Churchgoers unfazed as mass resumes a day after suspicious item found at church

Regular churchgoers trickled in as usual for morning mass on Dec 22 at St Joseph's Church in Upper Bukit Timah Road, a day after a suspicious item which was later determined to be harmless was found on its premises.

- Anjali Raguraman Correspondent

About 50 of them attended the first mass of the day at 6.30am, after the church was closed on Dec 21.

At the end of the half-hour mass, the Reverend Peter Zhang addressed the congregation and thanked them for their patience and understanding.

"We are relieved that all of us are well and that we can resume the celebration of masses. Let us give thanks to God for his blessings and for keeping our community safe."

On behalf of the priests of the parish, he also advised parishioners not to make any speculations or uninformed opinions. Parish priest Christopher Lee was also present.

Retiree Nelson Quah, 74, was among those at the 6.30am service. He attends mass on most days, but was not at the church on Dec 21 as he was ill.

Mr Quah said he would continue attending church regularly as he had been doing so for many years, but suggested that more security measures could be put in place during the festive period.

He said he felt very sad and concerned when he found out about the incident on Dec 21.