Singapore’s Roman Catholic Church is asking for S$238.1 million from Catholic members of the public, in it’s first and largest donation plea made in Singapore.
The S$238.1 million required includes the construction of a new S$150 million mega Catholic Church and private residence for the Catholic priests in Upper Thomson Road, a S$19 million Catholic studies centre and a S$3.1 million private residential property for retired priests. The list of lucrative construction projects are scheduled to be completed within 7 years.
Archbishop William Goh first announced this news to his Catholic devotees on Nov 20:
“The Church does not only serve Catholics, we serve everyone. So if this Church, if it were to be a vibrant, relevant Church, and truly a Church of service, then there are many things we need to do.”
The Catholic Church had an operating expenditure of S$6.9 million in 2015, and they raised the fund through donation drives. The Church holds a S$24.7 million cash reserves, but did not have to dip its hands into the reserves because of its strong donation funding. 3 new centres for spreading the religion were built in 2015 and the church is ramping up on church attendance by asking Catholics to go to church, and, of course donate.