Sts Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Singapore

Sts Peter and Paul Catholic Church is next door to the hotel I stayed on Queen Street. I never needed any wake up call since the Angelus bells served as my Holy Alarm clock. It is a 10 minute stroll from the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. The church served and still serves the Chinese community although now Catholics from many countries, visitors and residents are ministered to. Filipinos working nearby form a significant congregation who attend the church,While the Catholic cathedral lays claim to be the Mother Church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore, Sts Peter and Paul, built in 1869 can also lay claim as the Mother parish for all the Catholic parishes of Singapore. All the Catholic churches trace their origin from this small neo-Gothic church.

Whenever I am in Singapore, I make it a point to say a prayer at this church before attending to my business in the city. In the evening I make it a point to say a prayer too before hitting the sack at the hotel. I almost always make it for the Rosary. And the last time, I had a chat with a Franciscan friar about what else.... The Anglican ordinariates!

Sts Peter and Paul, the Catholic Cathedral and the Armenian Church of St Gregory the Illuminator lie in Singapore's Museum district. The Armenian church is the oldest Christian place of worship in the city as it was built in 1835. The Armenian presence in Singapore is small but the community was able to build a splendid church which still remains a consecrated space even if services are held rather infrequently.

The museum district hosts the art museum (the former St Joseph's Boys School), the CHIJMES convent (now a complex of restaurants, bars and shops) and the Singapore Management University.

Visitors to Singapore may say a prayer at these churches which served and still serve as outposts of Christian missionary work in Southeast Asia. Today the Catholic and Anglican dioceses still live to their calling as missionaries. It is a good idea to start the day at prayer before attending to business matters or shopping. In the early evening before we hit the party circuit at Clarke Quay, it may be a good idea to drop by the Anglican Cathedral for evening prayer or quiet time.