Saint Joseph's Church, Bukit Timah
Saint Joseph's Church (Chinese: 聖若瑟堂) is a Catholic church in Bukit Timah, Singapore. It is located at Upper Bukit Timah Road along the boundary of the Bukit Panjang and Bukit Batok planning areas, within the Northern District of Singapore. Established in 1845, Saint Joseph's Church is the second oldest church in Singapore, after the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, and is also the last remaining Catholic church to feature a cemetery.[1]
| Saint Joseph's Church | |
|---|---|
| Saint Joseph's Church, Bukit Timah | |
| SJC Bukit Timah | |
聖若瑟堂 | |
 Saint Joseph's Church in 2024 | |
 | |
| 1°22′05″N 103°46′01″E / 1.3679361°N 103.7669635°E | |
| Location | 620 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 678116 |
| Country | Singapore |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Website | https://stjoseph-bt.org.sg/index.php |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Kranji Chapel |
| Founder(s) | Anatole Mauduit |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Gothic and Romanesque design |
| Groundbreaking | 1846 |
| Completed | 1853 (current building) |
| Administration | |
| District | North District |
History
editKranji Chapel (1845–1900)
editIn December 1845, Father Anatole Mauduit, M.E.P. (1817 – 1 April 1858) made his way to the Straits Settlements (present-day Singapore) in search of Chinese Christians who were labouring away in plantations.[2] Mauduit was from Coutances, Normandy, France, and studied Chinese.[3]
He was sent to the Straits Settlements by Jean-Marie Beurel and, in 1846, founded a Mission Station near the Kranji River, the Kranji Chapel, a small attap chapel.[4][5] Mauduit was paid £30 per year for his work.[6] By 1853, his congregation had grown so large that he had to build a new chapel – Saint Joseph's Church, at the present site. Mauduit fundraised to build the new chapel that was described as a "Palladian portico supported by six Doric columns".[6]
Many would make their way to Saint Joseph's Church every Feast Day to celebrate.[7][8] This devotion to Saint Joseph's Church came soon after the arrival of the statue of the saint, Saint Joseph, in 1861.[9]
Relocation and rebuilding (1901–2000)
editChristians of Saint Joseph's Church faced multiple problems such as secret societies, tigers, plantation failures, and a dwindling congregation.[2][10]
In the 1910s, the parish priests decided to plant a rubber plantation around the church and this helped to bring Christians back to the district. By the 1930s, Saint Joseph's Church had become a pilgrimage destination for Christians of Malaysia and Singapore. After the war, many families settled in the districts around the church, this was also the Baby Boom generation.[5]
When Father Joachim Teng (1911–1994) took over of Saint Joseph's Church in the 1950s, he tackled the overpopulation at the parish by beginning the process of rebuilding the church with no resources.[2][11] One way that Teng raised money was by organising a food and fun fair at the parish every Feast Day, since then, it has become a church tradition.[7][8] Teng also reared cattle within the church's compound to produce milk which he then sold for income.[11][5]
Teng finally completed the new Saint Joseph's Church in the early 1960s. Saint Joseph's Church was blessed on 30 August 1964 by then-Archbishop Michel Olçomendy.[12]
In 1991, the parish installed life-sized Stations of the Cross around the church's boundary – these have since become an important part to the church's devotional traditions.[5][13] During the Season of Lent, Catholics would make a pilgrimage to the church to journey along these Stations.[13] In 1995, the parish’s columbarium was opened and blessed by then-Archbishop Gregory Yong, this was followed by the building of a new parish hall in 1997.[2]
Saint Joseph's Church, Bukit Timah (2001–present)
edit
On 1 May 2012, then-Archbishop Nicholas Chia consecrated the church. The church's Rosary Garden is another life-sized pilgrimage and devotion trail that was blessed on 25 March 2017 by Archbishop William Goh.[14] Mauduit's headstone is also located in the garden.[1]
On 9 November 2024, a parish priest was stabbed by a Sinhalese man during a communion at the parish’s monthly children's mass.[15]
Architecture
editSaint Joseph's Church was rebuilt by Father Joachim Teng in the 1950s to accommodate the larger congregation size and the new design also showcases the church's Chinese heritage.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "St Joseph's Church cemetery – the last Catholic resting place of our early missionaries". catholic.sg. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "St Joseph's Church (Bukit Timah)". catholic.sg. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Ong, Siang Song (12 March 2020). One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore (Annotated ed.). World Scientific Publishing Company. p. 47. ISBN 9789811217647.
- ^ Pilon, Maxime; Weiler, Danièle (2011). The French in Singapore. Continental Sales, Incorporated. p. 49. ISBN 9789814260442.
- ^ a b c d "Saint Joseph's Church (Bukit Timah)". www.roots.gov.sg. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ a b van Wyhe, John (2013). Dispelling the Darkness: Voyage in the Malay Archipelago and the Discovery of Evolution by Wallace and Darwin. World Scientific. pp. 77–78. ISBN 9789814458818.
- ^ a b "The great St Joseph's Church Bukit Timah celebration". catholicnews.sg. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Church of St. Joseph (Bukit Timah) celebrates 160th feast day". catholicnews.sg. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "8000 pay respects to patron saint". New Nation. 3 May 1971. p. 3. Retrieved 13 August 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ "TIGER, TIGER, TIGERS!". The Straits Times. 28 August 2016. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ^ a b "The priest who started a farm and rebuilt the church". The Straits Times. 28 August 2016. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ^ "ARCHBISHOP WILL BLESS NEW CATHOLIC CHURCH". The Straits Times. 28 August 1964. p. 5. Retrieved 13 August 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ a b "Catholics retrace Christ's footsteps". The Straits Times. 20 April 2019. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ^ "St Joseph's Rosary Garden blessed". catholicnews.sg. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Priest stabbed during mass at St Joseph's Church in Upper Bukit Timah, assailant arrested". CNA. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
Further reading
edit- Liew, Clement (1995). Mission on a Hill, Far, Far Away: Church, Community, Society. Singapore: St. Joseph Church. ISBN 9789810995348.
- Mah, Sara (2021). From Outpost To Church (1821 - 2021): Singapore's Catholic Journey. Singapore: The Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore. ISBN 9789811823855.