Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Singapore (Agenzia Fides) – At the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Singapore,
all the preparations have been made for the celebration of the Pauline Year, declared by Benedict XVI to take place June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009, in honor of the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of the Apostle to the Gentiles.
At the Church, located on Queen Street in Singapore and led by Carmelite Father Thomas Lim, the people are hard at work organizing a series of cultural, liturgical, and pastoral activities to spread awareness among the Catholic and non-Catholic people of the island.
The focus for the celebrations that will take place over the course of the Pauline Year, will be the promotion, study, and familiarity with the texts of St. Paul. There will also be an emphasis on ecumenism.
The Pauline Year in Singapore will officially open during a solemn celebration to take place on the evening of June 28, presided by the local Archbishop Nicholas Chia, who will unveil and bless the bronze statue of St. Paul that has already been placed inside the Church.
During the celebration, there will also be a large book placed at the foot of the altar, where all the pilgrims who come to visit the Church during the Pauline Year can sign their names and write their prayer intentions. The book will be closed at the Year’s concluding Mass on June 29, 2009, which will be presided by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio. It will then be taken to Rome, to the Vatican, in commemoration of the Pauline Year celebrations in Singapore.
There are also special courses for catechists and pastoral care workers planned for this year, centered on the figure of St. Paul, as well as activities for youth and children.
“I hope that the Pauline Year will prove effective in coming to better understand the figure of the Saint and the message in his Letters. I also hope that, through St. Paul, every Christian can rediscover his own vocation and mission,” Fr. Lim said as preparations continue for the many activities planned for the Pauline Year, which will also be attended by Christians of other denominations. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 9/6/2008)
