Our Heritage of Service
It is the heart of the Diocese of Singapore to serve and contribute to society especially in education, medical services and community services.
St Andrew’s Mission Hospital at Erskine Road in 1923
Assistant Bishop Kuan Kim Seng with the stakeholders of St Hilda’s Schools at the Hildan Vision Night in 2016
We have contributed to Singapore’s education since 1834 when the Anglican Chaplain, Revd Fred Darrah, initiated Sunday afternoon classes in Singapore Free School. In 1842, Mrs Maria Dyer, a missionary from London, founded St Margaret’s School, the oldest girls’ school in Singapore. In 1862, another Anglican missionary, Revd Edward Sherman Venn, was recruited to establish St Andrew’s Church Mission School – also known as St Andrew’s School.
By the grace of God, the Diocese of Singapore is involved in the chaplaincy work of 10 schools and 21 pre-schools today.
Our contribution to Singapore’s medical services can be traced back to 1913 when Mrs Dr Charlotte Ferguson–Davie established a clinic for poor women and children in Bencoolen Street. This clinic eventually became St Andrew’s Mission Hospital in 1923.
The Anglican Church later became involved with community service in the early 1950s when a free clinic was set up in Potong Pasir by Mrs Catherine Eng Neo Thomas to serve needy villagers. Her husband, Mr Francis Thomas, who was then the Principal of St Andrews’ School, was roped in to set up the Anglican Welfare Council (renamed Singapore Anglican Community Services in 2004) to carry out community services and welfare work amongst the elderly, poor, destitute and aged sick.
Today, St. Andrews’ Mission Hospital (SAMH) and the Singapore Anglican Community Services (SACS) have a total of 36 centres providing medical, senior, psychiatric, autism as well as family and children services.