Events

Jointly organized by the Asia Research Institute, Department of Southeast Asian Studies, and Department of History, National University of Singapore.

CHAIRPERSON

Mr Bryan Goh, Department of History, National University of Singapore

 
PROGRAMME

ABSTRACT

This event invites local experts to illustrate how Catholicism exists beyond parishes and religious practices. Catholics in Singapore might not typically fathom a place for Catholicism to be practiced beyond the confines of their parish or their homes. Undoubtedly, Catholic institutions transcend the boundaries of the parishes and interact with other sectors of society, community, and even the broader world. This roundtable highlights the ways in which Catholic institutions in Singapore engage Catholicism beyond the observances of religiosity: through charitable organizations, interreligious dialogue, and academic study. What makes an organization ‘Catholic’? Who are the stakeholders? How are ‘Catholic’ identities emphasized and reiterated within a secular and multicultural society like Singapore? What are the struggles and tensions that arise from this endeavour of bringing Catholicism beyond the boundaries of the parish and into society, and what strategies does the Church provide in response? Through this roundtable, we hope to arrive at a better understanding of the integration of the Catholic Church into Singapore society and better understand the ways in which the Church functions beyond the parish.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Gerald Kong is Executive Secretary of the Archdiocesan Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism Centre of Singapore (AIRDECS) who has served as a bridge-builder in interreligious and ecumenical relations for the local Catholic Church for the past 12 years. He completed his Licentiate in Systematic Theology at the Loyola School of Theology in Manila with a particular focus on Missiology in 2012 and was awarded a Master of Arts in Theological Studies by the Ateneo de Manila University in 2013. He was a key organiser of the Vatican’s 2nd Christian-Taoist Colloquium in Singapore in 2018. Due to his full-time involvement in interreligious dialogue, he was an invited guest at the inaugural General Conference held by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences in Thailand 2022, and was appointed as the moderator of one of the panels at the Vatican’s 8th Buddhist-Christian Colloquium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in May 2025.

Krisha Vishinpir is Research Fellow and Senior Partnerships Executive at Caritas Singapore, where she leads research on emerging social service needs and sectoral gaps. She works closely with social service agencies, faith-based organisations, and external partners to surface ground realities, promote knowledge exchange, and strengthen collaborative responses. Her work includes facilitating communities of practice, curating cross-organisational learning initiatives, and supporting research processes that advance evidence-informed practice across the Caritas network and the wider Catholic community. She holds a PhD from Monash University. Her doctoral thesis—Crossing Boundaries: The Negotiation of Islamic Practices by Muslim Refugee Women in Malaysia—examines how stateless refugee women, particularly from the Rohingya community, leverage displacement to challenge and renegotiate restrictive religious and cultural norms. Grounded in feminist epistemology and constructivist grounded theory, her research interrogates the intersections of gender, religion, and displacement in Southeast Asia. She is passionate about bridging research, policy, and practice to support marginalised communities and inspire more inclusive systems of care.

Arthur Goh graduated from the Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry of Boston College and has been working as an educator for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore for 25 years.

REGISTRATION

Registration is closed, and instructions on how to participate in this hybrid talk has been sent out to registered attendees. Please write to ziqi@nus.edu.sg if you would like to attend the event.