Cathedral of the Good Shepherd marks new era after three-year restoration

SINGAPORE — The heart of town was filled with hymns of praise and tunes from Singapore’s oldest-working pipe organ on Tuesday night, as thousands gathered to celebrate the dedication of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, the Republic’s oldest Roman Catholic church. 

The 170-year-old mother church of the Roman Catholic community here was dedicated on the day of its 120th anniversary on Tuesday to mark the completion of a massive three-year restoration project which started in  2013.

About 2,700 churchgoers and visitors from all walks of life — including Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and several Members of Parliament — gathered at Queen Street to witness the three-hour mass led by Archbishop William Goh.

Throngs of people who did not get a seat in the cathedral or the tentage set up outside were seen looking through stained glass windows. 

Others knelt on the gravel steps outside, with hands clasped while the mass was going on. 

In his sermon, the archbishop said the restoration project was a “daunting task”, and called the congregation to make the cathedral an inclusive and charitable place. 

“You can have the most beautiful cathedral, (but) if it is just only a museum, it will not change lives ... The church belongs to everyone. That is why it is so important, we must never forget that the church must be inclusive, for everyone, rich, poor, (regardless of) language, culture — that is what it means to be Catholic,” he said.

The S$40-million revamp saw conservation specialists dedicating months of research to identify the original colour scheme of the building. The team finally agreed to revert to its original neoclassical scheme of white and dark yellow, with gold highlights in its interior. 

Other highlights of the facelift include new ceramic flooring and a strengthened foundation for the national monument.

Tuesday's ceremony saw Archbishop Goh anointing a new marble altar with chrism oil, then clothing and lighting it. All 32 parishes under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore were represented at the gathering.

Memorabilia made of bricks from the church’s original structure and a book on its restoration were also on sale. 

A devotee who wanted to be known only as Steven said the dedication mass was significant because the cathedral is the centre seat of the Roman Catholic community in Singapore. 

The 80-year-old retiree, who braved the rain to witness the ceremony from outside the cathedral, said: “Like the archbishop said, I hope the community is encouraged to be a giving and serving people, who give to the poor and needy in Singapore.”