Church of the Sacred Heart | |
---|---|
Country | Singapore |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Website | churchofthesacredheart |
History | |
Founded | 1910 |
Administration | |
Diocese | Archdiocese of Singapore |
Clergy | |
Priest(s) | Rev Fr Stephen Yim (Parish Priest), Rev Fr Paul Tong, Rev Fr Micheal Raj |
The Church of the Sacred Heart (Chinese: 圣心堂) is a Roman Catholic church in Singapore. It was founded in 1910 and is one of the oldest parishes in the Archdiocese. The church's feast day is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which falls 19 days after Pentecost Sunday.
Fundraising for the church was begun in 1908 and the church was completed in 1910.
The finances for the construction were largely donated by 3 wealthy Chinese benefactors, one of which was Mr Jacobe Low Kiok Chiang (1843–1911), the founder of the Bangkok and Singapore-based merchant firm, Kiam Hoa Heng. Mr Low was of Teochew descent and was born in Shantou, China. The Church was built mainly for a Cantonese .
On 15 February 1942, the church was damaged by Japanese artillery fire.
The church was first renovated in 1969 and a 3-storey Parish Welfare Hall was established on 21 February 1971. Prior to the completion of the new Community Building in 2008, the top level was used for catechism classes, the second level was a canteen, while the ground level housed a small carpark.
In 2008, the church was renovated again by Parish priest Rev Fr Paul Tay. A 7½ storey community building which houses meeting, catechism and prayer rooms, priest offices, as well as a new cafeteria, was constructed to cater to the needs of the parishioners. A columbarium was also constructed directly behind the main church building. Previously, Fr Tay was also involved in the construction of a columbarium in the Church of St Theresa, as well as the establishment of the Church of the Holy Trinity which has since become the largest parish in Singapore.