- Church of St Mary of the Angels
-
Coordinates: 1°20′50″N 103°45′35″E / 1.347141°N 103.759735°E
Church of St. Mary of the Angels Basic information Location 
, Bukit Batok, City of SingaporeGeographic coordinates 1°20′50″N 103°45′35″E / 1.347141°N 103.759735°E Affiliation Roman Catholic Region West Region District Archdiocese of Singapore Leadership Archbishop Nicholas Chia Website catholic.org.sg
www.stmary.sgArchitectural description Architect(s) WOHA Architects Pte Ltd [1] Construction cost $16.5 million [1] Specifications The Church of St Mary of the Angels is a Roman Catholic church in Singapore. It is located at Bukit Batok East Avenue 2 [2] in the Bukit Batok Planning Area, within the West Region of Singapore.
Contents
History
On 28 March 1957,[3] Franciscan Friar Vergil Mannion OFM [4] stepped off the ship Peleus II, landing on Singapore soil. Singapore in the 1950’s was a very different world from Singapore today. It was still a British colony, even though a limited self-government had been granted in 1955. Fishing and agriculture was very much a way of life, and poverty and illiteracy were widespread. Chinese communist ideology and guerrilla activity had swept through Indochina and across Southeast Asia, and Singapore had been in a state of Emergency since 1948. Singapore was considered a strategic hub.
As a result of dialogue between Rome, the leaders of the local Church, and Franciscans in Italy, America and Hong Kong, an international group of Franciscan Friars were brought to Singapore in 1957 to establish a Sociological Institute for outreach, research and publication of documents in the effort to counter communism in the region. Almost immediately, the Order would also engage in pastoral works, and involve themselves in works of teaching, retreats, spiritual direction, and preaching in Singapore as well as in Malaysia.
The first friars stayed at what was then known as the Bishops’ Palace on Victoria Street, and later, they moved to Bukit Timah, where they stayed at Boys’ Town before obtaining their own property on this present hill.
On August 26, 1958, Archbishop Michel Olçomendy, metropolitan see of Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore officially declared the presence and ministry of the Franciscan Friars (Order of Friars Minor) [5] at what was then Jurong Road, Mile 8 ¾. Nine days earlier, he had blessed the foundation stone for the new building complex for the friars.
Within 2 months, Rome would issue a formal decree on the canonical establishment of this new community.
As a part of their ministry to the Chinese-educated community, the first friars established a chaplaincy at Nanyang University, or Nantah. Today, this is Nanyang Technological University, which includes the National Institute of Education, and it continues to be served by the friars.
Over the years, a steady congregation would build up at the small public chapel next to St Anthony Friary. By 1970, after the friars moved the Sociological Institute to Taiwan, the friars’ chapel was turned into a parish church in a contract with Archbishop Olçomendy , the Metropolitan Archbishop of Malacca-Singapore. A year later, it was formally given the name, the Church of St Mary of the Angels, and plans were announced that it would be extended by 29 feet to accommodate the growing number of parishioners.
By now, the first Australian friars came to serve in Singapore.
In 1985, the Church of St Mary of the Angels was extended a second time due to the increase of parishioners resulting from the new blocks of HDB flats in the new township of Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak area.
The existing Parish hall and canteen, built in 1974, was greatly renovated, and in 1991, the new St Clare Centre would also include a Parish Office, library, Sunday school classrooms and a kindergarten.
By 1998, with the building of high-rise housing estates all around the church, the number of parishioners had tripled. It became clear once again that the church was woefully inadequate to meet the needs of parishioners. Apart from the overcrowding and parking problems, there was also an urgent need for major structural repairs in both the church building and the 40 year old friary. A decision was taken to redevelop the site.
The new church was completed in September 2003 and on 2nd February 2004, Archbishop Nicholas Chia led parishioners in dedicating the church to the Lord’s service.
See also
- Christianity in Singapore
- Roman Catholicism in Singapore
- Archdiocese of Singapore
- List of Roman Catholic churches in Singapore
- List of St. Mary of the Angels Churches across the Holy See
Notes
- ^ a b Architectural Record Building Types Study - Church of St Mary of the Angels
- ^ Church Of Saint Mary Of The Angels, 5 Bukit Batok East Avenue 2 (S)659918| http://www.streetdirectory.com
- ^ History -Official website - Church of St Mary of the Angels
- ^ The Franciscan Friars | Custody of Saint Anthony ( Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei )
- ^ Order of Friars Minor | Custody of St. Anthony (Malaysia - Singapore - Brunei)
References
- Official website of Church of St Mary of the Angels [1]
External links
- Order of Friars Minor | Custody of St. Anthony (Malaysia - Singapore - Brunei)
- Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
- Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal World
- Singapore Catholic Church Directory
- Church of St Mary of the Angels Website
- History | S.M.O.T.A Website
- Facebook page of Church of St Mary of the Angels
- SMOTA on Flicker
- Architectural Record Building Types Study | Church of St Mary of the Angels
Categories:- Churches in Singapore
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
