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History of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Nativity of the BVM is the oldest Catholic church for the Teochew community in Serangoon. The origins of this Catholic church can be traced to an attap-roof chapel that was built in 1853 on Upper Serangoon Road, its congregation comprising mainly Teochew farmers living in Serangoon and Punggol. Subsequently, a brick chapel was built in the area and named St Mary’s Church. Father Jean Casimir Saleilles, parish priest from 1881 to 1911, was responsible for building the present church in 1901.

Father Saleilles also helped to spread the Catholic faith to Johor. He founded the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes (Johor), later renamed the Church of the Immaculate Conception and subsequently designated a cathedral. His good relationship with Sultan Ibrahim of Johor led the Sultan to present the Church in Johor, as well as the Church of the Nativity in Singapore, each a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church of the Nativity’s statue still stands in front of the church building today.

The Church of the Nativity founded many educational institutions in the region, including the Holy Innocents’ High School, Hai Seng Girls’ High School (now Hai Sing Catholic School), Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Punggol (now CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity), and Montfort School.

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was gazetted as a national monument on 14 January 2005.

Source:Wikipedia