The past lays the foundation for the future: Opening a special heritage centre in Novena Church.

So glad to open Novena Church’s Redemptorist Heritage Centre, at the invitation of the Church leaders.

The Centre traces the history of the first group of Redemptorist priests who arrived in 1935 to serve the local community. They spoke Chinese dialects, Malay and Tamil. They were imprisoned during World War 2; picked up the pieces after the war and built the Novena Church in 1950.

After the opening, I had a treat of not only touring the collections at the painstakingly curated centre; I toured the renovated Church with its gothic architecture and was told the labour of love in building the Novena Church to its current majesty.

Churches are never meant to be mere buildings and Catholics and non-Catholics flock regularly to the Novena Church to seek solace and peace.

I’m glad the Catholics play an active role in nation-building and contribute to the state of religious harmony in our beloved Singapore.

God bless all of you.