Many a time, there is a confusion between the different Christian denominations in Singapore. There are Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Evangelists, Pentecostals, Assemblies of God and many other smaller churches normally categorized under the larger Protestant section.

For the Greek and Russian Orthodox Christians, they also emphasis on the important role of Mary, the mother of a man who lived 2000 years ago in Israel named Jesus, just like the Roman Catholics. The larger section of Christians, the Protestant section consisting of various denominations reject this theological concept that Mary should have such a important role as they believe that only God in the form of Jesus should be honoured and prayed to. That is the difference between Catholic and Protestants.

After Father Anselmo Yegros, many more missionary priests like him came to Singapore. Between 1830-1832, there came a French missionary priest named Father Jean Marie Beurel from the religious order called the Mission Entranges le Paris or also known as the Paris Foreign Mission who built the first Catholic church building which was situated along Bras Basah which was later converted to a school by the name of Saint Joseph’s Institution. The church later went on to become the country’s cathedral or mother church. This church was built in 1832. Father Beural was not very happy with the church and decided to embark on a fund raising campaign to relocate the church and build a bigger one as the Catholic population at that time was slowly rising. He wrote to the British colonial government in Singapore at that time requesting for a parcel of land, which the church now stands. It was granted. He travelled all over the world collecting funds for his new church from Europe all the way to the Philippines. Bells were cast from Philippines. Finally his hard work paid off as in 1846, the church was completed. He had commissioned Denis McSwinney, who once worked for George Drumgoole Coleman as a clerk to build this new church.

George Drumgoole Coleman was a well-known architect at that time whose style in constructing building influenced not only McSwinney, but also many other architects after him. Blessed, named the Church of the Good Shepherd and opened in that year, the church had a congregation consisting of a mixed crowd mostly who were not local. That soon changed over the years as many Chinese and Indians were converted and there was soon no place to accommodate everyone. A new church had to be built to help ease the overflow of worshippers. In 1870, a new church was completed located in Queen Street, the same vicinity where the first mass was said some 45 years ago. It was now home to the fast growing number of Chinese and Indian Catholics who shifted over just across the road. Named the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, it was a solution to accommodate the growing population. Soon, it became too crowded and another church was built in 1888. This church is located in Ophir Road and was named the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes. This church was built for the Indian Tamil-speaking Catholics. Soon among the Chinese Catholics, there was constant problem between the Hakka-Cantonese speaking Catholics and the Teochew speaking Catholics. The Hakka-Cantonese speaking Catholics were unhappy having to attend mass in the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul and they wanted a church catering solely to their needs. In the year 1910, the Church of the Sacred Heart was built located along Tank Road. In 1929, the church of Saint Teresa was built to serve the needs of the Hokkien speaking Catholics. The Church of Saint Teresa is located along Kampong Bahru.

So, it took the Roman Catholic Church in Singapore more than 100 years to come to where it is today. Now well established with a diocese of 31 churches, it has a population of about 300,000 mostly who worship in the neighborhood churches.