People shopping for souvenirs ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Singapore at the Catholic Centre on Sept 4. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: How does a flock receive its shepherd? In 1986, when Pope John Paul II made a five-hour visit to Singapore, a seven-member organising committee was put on the task.
More than three times that number now make up the group that has, since January, drawn up the grand and granular plans to host Pope Francis, the man they call Papa, from Sept 11 to 13.
In their charge are over 4,500 volunteers – resident Catholics recruited to sing, cheer, document and otherwise execute the massive logistical operation that is a three-day papal visit.
In keeping with the times, an original theme song, professionally directed music video, new web series and behind-the-scenes clips of the fastidious preparations have been produced for the occasion.
There have been brisk sales of memorabilia including canary yellow bucket hats, T-shirts and a foldable fan with a USB port, with second runs on some items after the first batch sold out.
All proceeds will go towards defraying the cost of the Pope’s visit, said head of the souvenirs and fund-raising committee Lilian Kong.
But the community’s offerings go beyond the glossy to the child-like and handmade.
In mission schools, children as young as four have been making art inspired by the watchwords of the Pope’s Asia tour – unity and hope. A competition open to all primary schools received more than 250 entries, of which the best 20 have been selected to be framed at the pontiff’s lodgings in Singapore.
A non-Catholic girl who completed her drawing over four days took the top prize.
Since August, eager congregations have also been readying welcome banners, with some local churches putting on design competitions and others laying out blank sheets for all who care to leave messages.
And come Sept 11, when the papal plane touches down, some 1,000 Catholics drawn from all 32 parishes will break out the bunting at a welcome procession at Changi’s Jurassic Mile.
At the papal mass the next day – the high point of the visit – some 50,000 people in the National Stadium stands will greet the pontiff as he makes his second outing in the Popemobile on a lap around the pitch, with the occasion overseen by police conducting enhanced checks.
The mass lasted two hours in 1986. On Sept 12, it will be a near full-day programme, with all hands on deck – from the youngest volunteer, a 10-year-old choir boy, to the oldest, a 71-year-old in the organising committee.
Soprano Chiarina Napa, who is part of the 1,600-strong mass choir that has been practising since July, said close to 30 songs are being rehearsed. The repertoire includes traditional Latin hymns and popular English ones tweaked to include Tamil, Bahasa Melayu and Mandarin lyrics.
That inclusivity will be replicated in the stands, where seats have been reserved for migrant workers at the invitation of the organisers.
The 35-year-old former Australia’s Got Talent contestant, whose husband sings bass in the choir, said she will be six months pregnant by the time of the mass.
“I get tired really quickly while standing, but people are always accommodating.”
Her favourite hymn is a Latin number, Panis Angelicus. “The old language adds a different dimension.” she said.
“You can feel the weight of the words.”
Gretel Lim, who at 28 is the youngest of the day’s organisers, aims to deliver “capital ‘B’ beauty”, or a genuine experience beyond the aesthetic.
The events management professional and her industry veteran parents are behind the three-act structure of Sept 12. Of the unprecedented seven-hour programme, she said: “There is no one highlight, it’s everything together, the sum of all the parts.”
Though, she is partial to the “emphasis on joy” in the post-mass celebration, she added.
Father Ignatius Yeo, the parish priest of Church of St Anthony and master of ceremonies for the papal mass, likened the event to “putting together a National Day Parade” – a mammoth task made possible by the collective effort of many from different professions, and even faiths.
Chief among the liturgical objects within his remit are the altar, stage and seat for the Pope, made according to specifications issued by the Vatican, he said.
But an additional detail, the “starburst” cross, was carved into the headboard of the seat and stitched into the pontiff’s cope, stole and pointed cap, or mitre. The logo for the papal visit is a subtle reference to the five stars of the national flag and the north star in the Bible.
Father Ignatius said a Polish atelier produced the vestments for the Pope and the hundreds of priests who will be in attendance, in a “process of fabrication very carefully guided and inspected every step of the way”.
After humidity degraded the wood in the altar made for the last papal mass in 1986, his team had the latest one made in marble instead, he added.
These hectic preparations have been matched by less visible moments of quiet contemplation, as churches in the past months organised holy hours – or time carved out for special meditation and prayer – for the papal visit, where attendees considered his messages on environmental stewardship and the plight of migrants.
These causes have been popular among the young. For 19-year-old Ryan Lucas Alexander, Pope Francis’ willingness to “open up” to social norms embodies Catholic values of “not turning your brother and sister away”.
“He always reminds us Catholics of that one teaching, to love the sinner but not the sin,” the student and volunteer altar boy for the papal mass said. “People are always quick to judge, but that’s not what Catholics are.”
For teacher John Lim, preparation is spiritual and takes the form of daily mass. The 46-year-old who is also a part-time Grab driver said he feels a special connection to the pontiff, who is the first pope to wash the feet of women, atheists, Muslims and other non-Christians.
“He cares for the lowly, the women in jail; he washed their feet,” he said, a reference to Pope Francis’ March outing to Rome’s Rebibbia prison, where he washed and kissed the feet of 12 women inmates.
The Pope is also the first pontiff in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history to be a member of the Society of Jesus, and he will be holding a private meeting with the Jesuit chapter on his first day here.
Fellow Jesuit, Father Jerome Leon, hopes to keep the meeting warm and casual.
“Pope Francis is one of our brothers after all,” he said. - The Straits Times/ANN
