Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore explained
| Jurisdiction: | Archdiocese |
| Singapore |
| Latin: | Archidioecesis Singaporensis |
| Country: | Singapore |
| Metropolitan: | Immediately Subject to the Holy See |
| Area Km2: | 765 |
| Population: | 5,600,000
|
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Catholics: | 373,000 (6.7%) [1] |
| Churches: | 32 |
| Schools: | 59 |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Rite: | Latin Rite |
| Cathedral: | Cathedral of the Good Shepherd |
| Bishop Title: | Archbishop |
| Bishop: | William Goh Seng Chye |
| Vicar General: | Stephen Yim
James Yeo
Peter Zhang, CDD |
| Website: | catholic.sg |
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 archbishop is Cardinal William Goh Seng Chye. Goh took over the archdiocese on 18 May 2013, after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of his predecessor, Nicholas Chia Yeck Joo. The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, located within the Civic District, is the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Singapore.
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,[2] [3] [4] established by the papal bull pro excellenti praeeminentia issued by Pope Paul IV on 4 February 1558 as one of two new suffragan dioceses (the other being Diocese of Cochin) to the Archdiocese of Goa.[5] [6]
The diocese of Malacca was transferred to the Vicariate Apostolic of Ava and Pegu[7] in 1838 and then the Vicariate Apostolic of Siam[8] 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, all of Singapore's territories was brought under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore.
Ordinaries
Diocese of Malacca
- (1558–1576) Jorge de Santa Luzia
- (1579–1601) João Ribeiro Gaio
- (1604–1612) Cristovão da Sá e Lisboa
- (1613–1632) Gonçalvo (Gonzalo) da Silva
- (1637–1638) António do Rosário
- (1691–1701) Antonio a Saint Theresia
- (1701–1738) Emmanuel a Santo Antonio
- (1738–1743) Antonio de Castro
- (1746–1748) Miguel de Bulhões e Souza
- (1748–1760 Geraldo de São José
- (1782–1785) Alexandre da Sagrada Familia Ferreira da Silva
- (1804–1815) Francisco de São Dâmaso Abreu Vieira
- Sede vacante (1815–1838)
- Sé suprimida (1838–1841)
Vicariate Apostolic of Malacca-Singapore
Diocese of Malacca
Archdiocese of Malacca
Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore (Metropolitan See)
Archdiocese of Singapore
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
- Diocesan Seminarians: 12
- Baptisms: 3521
- Catechumens: 895
- Marriages: 977
- Charitable and Social Institutions: 18
- Educational Institutions: 54 Schools, 53,124 Students
Key office holders
Following his appointment, William Goh made key appointments:[9]
- Vicar General (Pastoral), Ambrose Vaz
- Vicar General (Administration and Religious), Peter Zhang CDD
- Chancellor, Terence Pereira
- Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelisation, Terence Pereira
- Financial Administrator, Clement Chen
Churches
The archdiocese is divided into five district deaneries covering the entire city-state of Singapore, namely the City District, East District, West District, North District and Serangoon District.
Out 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 deanery
- East District deanery
- West District deanery
- 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 deanery
- Serangoon District deanery
Seminary
- St Francis Xavier Major Seminary
See also
References
- Johnson Fernandez (2013), Catholic Church Directory 2013 – Archdiocese of Singapore, The Catholic News Office,
- Eugene Wijeysingha (2006), "Going forth, The Catholic Church in Singapore 1819–2004", The Office of the Archbishop of Singapore,
External links
Notes and References
- People. (n.d.). Catholic Foundation. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://www.catholicfoundation.sg/what-the-church-does/people/
- http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Diocese_of_Malacca Diocese of Malacca | Original Catholic Encyclopedia
- Web site: Diocese of Melaka–Johor, Malaysia. GCatholic. 24 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203042511/http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/mela0.htm. 3 December 2013. live. dmy-all.
- Web site: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Malacca. www.newadvent.org. 3 September 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110909225032/http://newadvent.org/cathen/09562a.htm. 9 September 2011. live. dmy-all.
- Web site: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Goa. www.newadvent.org. 1 September 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110903173031/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06602a.htm. 3 September 2011. live. dmy-all.
- Web site: 1558, 4 de fevereiro, Roma – Bula Pro excellenti praeeminentia, pela qual Paulo IV instituiu a diocese de Malaca, desmembrando o seu território da então criada arquidiocese de Goa e concedendo ao rei de Portugal o direito de padroado e de apresentação do bispo da nova diocese. . University of Coimbra. Portuguese.
- Web site: Country consisting of the kingdoms of Ava and Peg - Original Catholic Encyclopedia . 1 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120330161707/http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Burma . 30 March 2012 . dead . dmy-all .
- Web site: Vicariate Apostolic of Siam - Original Catholic Encyclopedia . 1 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120330161701/http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Vicariate_Apostolic_of_Siam . 30 March 2012 . dead . dmy-all .
- Web site: Inaugural cum Thanksgiving Mass on Friday, 24th May, 2013 - Archbishop Goh Announces Line-up of Key Office Bearers . www.catholicnews.sg . 3 February 2022 . https://archive.today/20130706115502/http://www.catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8795:inaugural-cum-thanksgiving-mass-on-friday-24th-may-2013-archbishop-goh-announces-line-up-of-key-office-bearers&catid=265:announcements . 6 July 2013 . dead.
