Tamil Christians

The history of the Christian community in Singapore dates to the arrival of Stamford Raffles in 1819. That October, Raffles appointed a committee to establish the city, and the London Missionary Society (LMS) concurrently founded a mission in Singapore. The LMS opened the door to the Christian faith and facilitated its early spread. Historical records indicate that Catholic Tamils were present in Singapore as early as 1821. Subsequently, Protestant denominations—including Anglicans, Methodists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, and Presbyterians—established a presence among local Tamils. According to the chronicles of church workers, initially, evangelising the Tamil community proved challenging. Many Tamils were transient immigrants with economic ambitions, and Christianity’s association with colonial powers compounded resistance. Nevertheless, by the end of the 20th century, a distinct Tamil Christian identity had emerged, and the community had grown substantially. Anglican and Catholic missionaries, among others, ministered to Tamil congregations in Tamil. William F. Oldham and Indian preachers established the first Tamil Methodist Church in 1887, followed by the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1888. Other churches, including the Pasir Panjang Tamil Methodist Church (1927), and Seletar Tamil Methodist Church (1935), were later founded. An interesting historical note states that in 1885, Oldham, a Tamil-speaking Englishman, began a prison ministry¸ conducting regular Tamil-language services for inmates at the Bras Basah Road–Bencoolen Street junction.

Christian missionaries contributed not only to religious development but also to education. One of the pioneering educational institutions initiated by the missionaries was St. Francis Xavier Malabar School, established in 1859 by the Roman Catholic Mission to educate Tamil youth. In 1862, the Christopher Murugappa Pillai School followed. In 1885, M. Gnanamuthu, a Tamil catechist sent from Rangoon, established a Tamil school that enrolled about 45 pupils. Despite various hardships, the school endured for many years, serving the educational needs of the Tamil community. In 1887, Australian missionary Sophia Blackmore founded the Tamil Girls' School with an enrolment of nine girls. This school was part of the "Work among Girls and Women" initiative and was later merged with another English school to become Methodist Girls’ School. Also in 1887, C. W. Underwood, a Tamil preacher from Jaffna, and Oldham played key roles in supporting the school. Ramakrishna Rao offered a small shophouse on Short Street rent-free for the mission school, and another benefactor, Murugesu, donated 60 dollars to pay the teacher's salary. The Missions Estate School was established in 1913 by the Methodist Mission and was the only registered Tamil school in Singapore at the time. To reach out to families around Kampong Bahru, the Infant Jesus Sisters began classes for Tamil girls at the Church of St. Teresa in 1929. The school eventually evolved into a co-educational institution offering primary education in both English and Tamil. This school became the nucleus of present-day St. Teresa's Convent School. Historical records indicate that four Tamil mission schools existed in Singapore before the Second World War. During World War II, when Singapore was occupied by the Japanese, local church leaders such as Dr. David D. Chelliah and Rev. S. M. Thevathasan joined other clergy and lay leaders to organise social welfare programs, church talks, Bible study groups, and more —with the concurrence of the Japanese authorities.ஃ

The Anglican Church has been one of the significant religious institutions for Singaporean Tamils. Its Indian mission began with the construction of St. Andrew's Mission Chapel (later renamed St. Peter's Church). Historical records state that a Tamil church was established in 1856 at the chapel on Stamford Road. Peter Tychicus, a Tamil catechist from Chennai, led the church’s work. His ministry focused on Tamil soldiers and their families, and he was commissioned to distribute gospel tracts among the Tamil-speaking population of Singapore. His wife and daughter were also involved in teaching at Tamil schools. Graduates of church-run schools went on to attain important leadership roles. Among such pioneers were Chelliah of the Anglican Church and Bishop T. R. Doraisamy, both of whom became prominent educators in Singapore. Chelliah was recognised for his proposal on a bilingual education policy in his doctoral thesis in 1940, and Doraisamy served as Principal of the Singapore Teachers’ Training College in the late 1960s. Today, about seven percent of Indian Singaporeans are identified as Catholic, and about five percent belong to various Protestant denominations. A sizeable number of Tamil Christians also remain members of independent churches outside the major Catholic and Protestant umbrella groups. The remarkable development of Singapore's Tamil Christian community is evident in the fact that many churches, which initially conducted services exclusively in Chinese and English, later introduced services in Tamil as well. The Tamil Christian community has made substantial contributions, with its members active in diverse fields such as politics, education, the arts, commerce, and philanthropy.



For more information
Thirst. (n.d.). Young and brave: Who were the missionaries who founded our schools?. Accessed on August 1, 2025. https://thirst.sg/mission-school-founders/
Methodist Girls’ School (MGS). (n.d.). Our Heritage. Accessed on August 1, 2025. https://www.mgs.moe.edu.sg/about-us/our-heritage/
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Christianity in Singapore. Accessed on August 1, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Singapore
Doraisamy, T.R., ed. (1985). Forever Beginning: One Hundred Years of Methodism in Singapore. Singapore: The Methodist Church in Singapore. (Call no.: RSING 287.095957 FOR)
Tambiah, Joseph. (2020). The History of Anglicanism in Singapore 1819-2019: The Bicentenary of Divine Providence. Singapore: Armour Publishing
Wong, James. (1973). Singapore: The Church in the Midst of Social Change. Singapore: Church Growth Study Centre. (Call no.: RSING 275.957 WON

தமிழில் வாசிக்க

Return to home page

About the Encyclopedia

The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.