2020- 2021

From 2017 to 2023, I was part of the Parish Building Committee (PBC) overseeing the Addition and Alteration works to the Parish building of the Church of St. Peter and Paul. The existing Adoration chapel, historically one of the eleven houses built in 1897, stands as a standalone building beside Queens Street.

The tabernacle design was the focal point in the Adoration chapel to display the consecrated host for Eucharistic Adoration. The parish priest, Fr. Edward Lim, OCD, selected the Annunciation theme for the tabernacle door artwork, to create a meaningful relationship with the chapel’s name: the Chapel of The Incarnation. The tabernacle artworks relate The Incarnation to the Annunciation —when “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14).

Originally, the plan was to have the doors adorned with artwork carved out of solid cedar wood in the United States by King Richard Liturgical Design. However, due to the worsening global Covid-19 pandemic conditions in 2020, the logistics of delivering the artwork became challenging and uncertain.

I felt a calling and stirring in my heart for quite a few months to attempt the artwork myself. Encouraged by my wife, I suggested to the PBC that I would try to create the artwork in late 2020. With the blessing of the Parish Priest and the PBC, I began the journey of making the artwork.

The Tabernacle doors required both front and back to be decorated. When the doors are closed, they display the Annunciation art, inspired by Antonio Canova’s "The Annunciation"(1821-22). When the Tabernacle doors are open, a pair of angels are depicted in perpetual adoration of the Eucharist. Each of the panels measures 0.7m wide and 1.4m long. It was my first attempt at a bas-relief, and it was challenging both physically and mentally.

The greatest enemy is often ourselves. As I embarked on creating the first panel of the four, conflicting self-doubt and anxiety plagued me. Yet, amidst these struggles, the Lord reminded me of the importance of prayer during the process. A verse from the Sunday second reading resonated deeply: “With the help of the One who gives me strength, there is nothing I cannot master” (Philippians 4:13). These words provided great assurance, and I captured a screenshot, carrying this verse with me throughout the four-month journey.

The bas-relief was completed in 2021 and delivered to Johor to be cast in fiberglass and finished with a metallic coating. Finally, the Tabernacle doors were installed in mid-2021, and the Chapel of The Incarnation was dedicated on June 29th, 2021.

May 9th, 2024