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).
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| St Michael's Church |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Church of Risen Christ |
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| 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.
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| Novena |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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