About 500 Singaporeans and Filipinos attended a solidarity mass led by Archbishop William Goh at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul on Tuesday evening.

They prayed for the afflicted and shared uplifting bible verses. The Archbishop also shared that he experienced a typhoon himself in Manila when he was there in 1989.

"Natural disasters cause us much grief. Not only the loss of property and homes... but the most painful is the loss of our loved ones," he said, encouraging congregants to pray for healing in the hearts of those affected.

Devotees such as Ms Mai Tatoy, 43, who works for a non-governmental organisation, said it is important for the Catholic community to come together and pray. "We pray for those who have died, those who have survived and are going through a different form of struggle altogether and those who have flown there to help save lives," she said.

The mass, which was also attended by Philippine ambassador Minda Calaguian-Cruz, saw worshippers give to a special collection that will be channelled to the Caritas Humanitarian Aid and Relief Initiatives Singapore (Charis), the Catholic Church's social arm for overseas humanitarian aid.