Faith Journey - City North

I started the bike ride from home at 11.30 am, rather late for a bike ride on Monday 19 Aug 2013 - however I made a quick calculation of the time required for the ride to the four Catholic churches of City North and gave myself five hours.  The churches were - St Michael's,  Risen Christ (Toa Payoh), St Alphonsus (Novena) and St Ignatius ( King's Road).

St Michael's Church

St Michael's Church

There were several routes I could take to St Michael's which was off Serangoon Road, and finally decided to take the Orchard-Newton-Balestier route and as it was late in the morning, I rode on the roads rather than on the foot paths (which was a lot safer), and arrived at the Church within an hour.
The church took its name from the street it was on - St Michael's Road - in fact this area was commonly known as "streets of saints". You will find, St George's, St Lawrence, St Francis and St Barnaby all in this area of Serangoon.  The original church was built in 1961 and the first Parish priest was Fr John Lei.

Statue of St Michael the Archangel

The church as it stands today was rebuilt in 1993 owing to the growing number of parishioners.  Churches are usually quiet on weekdays and St Michael's was no exception, I was told that the parish priest had just retired into his study and I didn't wish to disturb him, so I went inside the church to pray for family and friends.  Some 10 years ago I was in the church to say good bye to my old friend HS Lim - the altar was quite new and there was an air of freshness then - today I felt that the furniture and fixtures were old and tarnished, the freshness was absent. 

The next stop was Toa Payoh.  I remembered that years ago, I could walk from Whampoa to St Michael's Road so today, I cycled around to find the link and before long I found a pedestrian tunnel under the Central Expressway - which led to Whampoa and Toa Payoh and soon I was at Lorong 6 and time for lunch with a quick bowl of noodles.  Then I saw a familiar face in Francis whom I had not seen for some months - a pleasant fellow and very busy as usual although he had retired from years of hard work. I told him I was on my way to Church of Risen Christ.

Church of Risen Christ

Church of Risen Christ

Sited at the heart of busy Toa Payoh Central, this church was built in 1971 to meet the needs of the growing population of Toa Payoh.  I had hoped to meet some friends who were helping in the office administration, but they were not around.  So I wandered up the church proper to to say my prayers.  Once outside the church, I wanted take a photo with me on the bike to prove that I was actually there - waited for 10 minutes for some good Samaritan to snap the photo but no suitable candidate passed by.  A group of lady office workers passed by me and I overheard one said " How can I attend the church when the priest did not practice what he preached".  Out of the context, I wondered if she was referring to the church she had just walked past.

Next stop was Novena church - and as grey clouds were forming fast, I hurriedly rode to Balestier Road, thru Jalan Rajah, then to Novena which was only 20 minutes away.  The exterior of Novena church (1935) looked old and unattractive - but not for long as the church will have major renovations to the tune of $45 million and in three years time, catholics in Singapore will be so proud of the new majestic prayer powerhouse of Mother Mary.  It was 2.30 pm and devotees were streaming in for the 3pm service.

Novena

Novena

  On Saturdays, the Novena church is packed with worshippers like sardines - with standing room only for those who come 15 minutes before service starts - the wardens do a great job both inside the church and outside on the parking lots for all the Saturday sessions - many who come  are not catholics - but ordinary people asking God for forgiveness, compassion and mercy. "When We Pray -  God Listens".

 St Ignatius Church is a long way from Novena, and I did not waste any more time - and hurried along Bukit Timah Road turning off at Farrer Road then Kings' Road.

Church of St Ignatius

Somehow, I was not impressed by the  Church building facade - it did not appear to be welcoming at the entrance.  After securing my bike, I searched around for the entrance to the church proper but it was not obvious - I managed to find it after taking the lift up to the first floor.  I was even less impressed with the interior - I thought there was lack of symmetry leading to the altar and the crucifix appeared small for the expanse of the wall behind.  The strong light from the outside shone through the glass direct on to everyone who faced the altar.

Church of St Ignatius

I spent a short while inside, and shut my eyes to avoid the glare which was a great distraction.  It was 4.30 pm  before I left for home - It took me an hour to reach home, making today's ride one of my longest bike journeys of faith.

