Singapore celebrates the Year of Faith with a new website and catechesis
Singapore, 12 September 2013: With a special website and numerous live events, the
Risen Christ Parish in central Singapore has called on the Catholic community to pay
more attention to the Year of Faith launched by Pope Benedict XVI last October, centering
its action on catechesis and the spiritual growth of the faithful through the study
of the Word of God. For Fr John Sim, head of the Committee for the Year of Faith,
it is "important" to share the faith and "not take it for granted."
Indeed,
following Pope Benedict XVI'S announcement, the parish responded immediately, he said,
setting up a committee to "brainstorm and propose" various activities with the aim
of helping the faithful to rethink the role of faith in their lives, taking into account
the different ages and the respective cultural background of its members.
The
8,000-strong congregation has people from different nationalities, including Malaysians,
Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans and Indians. In addition to the English language, Mandarin
Chinese, Tamil, and Tagalog are spoken in the parish.
For the Year of Faith,
a group of people created a website that contains materials like Benedict XVI's apostolic
letter Porta Fidei, as well as information about the Year of Faith, the catechism,
and other resources.
"We also have 40 strong lay apostolate groups," Fr Sim
said, "and it is our responsibility to train them."
In order to strengthen
parishioners' faith, Risen Christ established the "Parish Renewal Experience", which
will become a permanent programme, the cleric said.
The parish also hosted
quiz gatherings on the faith, which Fr Sim described as "encouraging, interesting
and successful."
Ahead of October, the month dedicated to the Virgin Mary,
Risen Christ Parish is working on an exhibit on Marian devotion and her role in the
divine plan of salvation.
This is an important point of reference and a significant
event for Singapore's 200,000 Catholics who represent 5 per cent of the city-state's
population. Source: AsiaNews