{"id":39523,"date":"2026-03-26T23:59:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T15:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=39523"},"modified":"2026-03-26T23:59:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T15:59:39","slug":"singapore-largest-number-of-new-catholics-this-easter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=39523","title":{"rendered":"Singapore: Largest number of new Catholics this Easter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>After a decade, more than 1,200 catechumens and candidates prepare to enter the Church, as the Archdiocese of Singapore highlights growing interest in the faith.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><b>By Fr. Mark Robin Destura, RCJ\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"article__readmore\">\n<div class=\"teaser--labelEvidence teaser teaser--type-article \">\n<article>\n<div class=\"teaser__contentWrapper\">\n     <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/en\/pope\/news\/2026-03\/pope-leo-xiv-at-audience-second-vatican-council-18-march-2026.html\" title=\"Pope at Audience: &#039;Every baptized person is to bear consistent witness to Christ&#039;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"teaser__image\">\n       <picture><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-original-set=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/agenzie\/images\/afp\/2026\/03\/18\/09\/1773824171351.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.500.281.jpeg\"><source media=\"(min-width: 340px)\" data-original-set=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/agenzie\/images\/afp\/2026\/03\/18\/09\/1773824171351.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.500.281.jpeg\"><source data-original-set=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/agenzie\/images\/afp\/2026\/03\/18\/09\/1773824171351.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.500.281.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-original=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/agenzie\/images\/afp\/2026\/03\/18\/09\/1773824171351.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.500.281.jpeg\" alt=\"Pope at Audience: 'Every baptized person is to bear consistent witness to Christ'\"\/><br \/>\n       <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n       <noscript><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/agenzie\/images\/afp\/2026\/03\/18\/09\/1773824171351.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.500.281.jpeg\" alt=\"Pope at Audience: 'Every baptized person is to bear consistent witness to Christ'\"\/><br \/>\n       <\/noscript><br \/>\n      <\/figure>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n      During his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV continues reflecting on the Second Vatican Council&#8217;s &#8216;Lumen gentium&#8217; and insists that &#8220;every baptized person is an active agent of &#8230;\n     <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Catholic Church in Singapore is preparing to receive its largest group of new Catholics in the past ten years this coming Easter.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Office for Catechesis (OFC), around 978 catechumens and 155 candidates participated in the English-language Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion held on February 21 and 22 at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Church of Christ the King. About 111 catechumens and six candidates took part in the Mandarin Rite of Election last March 1.<\/p>\n<h2><b>The journey toward Easter<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The Rite of Election, typically celebrated on the First Sunday of Lent, marks the final stage of preparation for those entering the Church.<\/p>\n<p>Catechumens, those not yet baptized and candidates, already baptized in other Christian traditions, are formally presented to the Church as they prepare to receive the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.<\/p>\n<p>During the liturgy, catechumens approach the altar to inscribe their names in the \u201cBook of the Elect,\u201d signifying their commitment to follow Christ and their readiness to be fully initiated into the Church.<\/p>\n<h2><b>\u201cGod is choosing you\u201d<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>According to the report of the Catholic News Singapore, OFC Catechetical Director Fr. Terence Kesavan reminded the participants that faith is ultimately a response to God\u2019s initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have made a choice to come to church and to learn more of God and the faith,\u201d he said. \u201cBut today, we are celebrating God\u2019s choice: God is choosing you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also encouraged the faithful to see the Lenten season not only as a time of sacrifice but as an opportunity for deeper conversion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe more important question,\u201d he said, \u201cis whether these practices help us become who God wants us to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><b>Strengthening faith through Scripture<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Reported by the Catholic News Singapore, in his homily, Cardinal William Goh urged the catechumens to deepen their relationship with God through daily reflection on Scripture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to be strong in your faith, you need to spend at least half an hour each day reflecting on the Word of God,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Stressing this season of Lent he said, \u201cLet us take time during this preparation period for Easter to acknowledge our sinfulness and brokenness in all humility without excuse or self-justification. Only then will we be free from our past and share in His life of joy, love and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article__embed article__embed--unwrap article__embed--photo\">\n<figure>\n   <picture><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-original-set=\"\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/marzo\/23\/ROE-JZT-1ROE826-ACaem.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.1500.844.jpeg 2x, \/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/marzo\/23\/ROE-JZT-1ROE826-ACaem.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg 1x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-original-set=\"\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/marzo\/23\/ROE-JZT-1ROE826-ACaem.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.1000.563.jpeg 2x, \/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/marzo\/23\/ROE-JZT-1ROE826-ACaem.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.500.281.jpeg 1x\"><source srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-original-set=\"\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/marzo\/23\/ROE-JZT-1ROE826-ACaem.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.500.281.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-original=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/marzo\/23\/ROE-JZT-1ROE826-ACaem.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg\" alt=\"Cardinal William Goh during the Rite of Election\" title=\"Cardinal William Goh during the Rite of Election\"\/><br \/>\n   <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n   <noscript><br \/>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/marzo\/23\/ROE-JZT-1ROE826-ACaem.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg\" alt=\"Cardinal William Goh during the Rite of Election\" title=\"Cardinal William Goh during the Rite of Election\"\/><br \/>\n   <\/noscript><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>\n   Cardinal William Goh during the Rite of Election \u00a0 (Catholic News Singapore VITA Images)\n  <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>Stories of conversion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Among those preparing to enter the Church is Dr. Susanna Bay, 55, from the Academe who said she had long felt drawn to Catholicism despite her Protestant background.<\/p>\n<p>Encouraged by Catholic friends and her experiences in marriage formation programs, she eventually joined the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) together with her mother.<\/p>\n<p>Another candidate, Mr. Wang Xi Heng, 22, a National Serviceman originally from China, shared how he encountered the Catholic faith through his landlady after struggling with cultural adjustments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first, the Mass felt confusing,\u201d he recalled. \u201cBut over time, it became a source of strength for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><b>Evangelization and witness<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Fr. Kesavan noted that while no formal study has been conducted, the increase in numbers may be linked to active evangelization, especially among young people, as well as the positive impact of Pope Francis\u2019 visit to Singapore in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is through the evangelization efforts of the Catholic community that people are touched and inspired to want to follow Christ,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>As Easter approaches, the Archdiocese of Singapore prepares to welcome this new generation of faithful each with their own story of faith, conversion, and hope.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/en\/church\/news\/2026-03\/singapore-southeast-asia-baptism-easter-catechumens.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a decade, more than 1,200 catechumens and candidates prepare to enter the Church, as the Archdiocese of Singapore highlights growing interest in the faith&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}