Faith Journey - City Central

Monday morning is my biking day, but on this particular Monday morning of 12 August 2013, I was not feeling up to it.  I had returned from a week's holiday in Vietnam and had eaten too much "pho" and now feeling a little lethargic from a week of inactivity. So I just let the morning pass lazily, reading the papers and revisiting some of the things I saw and experienced in Vietnam.  Grace had left for the Canossion School for Hearing Impaired where she spends half a day with the hearing -impaired students to improve their oral English ability.  The cloudy day outside was so inviting  - that I decided to do the City Central Church pilgrimage - giving myself 3 hours to cover 5 churches -  not a lot of time but then most of the stops were centred around Bras Basah Road.

Church of Sacred Heart

I started from home at 2 pm and and it took me 30 minutes to reach the Church of the Sacred Heart in Clemenceu Avenue.  I was in luck as the first person I saw was Fr Paul, he was on his afternoon rounds and was saying his prayers at the Grotto.  After some pleasantries, I went inside the church to do the usual - prayers for family and friends.  This church, built in 1910 was originally for Cantonese speaking congregation - it was nicely renovated a few years ago with a lively interior.   I am quite impressed by the choir the last time I was there.  I was told that the church feeds the hungry daily.

Cathedral of Good Shepherd

The next stop is the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, where the Archbishop has residence.  The first and oldest Catholic church in Singapore, it was completed in 1847, largely through the efforts of Fr Jean Marie Beurel (MEP).  The British had built the St Andrew's Cathedral a few years earlier. 

Nails and Planks on the Pillars

I went inside to spend some quiet moments - there were the few tourists and devotees of the Divine Mercy.  The interior looked old and well preserved with many relics and tombs of former priests, after all it is more than 150 years old. The grounds and the building structure is in urgent need of repairs.  I saw some small potholes made by earth movements causing structural damage to the walls and pillars.  The many nails and planks on the pillars reminded me of the cruxifiction of Jesus Christ. Funds are now needed to restore the cathedral to its former glory as the first and oldest Catholic church in Singapore

Just outside the gates of the Cathedral is CHIJMES an upmarket place for entertainment and food .  The preserved buildings were the former Convent of the Holy Infant School for girls (1854).  CHIJ as it was known was the oldest Convent, school and orphanage run by the Catholic Church in Singapore.  Grace will tell me stories of the Convent as she had spent 10 years of schooling there.  The old Convent Chapel is preserved but not used for Church services, it is rented out for weddings and other functions.  Today CHIJ school is in Toa Payoh and is still supervised by the IJ Sisters.

Chijmes

Across Bras Basah Road is the Singapore Art Museum (SAM)  - the former St Joseph's Institution (SJI) a boys' school run by the Christian La Salle Brothers from 1852.  SJI had moulded many of the nation's' leaders including President Tony Tan and DPM Teo Chee Hean.   Today SJI is at its new campus in Malcom Road.

St Joseph's Institution

Singapore Art Museum (SAM)

 Just behind the Art Museum in Queen Street is the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (1870). In the early days this church served the Chinese and Tamil speaking communities.  I was told that for many Chinese Catholics, this church was regarded as the "mother church" because it was through the ministry of this church that someone in the family first became a Catholic.

The tomb of Fr Pierre Paris is found in the church.  Fr Paris who spoke 5 local languages: Cantonese and Hakka, Malay, Tamil and Christao (Portugese spoken in Melaka) spent 28 years in Singapore and Malaysia.  Renovation work was ongoing while I toured the grounds.  From the church grounds I could see a building with markings as "Sino-English School" (1837), supervised by Fr Becheras of the Church.  This school was later renamed the Catholic High School and to this day is one of the top schools in Singapore where its strength lies in its bilingual curriculum.  Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spent his schooldays through the gates of this building.  Today Catholic High School is at its new premises in Bishan.

It was 3.45 pm and I need to push on - next is the church of Saint Joseph at Victoria Street, just a short walk from where I was at Queen's Street.  Saint Joseph's Church was built in 1851 by the Portuguese Mission for Portuguese and

St Joseph's Church

Eurasians - it was later transferred to the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Singapore in 1981.  This church is also currently being renovated with help from the National Heritage Board since it has been gazetted a National Monument.  I couldn't help but to walk into the church to look at the century old stained glass panels and said my prayers for peace and forgiveness.

