St Peter’s Church Padungan first service on Christmas eve starts at 11PM, doors open at 10PM
The new Gothic inspired St Peter’s Church in Padungan, Kuching is set to officially open its doors to worshippers this 24th December 2024 to celebrate the midnight mass for Christmas.
Mass schedule for St Peter’s Church Padungan
According to a notice shared by the church, doors to the newly completed church will only open at 10PM, with Christmas Eve Carolling scheduled at 11PM.
At midnight, the church will then hold its first mass, acting as the church’s soft opening.
On Christmas Day, there will be two masses held in the church.
The first one will be the Christmas Morning Mass at 7.30AM, which will also double as the installation of the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, with the second mass being the Christmas Evening Mass at 5.30PM.
After Christmas, all St Peter’s church masses will also be celebrated in the new church with the schedule below.
- Weekday Masses (Tuesday – Wednesday): 7.30PM
- Saturday Sunset Masses: 6:00PM
- Sunday Masses: 7:30AM & 5:30PM
The church is also allowing confession 30 minutes before the Saturday sunset and Sunday masses.
Parking and entry into St Peter’s Church Padungan
To smooth traffic movement during the Christmas eve and Christmas day masses, the church also announced a few traffic related guidelines.
Those driving are only allowed to enter via Gate A (opposite Lot10 Boutique Hotel) and Gate D (Jalan Central Timur 3).
Exits from the compound are allowed from Gate B (Jalan Central Timur 3 at St Peter’s Columbarium), Gate C (St Joseph International School) and Gate D (First junction nearest to the church at Jalan Central Timur 3).
However, it must be noted that there is only 308 car parks within the church area. Therefore, the church advices visitors to park at nearby MBKS carpark, Chung Hua Primary School No 3. and Yun Phin building, all located within a walking distance from the church.
Those with mobility impairment can be dropped of at the two side ramps at the side entrance of the church with only one accompanying family member allowed.
The public is urged to follow the guidance of Rela personnel on duty to smooth traffic flow on both days.
Seating during mass
Seating during the Christmas eve and Christmas day masses will follow a queueing system at the main enterance of the church.
There will be no booking, no selection and no reservation for public seats during masses scheduled during both Christmas eve and Christmas day.
The church will provide a large screen and a limited number of plastic chairs if the church is unable to accomodate the number of worshippers.
Open to public after on 26 December
The church will welcome visitors of all faith from Dec 26, starting at 9AM.
Those interested to visit the church however are subject to prevailing guidelines which include maintaining silence, modest dressing, and caring for church property with the utmost care.
In addition, the church also request all visitors to respect sacred spaces within its building and compound.
The Sanctuary and Altar and Messanine Floor are restricted areas and guest are requested to observe cardoned off areas to observe other restricted areas.
Visiting hours to the church are lsited below.
- Monday to Friday: 9.00AM – 12.00PM, 2.00PM – 4.30PM
- Saturday: 9:00AM – 12:00PM
- Sunday and Public Holidays: 9:00AM – 12:00PM
- Holy Days of Obligations: Closed
Those wishing to visit the church are advised to check for changes to the time stated above as the hours may be affected due to religious events.
Not just a church
St Peter’s Church Padungan first service to start 11PM, doors open at 10PM is not only the newest Catholic church in Kuching, but also a major landmark for the city of Kuching.
In addition to that, the church has been designated as one of the Pilgrimage Centres in the Archdiocese of Kuching for the Holy Year 2025, as declared by Pope Francis, making it an important landmark and place for Catholics across the globe.
In need of final funds to complete church
Despite its soft opening, St Peter’s Padungan Church is still short of about RM8million to completely pay all its contractors and workers. The church has raised RM27 million though fund raising activities, and obtained RM2 million from the government via UNIFOR.
The amount is however still short of the RM38 million price tag to build the church.
Those interested to conntribute to the funds can do so by donating to the account in the poster below.
Note: This article has been amended at 9.12PM, 20 December 2024 to correct spelling errors, further clarify certain words, and include the call for donation.
