A total of 842 catechumens and 165 candidates took part in the annual Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion in Singapore in March, marking a significant step toward full communion with the Catholic Church.
Held at Blessed Sacrament Church on Queensway and the Church of the Holy Family in Katong, the two-day event was presided over by Cardinal William Goh, joined by priests from across the Archdiocese.
According to Catholic News SG, the official news site of the Archdiocese of Singapore, godparents and parish representatives filled the churches in support of those preparing for initiation at Easter.
During the Rite of Election, catechumens—unbaptized individuals—wrote their names in the Book of the Elect, signifying their readiness to receive baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Candidates—already baptized in other Christian traditions—participated in the Call to Continuing Conversion, affirming their intent to be fully received into the Church.
“You need a mission statement, a credo – a set of personal beliefs,” said Cardinal Goh in his homily. He emphasized that faith involves more than belief; it requires action. “If you believe in your heart, you will confess Jesus is Lord of your entire life – your work, family, relationships, wealth; Lord of everything. Then people will see what you say you believe is true, and they too will want to believe.”
Among the catechumens was Queenie Ng, 42, who encountered Christianity at 20 but was never baptized. Six years ago, she left her corporate job to become an embalmer and was later engaged by the Saint Joseph Dying Aid Association, which offers Catholic funeral services.
“Although the funeral industry is profit-driven and can be toxic, the Catholics I met at the Association were simple people who were easily contented,” she said. “They serve not for the money and I wanted to be like them.”
“Becoming an embalmer was God’s plan for me,” she added, explaining her desire to help the deceased look good on their journey to eternal life. Ms. Ng joined the RCIA program at the Church of the Risen Christ in Toa Payoh last July.
Mr Naresh Mahtani, 69, a senior lawyer, also shared his path to faith. “Jesus had always been my hero, but I could not accept how the Church had engaged in persecution historically,” he said. “I was a champion freethinker, and proud of it.”
Despite his wife’s active Catholic faith, Mr Mahtani kept his distance from the Church until personal betrayals and challenges shook him. “I thought life was okay, but I was betrayed by people I had been helping and working with which troubled me both emotionally and financially. Other problems cropped up, I had many questions and my foundations were shaken.”
In his despair, he turned to God in prayer. “I felt Him telling me to go inside the Church and learn about it, instead of throwing stones from the outside.” He joined the RCIA at the Church of St Francis Xavier in Serangoon Gardens and now finds joy in his faith. “Now, the happiest moment of my week is going to church with my wife on Sundays,” said Mr Mahtani, who plans to take Nathaniel as his baptismal name.
A Mandarin Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion for 124 catechumens and seven candidates will take place this Sunday at the Church of the Holy Cross. In total, 966 catechumens and 172 candidates across Singapore are expected to be received into the Catholic Church this Easter.
