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Church of the Holy Family

The Church of the Holy Family, on Chapel Road in Katong, was built in 1932 and became the centre of activity for the Catholic community in East Coast. The church's beginnings were humble, starting off with a group of four families gathering at the home of the LaSalle brothers, used as a makeshift chapel for prayers. Land for the construction of a chapel was donated by a wealthy Eurasian, James Scheerder. But as the chapel proved to be too small over time, it was demolished and the Church of the Holy Family was erected on the same site. The church was made into a Parish in 1936. 

History
When East Coast Road was constructed in 1902, many Eurasians converged at Katong to acquire land and soon established themselves as a distinct community in that area. Eurasians being devout Catholics, saw the need for a church to be built for their own community. However, before a church could be constructed, they gathered at the residence of the LaSalle brothers for prayers. Originally just four families gathered at the residence of the LaSalle brothers for prayers. The LaSalle brothers lived in timber houses in Katong (which were torn down in the later years to make way for the St. Patrick's School) only during their vacations, and therefore their home was used to house temporary chapel facilities.

In the decades to come, Katong established itself as a developing suburb. As the temporary chapel facilities housed in the brothers' residence proved to be insufficient, Father Pierre Ruaudel, who was then the Parish Priest for the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd at Queen Street, organised mass to be celebrated at Katong's first cinema hall. This cinema hall was the predecessor of Roxy Cinema. When the Catholic community continued to expand in size, Father Ruaudel approached a wealthy Eurasian, James Scheerder, for a piece of land for a chapel to be built. Scheerder consented on condition that the land must not be put for sale. Plans for the new chapel building were ready by early 1922. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Barillon and by the following year, the building was ready to be used. The building was consecrated on 11 November 1923 and it was named the Chapel of the Holy Family upon the request of Scheerder.

The late 1920s and the early 1930s saw a sustained growth of the Catholic population in Katong. The presence of good schools and the church, which was the centre of activity for all Catholics in Katong, attracted many Eurasians to the area. This population growth soon extended to Peranakan Catholics. The Chapel of the Holy Family was faced with a problem of lack of space. Therefore in August 1931, the chapel was torn down to pave way for the construction of a bigger place of worship. In its place, the Church of the Holy Family was erected in 1932. The church was blessed on 19 June in the same year. In 1936, Bishop Perrichom decided to make the church a parish. Holy Family's pioneer Father Ruaudel was appointed the first Parish Priest on 25 April 1936. He organised the first Christmas Midnight Mass in the church that year. He held his appointment for more than a year before his demise on 6 July 1937. In the meantime, urban development led to many people coming to live in the nearby rural area of Siglap. This resulted in an even greater number of the Catholics attending the Holy Family Church. In 1955, Father Rene Ashness, the parish priest of Holy Family conceived a plan for another Catholic church to be built in Siglap leading to the birth of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in 1961.

The Church until the 1990s remained a one-storey building with a distinctive belfry. In 1997, it began major renovation works at a cost of $10 million resulting in a four-storeyed air-conditioned building with a distinctive facade, stained glass windows, more comfortable seating and parking space at the void deck. The project took more than one-and-a-half years to complete and parishioners had to make do with masses held at St Patrick's School Hall in the mean time. Today, the Church can accommodate up to 2,000 worshippers with several ministries offering different services by the church.

Variant Names
Holy Family Church



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References 
Kong, L., & Chang, T.C. (2001). Joo Chiat: A living legacy (pp. 37, 102). Singapore: Archipelago Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 KON)

James, J. (2000, December 1). Can Katong's laid-back charm be saved? The Straits Times, Home, p. 12.

Lum, M. (1997, September 11). Katong landmark church to be redeveloped. The Straits Times, Life!, p. 3

Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. (n.d.). History. Retrieved on August 11, 2003, from
www.olps.org.sg/history.html 

Church of the Holy Family. (2003). About us. Retrieved on August 11, 2003, from
www.holyfamily.org.sg/aboutus.asp





Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Religious Buildings
Ethnic Communities>>Customs and Traditions
Singapore--Church history--19th century
Catholic church buildings--Singapore
Eurasian--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Religious buildings
People and communities>>Social groups and communities

Librarian Recommendations
>> Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
>> Queen Street
>> East Coast Road


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