By Christopher Kostka
PENANG — From 20 – 24 June 2026, nineteen members of the Cathedral Choir of Saint Gregory the Great from the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in Singapore embarked on a sacred pilgrimage to Penang as part of a lead up to their 10th anniversary celebrations.
The choir is a mixed-voice ensemble dedicated to enriching the liturgy of Singapore’s mother Church and sings weekly at the weekend evening Masses, feasts, solemnities, and special liturgical celebrations with a repertoire that spans traditional hymns, contemporary praise, Gregorian chant, and polyphonic works, reflecting the breadth and beauty of the universal Catholic musical tradition.
Worship
Arriving in Penang on a Saturday, their first stop was the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit where they joined the Inspiration Group – parents, caregivers, and friends of special needs children and young adults – to serve at the evening Mass.
The next morning, they sang the Sunday Mass at the Church of the Assumption with the resident choir led by Mr Claude Richards, with Mr Leonard Selva accompanying the combined ensemble on the Church’s historic 1916 pipe organ.
But the highlight of the choir’s pilgrimage was the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the Regional Major Seminary, College General, on 22 June, with Cardinal Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang, presiding.
Historical ties
In his homily, Cardinal Sebastian emphasised the deep historical and spiritual ties between Singapore and Penang, reflecting that the patron saint of Singapore’s Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Saint Laurent Joseph Marius Imbert, was himself a formator at College General before dying for the faith in Korea.
Saint Imbert’s heroic witness—summed up in his declaration, “The Good Shepherd is the one who lays down his life for his sheep”—resonated profoundly with the pilgrims, who were moved to sing in the very place where the saint once formed future priests.
A Memorial Plaque at College General now honours the martyrs who gave their lives for their faith in Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Enduring legacy
Cardinal Sebastian also paid tribute to notable alumni from Singapore, among them Archbishops Nicholas Chia and Gregory Yong and several other long-serving priests. Yong had previously served as Bishop of Penang from 1967 to 1977 before becoming Archbishop of Singapore until his retirement in 2000.
He added that the present Archbishop of Singapore, Cardinal William Goh, was also a College General alumnus, further underscoring the ties between the two dioceses and the enduring legacy of Church leaders from the Penang seminary.
The choir was led by husband-and-wife team Alphonsus Chern and Angela Lim, who with Fr John Joseph Fenelon, directed the Papal Mass Choir when Pope Francis celebrated Mass at Singapore’s National Stadium on 12 September 2024.
Praise and thanksgiving
At the Mass, the choir offered a solemn four-part arrangement of St Thomas Aquinas’s Adoro te devote (Humbly we adore Thee), then concluded with the Anthem to the Blessed Virgin Mary…Salve Regina, their voices filling the chapel with reverence and devotion.
As their hymns resounded through the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, home to a substantial collection of holy relics of the canonised, the memory of the College’s saints and martyrs was stirred in the hearts of those present through solemn reflection and joyful praise.
Choir member Mr Sergio Rinaldi, who helped plan the pilgrimage, said the most meaningful part of the trip for him was witnessing with his fellow choristers how the work of early missionaries in Penang shaped Catholicism in the region – a work still unfolding today.
Another member, Ms Nadine Wong, said she felt very moved knowing she had sung in the very places where priests and martyrs once walked. “This made our shared history and ties all the more tangible,” she said, adding that serving alongside the special needs cantors in the earlier part of the pilgrimage reminded her that “all of us, whatever our gifts may be, can use them to sincerely minister to others.”
The Choir’s blessed pilgrimage was not only a journey of faith, but also a reaffirmation of its mission: to glorify God through sacred music, and to honour and remember the legacy of those close to home who gave their lives for the faith.
