11/05/2026
The Church on the Hill St Joseph is an original to celebrate the 180th Anniversary of our beloved Church in honour of our patron Saint Joseph.
The song is also dedicated to my grandfather, Joseph Chin, who started our family life line in St Joseph’s.
He was cared for by the French Catholic missionary after his parents were killed during the persecution of Christians in China then.
During the uprising of the Boxer rebellion the French missionary were expelled from China hence my grandfather left China with the French missionary in 1880 in a Chinese Junk, when he was about 10 years of age.
Arriving at Singapore he stayed and work as a kitchen help at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. When they saw the need to have more Priests at St Joseph’s Church at Bt Timah, He was posted here likely with Rev Fr Vignol & Rev Fr M Belliot, when he was about 20 and serving as a cook.
He later married a local woman in St Joseph’s Church and lived by the bank of Chestnut Dr, in the compound of the now CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace. Together they had 11 children, my Dad was the youngest boy born in 1924. My Dad together with his siblings were all baptised and married in St Joseph’s Church.
My Grandparents and all their children survived WWII except my forth aunty who was killed during an air raid near Dairy Farm. However my grandfather passed away from sickness borne from the war in 1946 at 72 years.
I’m proud to be the 3rd generation and my children, the 4th generations of Josephians and here still serving this beautiful Church… The Church on the Hill.
PS I also like to thank the SAHOP Band for playing the Demo tracks for the Sound & Recording Engineer and Ana for the final touch on the video montage.
Official theme song celebrating the 180th Anniversary of St Joseph’s Church Bukit Timah.
