About Singapore:
A city-state, Singapore is smaller than the State of Rhode Island, with a population of over five million people as of 2020. The population is a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian. Singapore had been under the governance of Great Britain until it gained self governance in 1959, In 1963 Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia, but left the Federation in 1965 and became independent as the Republic of Singapore. Today, it operates under a conservative parliamentary republic and is known for its cleanliness and low crime rate, making it a popular tourist destination.
There are quite a few cruise lines that sail from Singapore..or make it one of their port calls…including Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Seven Seas and others. If your cruise happens to depart…or arrive…on a Sunday, then you can find a variety of churches that offer Mass. Saint Teresa’s Catholic Church is closest to Harborfront.
The Catholic Church in Singapore:
According to the Archdiocese of Singapore website, there are about 300,000 Catholics in the city-state, about 5.8% of the population. On May 29, 2022, Pope Francis announced that the Archbishop of Singapore, William Goh, would be appointed as a cardinal in August of that year, making him the first native Singaporean cardinal in history.
Singapore was visited by Pope John Paul II on November 20, 1996.…the first-ever visit to Singapore by a Pope. During his brief stop in Singapore, Pope John Paul II met the Singapore president and prime minister, and conducted mass which was attended by about 70,000 people at the National Stadium. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit here in September 2024.
Catholic places of interest in Singapore:
There are many Catholic churches here in Singapore, in addition to those listed below. We will be adding more Singapore pages to our site over the next several weeks. We want to be ready for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis in September 2024.
Cathedral of the Good Shepherd Cathedral for the Diocese, also houses the relics of Saint Laurent
Novena Church: Church of Saint Alphonsus, known as Novena Church. It contains the shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Saint Teresa Catholic Church: beautiful church inspired by the Church of the Sacred Heart in Paris.
Traveling to Singapore:
Singapore has a land border with Malaysia to the north and a border at sea with Indonesia to the south. It is served by many international airlines and, as mentioned above, is a port-of-call for several cruise lines.
