By Christopher Khoo
SINGAPORE — The two huge Christmas trees in front of the sanctuary in the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd are slowly seeing star-shaped objects hanging on their branches. However, instead of these being mere ornaments, they are actually thanksgiving prayers or petitions.
Massgoers started writing these prayers and hanging them on the trees after Vice-Rector Father Xavier Nathanial urged them to do so towards the end of the cathedral’s daily lunchtime Mass on Dec 17.
He encouraged Massgoers to take the star-shaped cards from several baskets in front of the sanctuary, write thanksgiving prayers on them, and hang these on one of two Christmas trees in front of the sanctuary.
Many Massgoers responded to his invitation and within minutes, many cards were seen hanging on the trees’ green branches.
A notice placed in front of the sanctuary, titled “Our Tree of Prayer & Thanksgiving”, urges Massgoers to “take a moment to give thanks to God for His faithful presence through the year”. It encourages them to hang their thanksgiving prayers or petitions on the trees “as a sign of our shared prayer and gratitude”.
(Christopher Khoo is a Singapore-based freelance journalist and educator).
