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Catholic Church of St.
Bernadette -
Churches, Religious Institutions
Catholic
Church of St. Bernadette
Contact:
Address: 12 Zion Road,
Singapore 247731
Tel: (65) 6737-3529
Fax: (65) 6737-8658
e-mail:
stbern@singnet.com.sg
Website:
http://www.stbernadette.org.sg Categories: Churches, Religious Institutions Company Profile:
Singapore
Catholic parish located at Zion
Road has a website with information about parish history, the
priests, ministries and groups, upcoming events, parish news
History of the Church of St. Bernadette – Singapore
It was 1858…on a hillside far away in Lourdes,
France, 14-year old Bernadette Soubirous, knelt down
to pray and Our Lady appeared to her. On the site
she dug a stream which became a source of healing
and grace to thousands of pilgrims even today.
Bernadette became a nun in 1866 and lived the rest
of her life at the Convent of St. Gildard under the
Order of the Sisters of Charity at Nevers. She died
in 1879 at the age of 35 and was canonized a saint
on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8th
December 1933. . Her still incorrupt body lay at the
Convent of Nevers to this day – a testament to her
holiness and God’s favour.
The Beginning
In commemoration of the centenary of the apparitions
of Our Lady by St. Bernadette, the foundation stone
of our Church was laid on 14th September 1958 by the
late Archbishop Msgr. M. Olcomendy who commissioned
Rev. Fr. Pierre. Abrail to build the Church. In no
time, the zealous priest, with the help of a group
of lay men and women, raised about $200,000, of
which $156,670.31 went into the construction of the
church and the rest on furnishings and fixtures.
Three bells, inscribed with the names of St.
Bernadette and her parents, were imported from
France at a cost of $6,000 while the crucifix at the
main altar came from Italy, for $400. The building
was erected in record time by architect, Alfred Wong
and on 30th March 1959, a mere 61/2 months since the
laying of the foundation stone, it was officially
opened by Archbishop M. Olcomendy. The Church of St.
Bernadette, with its unique structure and the blue
neon-lit crucifix atop the roof, has become a
landmark at Zion Road. Today, St. Bernadette
continues to be a vibrant church, serving nearly
2800 parishioners, despite all the changes that has
taken place around it. And like the shrine of
Lourdes in France, the Church of St. Bernadette is a
source of spiritual grace and a beacon of hope to
many.
Growth of the Parish
In 1997, to make space for its growing community and
its numerous activities, the Church of St.
Bernadette took over the premises of the former CHIJ
Kellock Convent next door, the latter having moved
out to a bigger location. Refurbished to the tune of
$2.08 million, the school building was renamed the
'Parish Centre' and opened on 14th November 1999.
The three-storey high centre now houses the church
canteen, audio-visual rooms, class rooms for Sunday
School, offices, meeting rooms and a gift shop.
In the year 2002, part of the Priest House was
converted into a prayer room or what we call “The
Upper Room”. Renovated at a cost of $85,000, the
Upper Room holds the Blessed Host and offers
serenity and comfort to parishioners who seek solace
and strength. In 2003, an idea for a grotto
depicting the scene of St. Bernadette praying to our
Lady, was mooted and by April 2004, the grotto was
completed at the cost of $25, 741.00. Situated at
the corner of the Priest House, the grotto is
popular with passers-by and parishioners alike who
can be seen praying the Rosary on Wednesdays or just
a short prayer or an act of reverence as they pass
by.
Our Priests
Six parish priests have come and gone, with the
longest serving being Fr. Joseph Tan who was at St.
Bernadette for 14 years from 1982 to 1996. The last
parish priest, Fr. Patrick Goh – who was transferred
in February 2002 to Holy Family Church – served a
total of 17 years, both as assistant priest and
parish priest. Currently, the parish priest is Fr.
Eugene Chong who came to St. Bernadette on 18
February 2002. He is being assisted by Fr. Alfred
Chan and Fr. John B. Tou.
Among the assistant parish priests, the honour of
longest serving goes to Fr. Joseph Chao who served
an impressive 22 years followed by Fr. Pierre
Bouttaz who served 16 years.
Over the years, the Lord has blessed the church with
four priests from its congregation. They are Fr.
Anthony Ho, Fr. Alfred Chan, Fr. Nicholas Ho and Fr.
Aloysius Ong.
Our Congregation
From its humble origins of serving the local
Catholic community in the surrounding areas, a
significant 35% of its congregation now comprises of
foreigners. This is in keeping with the changing
landscape of Singapore as it becomes more
cosmopolitan.
Besides the English-speaking and Mandarin-speaking
communities, we also have a strong presence of
Indonesians and Filipinos. This diversity of
cultures has greatly contributed to the vibrancy and
variety of talents among its congregation as
manifested in the 50 or so parish ministries and
groups active in St. Bernadette.
The Next Phase
We have, in 2009, in the Golden Jubilee Year of the
Church, completed the renovation of the Church
building and celebrated its Dedication on 18th
October 2009. The beautiful edifice, which was
declared a 'Conserved' building by the URA after the
renovation, stands as a monument not only to the
uniqueness of its architecture but as a testament of
the enduring love, care and concern of its
parishioners for their church. With the building
secure and solid, our focus will now inevitably
shift to the upgrading of its software – our
parishioners and all those who come into its
motherly embrace. The Church of St. Bernadette, has
been and will be, well poised to meet new challenges
as it continues in its mission of witnessing Christ
to the world in the spirit of a participatory church
and in the simplicity and style exemplified by St.
Bernadette of Lourdes.
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