The Ordination of the Coadjutor Archbishop of Singapore

About three days ago, I attended the Mass of the Ordination of the Coadjutor Archbishop in my country, Singapore. It was indeed a very special day for myself and my family.

The Mass was held at the Singapore Expo Max Pavilion, because according to our prior knowledge, about 14,000 Singapore Catholics would be attending (not counting the bishops from the region, parish priests, deacons, choir, altar servers, dignitaries and local government officials. Even the President of Singapore and his wife were in attendance)


[image credits] This is obviously not my picture because I forgot to take a picture of my ticket. It was by ticket-only admission...because there was simply so many people! You would have been considered fortunate if you could have a seat within the Max Pavilion itself! Some people had to be seated in the next hall and could only view the events of the mass via screens. So I feel very fortunate that my family and I could witness for ourselves firsthand the mass and ordination.

The atmosphere at the venue was lovely. We started with praise and worship at 6.30 since the mass would only begin at 7.30. We also got a gift bag with a booklet containing all the mass hymns and readings, which was very useful because a lot of the components of the mass were in Latin. If I'm not wrong, they used the Solemn form of the mass. There was also a pamphlet explaining the Coadjutor Archbishop's different ceremonial dress for different occasions.

Another reason why this event was especially special because the Coadjutor Archbishop was a former parish priest at my church, as well as the current Archbishop. I remember him preaching the homily while I was a young child. I remember he had a loud booming voice which commanded respect. Later on, he moved  on to become the Rector at the St. Francis Xavier Major Seminary of Singapore.

I think one of the most emotional parts was when the Coadjutor Archbishop's personal Anthem was played and everyone sung it. His motto is "Ut Vivant", which means "That they may live", signifying how the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep so that they may live. It was truly a profound and emotional moment, because his Anthem also stated his will and resolve to be a Good Shepherd for the people.



I will continue to pray for His Grace that he will continue to serve God's people in Singapore with the heart of a Good Shepherd. Ut Vivant!