By Xinghui Kok
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Filipino hospital administrator Anna Galarrita and Filipino domestic helper Olga Reyes have been practising for months to be part of the 1,500-strong choir during the papal mass on Thursday when Pope Francis visits Singapore.
The two women and Singaporean engineer Raphael Lau, who will serve as a communion minister during the mass, have taken time off work to serve as volunteers and to rehearse their roles for the first visit by a pope to the island republic in 38 years.
“It’s a dream of all Catholics to meet the pope. Because it’s just like he’s next to God,” Reyes, 52, said. “This is a once in a lifetime story that I can pass to my grandchildren that, ‘Oh, I’ve been there, I’ve seen the pope, I went to the mass. I sang for the pope.'”
Lau, 66, said the visit makes him feel really special. “It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime event for us.”
Francis, 87, arrives in Singapore on Wednesday and stays from 11 to 13 September on the last leg of the longest trip of his papacy despite concerns about his health. The 12-day trip includes visits to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
In Singapore, he will hold a mass for 50,000 attendees. He will also meet Singapore’s leadership, visit an elderly home and hold an inter-religious dialogue with local youth.
For many Catholics in Singapore, this will be their first time seeing a pope. The last papal visit was in 1986 when Pope John Paul II stopped by for 5 hours.
The Singapore government said the invitation to the pope was extended by then-President Tony Tan in a visit to the Holy See in May 2016.
A spokesperson from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said news of the visit “has ignited a wave of excitement and devotion within our community”.
Singaporean Emma Leong, 12, said she has been reading about the pope and sharing trivia with her brother, Jonah, 10. Both will be skipping school to attend the weekday mass.
“I want to see how he teaches differently about God and how different it would be from the normal mass,” said Jonah, who said he would also like to give the pope a high five.
About 7% of Singapore’s 3.7 million citizens and permanent residents are Catholic, according to a 2020 government census. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese estimates the total Catholic population – including foreign residents – to total 395,000 with Filipinos forming the largest group.
Despite the small number of Catholics in Singapore, the religion has a long history in the country. Portuguese Catholic missionaries first came to Singapore in the late 15th century.
In 1833, the first Catholic chapel opened in the city and a mission school followed in 1852.
In 1885, the Catholic Church was incorporated as a legal entity.
For hospital staffer Galarrita, 45, who has been in Singapore for 17 years, the papal mass is a gift as it’s happening on her birthday. Galarrita said wants to offer her choir volunteer services as a prayer for her mother who recently died from cancer.
“It’s just shocking but also blessed because even though this happened, I’m still able to meet Pope Francis… I’m praying for her soul and for those who are sick with cancer.”
(Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)