Catholic Church of St. Ignatius
Catholic Church of St. Ignatius – History Of Them
The Jesuits got asked to construct and manage a parish church in Singapore’s West area in late 1957 by then-Archbishop Michael Olçomendy. At that time, a kampong with cottages, coconut palms, and chickens surrounded Kingsmead Hall in Catholic Church of St. Ignatius.
Fr. Tim Doody was dispatched from Hong Kong to collect the required cash. The church’s interior furnished by Fr. Kevin O’Dwyer, the clerk-of-works. He was designated provisional parish priest in February 1961, when it first opened, and he finally served in that capacity until September 1974.
Parishioners contributed money for the construction – of the parish hall and catechetical centre, finished in July 1973 on the site of a former football field used by Kingsmead Hall students. In 1990, the Sacred Heart Hall, part of the new parish hall addition, opened for schools, gatherings, and the Sunday cafeteria. The church’s sanctuary underwent renovation in the same year.
6000 Catholics attend seven weekend Masses, which now serves a growing number of expatriate and Filipino families.
Baby Baptism
Children under the age of seven may receive an infant baptism. A parent who requests that their kid get baptised acknowledges that they have come to terms with the fact that the child’s baptism marks the beginning of a lifetime commitment and that they and the child’s godparents will be responsible for raising the child in the faith.
It gets thought that children seven and older have the capacity for reason. As a result, before being baptised, the youngster – has to acquire faith development at Catholic Church of St. Ignatius.
The 21st century
At the end of the second century, the parish priest at the time, Fr Leslie Raj SJ, started a project to build a new church to accommodate the expanding flock. Priests and the community had the same vision for a new structure that would enable parishioners to fully and actively participate in all church events and allow for a thorough understanding of the Roman Catholic liturgy.
The Building Advisory Committee, made up of parishioner volunteers with expertise in finance, design, engineering, and communications, had a difficult task ahead of them. Additionally, committees for the cemetery and the parking lot got formed. The enormous burden of generating the anticipated $14 million required for the project fell to the fund-raising committee. Activities got planned for all parishioners to participate in and own the new church while members looked for large donations.
By the end of 2001, sponsorship of objects including religious relics, sacred locations, and cash gifts had brought in $3 million. A 40th-anniversary dinner earned $593,000, while a charity golf outing in August 2001 brought in an additional $190,000. Smaller initiatives included the holiday cookies, St. Ignatius teddy bears, and a parishioner’s country singer’s Christmas CD, among many others. Donations poured in from all different backgrounds. Before construction got finished, the entire $12.3 million – was raised thanks to project-related cost reductions.
The parishioners can operate a soup kitchen and offer breakfast on Sundays thanks to a new adoration room, canteen, and commercial-grade kitchen. To lead the social aspect of the parish, then-parish priest Fr. Philip Heng SJ established a Social Mission Core Team. An upscale bazaar that earned over $350,000 to support ambitious initiatives for the underprivileged and needy got things off to a flying start.
