Church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary
Know About Church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary
After more than a decade of delays brought on by the start of World War II and the Japanese Occupation, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary finally completed in 1953. Church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary serviced the Catholic residents of the Paya Lebar and Serangoon Fifth and Sixth Mile areas. In reality, the parish established before there was a physical church structure. Mass would said by the priests either at a parishioner’s home or in the school hall of St. Joseph’s Convent. The Cathedral’s first parish priest, Fr Moses Koh, worked there until 1971, under the direction of Fr Michel Bonamy was the vicar-general and parish priest at the time. The congregation’s size was initially small but had a growth spurt in the 1970s.
History
The Church of The Immaculate Heart of Mary parish was initially able to get by with a few straightforward additions to the church structure. It would occasionally take over space from its neighbours, St. Joseph’s Convent and St. Gabriel’s Primary School, for events like catechism courses.
Making due was sufficient until the 1990s, though. With the development of new satellite communities in Serangoon Central, Hougang and Serangoon North Catholic population in the region is rapid. In 1999, a new church structure presbytery, parish centre and retreat centre built. There were no tall structures since the church embraced the “kampong spirit.” Today, the belfry serves as a community beacon and is the only towering structure left.
About
Fr. Louis Louiseau, MEP, who was in charge in the 1970s, devised plans to erect a permanent building and even raised SGD 40,000 for it. However, the Archdiocese rejected his proposals. But the chapel continued to expand. By 1992, the congregation had begun to grow, and the church had gained new wings. Over time individuals cluster around the church and refer to it as their spiritual home. Currently, 6000 parishioners reside there. The parish assembly authorised plans to construct a new church on the Highland Road site in 1999, but they requested that the church’s “kampong” ethos preserved, meaning that there should be no tall structures or the main church on an upper floor, etc.
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Roman Catholic devotional term “The Immaculate Heart of Mary” (Latin: Cor Immaculatum Mariae) refers to the Catholic understanding of Mary, the mother of Jesus, including her joys and sorrows, virtues, and hidden perfections, but most importantly, her love for God the Father, maternal love for her son Jesus Christ, and maternal and compassionate love for all people. The Immaculate Heart is typically portrayed with roses red or white encircling it and wounded with seven swords or wounds in honour of Mary’s seven sorrows.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary’s image, devotion, and theology occasionally use the Eastern Catholic Churches. Similarly, how the Sacred Heart of Jesus is revered, Mary’s Heart revered. The second difference is in the character of the devotion itself: The Roman Catholic Church venerates the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the context of love responding to love passion to the Heart of Mary places equal weight on study and imitation.
