In the dim light of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd’s sacristy – the room where items used for church services are kept – Mr Jevon Liew was examining a brass crucifix and a matching pair of candlesticks.

That morning in 2013, he noticed that they bore identical French inscriptions around their bases.

Translated, the words proclaimed a significant milestone in the history of the Catholic Church in Singapore: They were gifts from France to the cathedral in 1897, the year of its official consecration.

Mr Liew, 32, who leads a group of men who help the priests during services, has since unearthed many treasures from the nooks and corners of the 169-year-old building in Queen Street.

Some, like an elaborately filigreed chalice belonging to the Right Reverend Edouard Gasnier – the first bishop of the Diocese of Malacca when it was revived in 1888 – were in use until the cathedral was closed for restoration in 2013.

Others, like the amethyst pontifical ring of Archbishop Michel Olcomendy, the first archbishop of Singapore, remained unidentified until the discovery of a 1951 Straits Times photograph that showed the late archbishop wearing the large, purple stone on his gloved hand.

Heavenly finds in the most unlikely places

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The Straits Times

“Items were found in the most unlikely of corners, waiting to be discovered,” said Mr Liew, who has for several years combed the recesses of the cathedral for items worth keeping. Some were on a high shelf while a few were hidden under robes used by the priests. The service book used by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1986 was found inside a filing cabinet in a dusty storeroom.

Monsignor Philip Heng, 61, the current rector of the cathedral, feels each item has a unique story.

He said: “Historical artefacts such as these immortalise a particular period of the Church’s rich heritage through the unique artistic expressions of master craftsmen.”

He added that there are plans to exhibit some of the items in a new heritage gallery on the cathedral grounds.

The items will be professionally maintained so that they are preserved for posterity.

For Mr Liew, an urban planner, these treasures are a physical link to past generations of Catholics.

He said: “Imagine the thousands of people over the last 169 years who may have said a silent prayer in front of those vintage statues .

“Imagine Pope Saint John Paul II who, in 1986, flipped through the pages of his white service book which is now in our collection. We have a duty to protect and preserve these for future generations.”

This article was first published on June 30, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

From tomorrow, Uber users will be able to pay less if they share their commute with strangers through a new ride-sharing service.

Called UberPool, drivers will be notified if there are other commuters headed in a similar direction, and will be able to pick up as many passengers as their vehicles permit.

Passengers will be able to save up to a quarter of the fare of a conventional UberX ride, typically the firm’s cheapest option, regardless of whether another passenger gets on along the way.

Fares are also displayed upfront for the service, which will be available through the existing Uber app, unlike UberX in which passengers can only view an estimate of the lowest fare before booking a trip.

A trip from Tanglin to Changi Airport, which would cost at least $20.05 using UberX, would be $15 on UberPool.

Uber Singapore general manager Warren Tseng said the new service is meant to address what he termed “look-alike” trips, with multiple passengers taking similar routes.

“We see a lot of trips going in the same direction, around the same time of day,” he said.

He believes UberPool would appeal to more price-conscious Singaporeans. But “UberX is still there for people who don’t want to share a ride and are willing to pay a bit more to get straight from point A to point B,” said Mr Tseng.

Uber driver Richard Kang, who has been driving full-time since August last year, thinks he can earn more using UberPool as it would reduce his down-time between trips.

“I will be able to get more trips along the way,” the 57-year-old said, although he admits it would take some time to learn how to maximise his earnings through the new service announced yesterday.

Singapore is the third city in South-east Asia with UberPool, after Manila on June 15, and Jakarta last month.

Uber plans to launch the service, which is available in 39 cities worldwide, in at least 10 other cities in Asia.

UberPool differs from other carpooling services such as GrabHitch and Ryde in that it is a commercial service.

It is not bound by carpooling regulations which stipulate that drivers can offer only two rides a day and payment cannot exceed the expenses incurred for carrying a passenger.

Sales executive Fiza Sulaiman used UberPool several times when she visited San Francisco last year.

She said that while she was the only fare on most of her trips, it did not inconvenience her when there were other passengers.

“Their route was on the way so there was no fuss,” said Ms Fiza, 33, adding that the service was “super cheap”.

National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng believes that despite the lower fares not many will be willing to try out UberPool.

“I’m not sure that people will be flexible enough to want to detour from their usual route to pick up other passengers,” he said.

azhaki@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 30, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.