ASIA/SINGAPORE - Archdiocese Singapore to open new Divine Mercy parish

Singapore (Fides Service) - Catholics in the tiny city-state of Singapore (166,000 in a population of 4.5 million) are celebrating the news that a new parish will be opened and it will be dedicated to Divine Mercy. The territory of the new parish, which brings the total number to 31, was part of Holy Trinity parish in eastern Singapore which found it difficult to provide adequate pastoral care for 14,000 Catholics.
Archbishop Chia of Singapore wished for the new parish to be dedicated to Divine Mercy, a devotion most dear to the heart of the late Pope John Paul II. The devotion was started by a Polish Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), beatified in 1993 and canonised in 2000. The new church building should be ready by December 2007. The complex will include parish rooms for youth and adult pastoral activities, catechism and formation. (Agenzia Fides 16/3/2006 righe 18 parole 189)