Stained Glass Panels at St Joseph's Church

My last stop was the Church of the Lady of Lourdes (1888) at Ophir Road.  So I biked along busy Queen Street and almost missed the church - but found it as I turn by head back - I had ridden past the buildings in my eagerness to locate it.  This church built in 1888 was the first Tamil church in Singapore.  It was also gazetted as a National Monument in 2005.  Inside, the church was beautifully decorated after the renovation in 2010.  There are several Tamil masses a week besides the English masses.

Lady of Lourdes Church

Lady of Lourdes Church

As it was getting close to rush hour traffic, I rode home taking the Stamford/Fort Canning and Clemenceu Roads then to River Valley and back to Henderson Road in 40 minutes - I had to stop at Henderson Market for a cool Ice kachang ($1.20) and getting home at 5.15pm  - 15 minutes behind schedule.

Year of Faith - Pilgrimage on Mountain Bike - City East

In June, I went on a long bike ride with my friend Paul to Kampong Buangkok, starting from the Church of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin via Punggol Waterways.  It was a very fruitful ride, because along the way, I learned quite a few things, like the health benefits of the seed of the Sky Fruit.  We also found the location of the old kampongs in Lorong Buangkok.  I also had guided tour of the Church.  This was where Paul suggested that we should take a Faith Journey on bicycles to all the Catholic churches in Singapore.  This started me to do some planning to bring the project to fruition.

Church of St Bernadette

I sounded some of my biking friends, but none could commit as they had work or other commitments - so I decided to start on my own and then perhaps others will join me in any of the rides.

On a sunny Wed morning of 17 July 2013, I started at 8 am on my first of the many faith journeys.  My first stop was the Church of St Bernadette (1959) at Zion Road,  this took me about 20 minutes ride from home.  St Bernadette's Church can be considered "my home church" as my faith was nurtured here, it was also the church where I was married and later baptised, where many of my friends were married in.  I therefore spent some quiet moments inside the church praying for my family and friends.

After taking a few photos, I was on my way along Zion Road towards Bukit Theresa off Kampong Bahru, reaching there in a about 15 minutes.  I went up the steep slope to the Carmalite Monastery (1938) the powerhouse of prayers.  I did not go inside as it was not visiting time - so after quiet prayers I rode to Church of St Teresa (1929) which was a few hundred meters away. This church initially served Hokkien speaking Catholics.  An unfortunate accident occurred during the construction of the church when Fr Emile Joseph Marriete was killed by a falling plank while inspecting the site. I then said a short prayers at the cupola. St Teresa's church is also close to my family - the children attended Sunday school - and Grace and her friends started the Library and also managed the church canteen for 13 years .

Carmalite Monastery

Church of St Teresa

Next stop was the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Commonwealth Drive.  I decided to take the old KTM railway tracks - the entrance is at Silat road and will lead directly to the Church of Blessed Sacrament.  The bike ride was a little bumpy even though there were no rails or sleepers - soon I was picking up speed in the deserted trail as I could see stormy clouds ahead and true enough before long the rains came and I had to stop below an overhead road to take shelter. I rested for a short while and when the rain stopped temporarily, I mad a dash along the tracks and was out at Tanglin Halt which was quite close to the Church.  I went inside the church to say my prayers - while a little wet.

KTM Trail

 The Church of Blessed Sacrament built in 1963 is a national monument because of its iconic structure.  I remebered quite well that in 1964,  a few architecture student friends took me for a guided tour of this newly built church designed by Architect YG Dowsett. We were shown some design aspects of this church.   That was half a century ago. Then the rain poured for quite a good 20 minutes while I took refuge inside this lovely church supervised by the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary.  When the rain stopped it was already 11.30 am and although I had planned to end the trip at the Church of the Holy Cross at Clementi Road, I decided to head back home as the roads were quite wet and slippery. 

Church of Blessed Sacrament

Church of Holy Cross

Three days later, on a Sat morning, I took the bike out to the Church of the Holy Cross (1980) at Clementi Road. This is also a lovely church which was renovated a few years ago. I left after saying my prayers at the grotto.