SINGAPORE, Sept 9 (Askume) – Filipino hospital administrator Anna Galarita and Filipina maid Olga Reyes have been practising for months in preparation for Pope Francis’ visit on Thursday to join a 1,500-member choir during his visit to Singapore.
Both women and Singaporean engineer Raphael Lau, who will serve as priest during the Mass, took time to volunteer and practice their roles for the pope’s first visit to the island nation in 38 years.
“It’s every Catholic’s dream to meet the pope. Because it feels like being with God,” said Reyes, 52. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime story that I can tell my grandchildren, ‘Oh, I’ve been there, I’ve seen the pope, I’ve been to Mass. I’ve been to the pope’s home.'”
Liu, 66, said the visit made them feel special. “This is a once in a lifetime event for us.”
Francis, 87, arrived in Singapore on Wednesday and despite health problems will stay in Singapore from Sept. 11 to 13, the final leg of his longest trip as pope. The 12-day itinerary includes visits to Indonesia , Papua New Guinea and East Timor .
In Singapore, he will hold a mass prayer meeting for 50,000 people. He will also meet Singaporean leaders, visit nursing homes and engage in interfaith dialogue with local youth.
For many Catholics living in Singapore, this will be their first meeting with the Pope. The last papal visit was in 1986, when Pope John Paul II stayed here for five hours.
The Singapore government said then-President Tony Tan Keng Yam extended the invitation during the Pope’s visit to the Holy See in May 2016.
A spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said news of the visit had “sparked a wave of excitement and devotion in our community”.
Emma Leong, 12, from Singapore, said she has been reading about the pope and sharing interesting information with her brother Jonah, 10. Neither attends mass at school on weekdays.
“I wanted to see how different his teachings on God were and how different it was from a normal prayer service,” Jonah said, adding that he also wanted to give the Pope a high five.
Catholics make up about 7% of Singapore’s 3.7 million citizens and permanent residents, according to the 2020 government census. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese estimates the total Catholic population, including foreign residents, at 395,000, with Filipinos being the largest group.
Although the number of Catholics in Singapore is small, the religion has a long history in the country. Portuguese Catholic missionaries first came to Singapore in the late 15th century.
The town’s first Catholic church opened in 1833, and a parochial school opened in 1852.
The Catholic Church was established as a legal entity in 1885.
For Galarita, 45, a hospital worker who has lived in Singapore for 17 years, the pope’s prayer was a birthday gift. Galarita said she wanted to volunteer in the choir to pray for her mother, who recently died of cancer.
“It’s not only shocking but also blessed because despite this, I was able to meet Pope Francis… I pray for his soul and for those who are suffering from cancer.”
