Anglican Diocese of Singapore
| Anglican Diocese of Singapore | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 聖公會新加坡教區 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 圣公会新加坡教区 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
The Anglican Diocese of Singapore (Chinese: 圣公会新加坡教区; pinyin: Shènggōnghuì Xīnjiāpō Jiāoqū) consists of 26 Anglican parishes in Singapore and 6 deaneries throughout the Asia region. It has an established history of church-planting as well as providing educational, medical and social services in Singapore and the neighbouring region. The Diocese of Singapore is in communion with the See of Canterbury. St Andrew's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the diocese.[1]
Currently, the diocese is headed by the bishop and former vicar of St John-St Margaret Church, the Right Reverend Rennis Ponniah.
Diocesan coat of arms
The coat of arms of the Diocese of Singapore which belongs to the category of ecclesiastical heraldry, consists of a mitre surmounted on a St Andrew's Shield. The mitre symbolises apostolic authority and divine endorsement to govern the Anglican diocese in the region. The crozier symbolises the bishop's episcopate and the key represents the access to heaven. Emblazoned upon the St Andrew's Shield are four bunches of wheat symbolising the harvest fields which God has entrusted to the diocese.
History
In 1881, St. Andrew's Church was made the cathedral church of the then newly established Diocese of Singapore, Labuan and Sarawak. A diocese over such a large area was quite unmanageable, and in 1909 Singapore was made a separate diocese, with Bishop Charles J. Ferguson-Davie as the first bishop of the diocese. On 6 February 1960, it merged with another diocese to form the Diocese of Singapore and Malaya. On 8 April 1970, the diocese was dissolved and split into Diocese of Singapore and Diocese of West Malaysia.
Parishes
To date, there are 26 Anglican parishes in the diocese:
- St Andrew's Cathedral
- All Saints' Church
- Chapel of Christ the King
- Chapel of Christ the Redeemer
- Chapel of the Holy Spirit
- Chapel of the Resurrection
- Christ Church
- Church of Our Saviour
- Church of the Ascension
- Church of the Epiphany
- Church of the Good Shepherd
- Church of the True Light
- Holy Trinity Parish
- Light of Christ Church Woodlands
- Marine Parade Christian Centre
- My Saviour's Church
- St Andrew's Community Chapel
- St George's Church
- St Hilda's Church
- St James' Church
- St John's Chapel
- St John's–St Margaret's Church
- St Matthew's Church
- St Paul's Church
- St Peter's Church
- Yishun Christian Church (Anglican)
Deaneries
There are six deaneries in the Diocese of Singapore:
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Laos
- Nepal
- Thailand
- Vietnam
A dean oversees the mission work in each deanery and regularly reports to the director of missions of the Diocese of Singapore. The present director of missions is the Right Reverend Rennis Ponniah who is also the dean of St Andrew's Cathedral.
Schools
Anglican schools in Singapore:
- Anglican High School
- Christ Church Secondary School
- Saint Hilda's Primary School
- Saint Hilda's Secondary School
- St. Margaret's Primary School
- St. Margaret's Secondary School
- Saint Andrew's Junior School
- Saint Andrew's Secondary School
- Saint Andrew's Junior College
In addition, there are six kindergartens and six child development centres.
Medical services
The St Andrew's Mission Hospital (SAMH) is a non-profit voluntary welfare organisation under the Diocese of Singapore. It is the corporate headquarters that oversees its several medical arms such as:
- St Andrew's Community Hospital, located at Simei Street 3; over 100 beds
- St Andrew's Mission Hospital Clinic, situated at SACH, this clinic provides medical out-patient care to those who are 19 years old and younger
- St Andrew's Lifestreams, located at St Andrew's Village, this Centre provides counselling services primarily for Anglican schools
With the re-location of St. Andrew's Community Hospital to Simei, SAMH plans to redevelop the Elliot Road site into a centre for helping autistic youth and adults. St. Andrew's Autism Centre will be an integrated and comprehensive centre providing medical, education, day care, vocational training, job placement and respite care services. SAMH is working closely with the Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Education on the setting up of this centre.
See also
- Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia
- Church of England
- Bishop of Singapore
- Christ Church Bangkok
- Singapore and West Malaysia Diocesan Association