Church of the Holy Family, Singapore

The Church of the Holy Family, also known as Holy Family Church and Katong Catholic Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Singapore. It is located at Chapel Road, Singapore, and has one of the largest parish populations in the archdiocese.

History

The church itself was founded in early 1902 by four Eurasian families living in Tanjong Katong. They purchased plots of land in the area, as did Mr James Leonard Scheerder, who developed a coconut plantation around Marine Parade, Chapel Road and East Coast Road. The De La Salle Brothers also bought a plot of land in the area, and is now occupied by St. Patrick's School. Mass was celebrated during the holidays in the buildings they owned along the East Coast, now developed into East Coast Park.The beginnings of its actual structure only came about shortly after World War I, when Reverend Father Pierre Raudel, the then-parish priest of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, approached Scheerder for the donation of some land in Katong to build a chapel for the growing Catholic community in the area. Mr Scheerder conceded to the request on the condition that the land was to be used for the chapel and to be returned to the donor's estate if it were not used by the chapel. Regardless, in 1922, the foundation stone of the chapel was laid. The chapel was completed and consecrated to the Holy Family by Bishop Marie-Luc-Alphonse-Emile Barillon on 11 November 1923. As the growing Catholic community had outgrown the small...
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