14 Feb — Dedication of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Singapore, built in 1847. It is located in the Museum Planning Area within the Civic District.
Bounded by the parallel Queen and Victoria Streets, and Bras Basah Road (which runs perpendicular to both streets), the cathedral sits within shaded grounds. Much of its architecture is reminiscent of two famous London churches, namely St Paul’s, Covent Garden and St Martin-in-the-Fields.
The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore and the seat of its archbishop. It is the final resting place of Bishop Edouard Gasnier, the first bishop of the revived Diocese of Malacca, and aptly houses the relics of Saint Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert, to whom the church owes its name.
1 Kgs 8:22-23,27-30
Mt 16:13-19
Listen to the prayer that your servant will offer in this place.
I have often admired church architecture. The different efforts which were put in to represent Man’s testimony to a place of worship for the rest of the world to witness to across different cultures is nice. It allows the individual to discover how Men of each generation interpret beauty in their own way. Yet, it is the people who are inside that I find most important and, it is in light of today’s reading that I feel it is important to reflect on the worshipper community.
The readings remind us that the church is a space for prayer and for people to offer up their joys, sorrows and entreaties to God. Does a church need to be made of bricks and mortar in order for us to be a place of worship? It does need to protect us from the elements, but even without that, it is the sense of community which I believe separates a church from a building to one that is of a place of worship. Community means that a worshipper is able to experience God’s love in receiving the Sacraments and the warmth of the community.
The community in church is important because it allows each one of us to speak to a fellow Catholic who is like-minded. Their presence and counsel can help us make meaning of the struggles we face at work and at home. There is also the support network, which the community can offer in the stages of our life where we are struggling. It is in such circumstances that it is not the stones which lay the foundation of the physical building, but the people within it who are the human foundation.
Brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the dedication of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd of Singapore, may we be reminded that it is not a physical building’s anniversary which we are celebrating, but the Feast of Catholic Community in Singapore — who see the building as a representation of Jesus’s promise to all of us — that he will be with us to the end of time.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Jesus, let me learn what it means to be a person after your own heart.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the love that others have shown us in our church community.
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