road
- Church of Saint Bernadette – 12 Zion Road
- Church of Saint Michael – 17 Saint Michael's Road
- East District
- Church of the Holy Family – 6 Chapel Road
- Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace – 4 Sandy Lane
- Church of Saint Stephen – 30 Sallim Road
- Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour – 31 Siglap Hill
- Church of the Holy Trinity – 20 Tampines Street 11
- Church of Divine Mercy – 19 Pasir Ris Street 72
- West District
- Church of Saint Ignatius – 120 King's Road
- Blessed Sacrament Church – 1 Commonwealth Drive
- Church of St Mary of the Angels – 5 Bukit Batok East Avenue 2
- Church of Saint Francis of Assisi – 200 Boon Lay Avenue
- Church of the Holy Cross – 450 Clementi Avenue 1
- North District
- Saint Joseph's Church (Bukit Timah) – 620 Upper Bukit Timah Road
- Church of the Risen Christ – 91 Toa Payoh Central
- Church of Saint Anthony – 25 Woodlands Avenue 1
- Church of the Holy Spirit – 248 Upper Thomson Road
- Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea – 10 Yishun Street 22
- Church of Christ the King – 2221 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8
- Serangoon District
- Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – 1259 Upper Serangoon Road
- Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – 24 Highland Road
- Church of Saint Francis Xavier – 63A Chartwell Drive
- St Anne's Church – 66 Sengkang East Way
- Church of Saint Vincent de Paul – 301 Yio Chu Kang Road
- Church of the Transfiguration – Punggol Central
Seminary
- St Francis Xavier Major Seminary
See also
- Catholic education in Singapore
- Catholic Church in Singapore
- Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore
- CHIJMES
Notes
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Churches in Singapore. |
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic churches in Singapore. |
- Diocese of Malacca | Original Catholic Encyclopedia Archived 20 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- "Diocese of Melaka–Johor, Malaysia". GCatholic. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Malacca". www.newadvent.org. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Goa". www.newadvent.org. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- "Vicariate Apostolic of Ava e Pegù". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- "Country consisting of the kingdoms of Ava and Peg - Original Catholic Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- "Vicariate Apostolic of Siam - Original Catholic Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
References
- Johnson Fernandez (2013), Catholic Church Directory 2013 – Archdiocese of Singapore, The Catholic News Office, ISBN 983-3201-00-8
- Eugene Wijeysingha (2006), "Going forth, The Catholic Church in Singapore 1819–2004", The Office of the Archbishop of Singapore, ISBN 981-05-5703-5