SINGAPORE - The Roman Catholic cathedral here is marking the beginning of a new era in its long history, with two weeks of special events beginning with a special dedication mass on Tuesday (Feb 14).
Centuries-old traditions were enacted at the 173-year-old Cathedral of the Good Shepherd at Bras Basah Road that evening as water was sprinkled on the walls of the cathedral and Archbishop William Goh blessed the cathedral's new altar with an incense burner.
Among some 2,000 guests and members of the public witnessing the ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say and Members of Parliament, as well as Council of Presidential Advisers chairman JY Pillay and Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.
The cathedral, which was gazetted a national monument in 1973, underwent a three-year restoration completed in November 2016.
It is also home to Singapore's oldest pipe organ, an instrument built in 1912 that was overhauled together with the cathedral.
The event ended with a night tour of cathedral and its newly refurbished grounds.