Singapore’s youngest Catholic priest finds his calling — and wins admirers
A viral interview has introduced Father Marcus Dominic Chew, 31, described as Singapore’s youngest Catholic priest, to a wide audience. Chew says he was only nominally Catholic as a teenager before a Gospel reading at Mass helped him discern a priestly vocation; he entered seminary at 22. After initial concerns, Chew’s parents came to support his decision to become a priest, shaped in part by their own experiences of faith and family responsibility. Singaporeans of different religious backgrounds praised Chew’s clarity, humility, and commitment to service, though some viewers said his story did not change their views on religion.
12 小時前
At 31, Father Marcus Dominic Chew is described as Singapore’s youngest Catholic priest. A widely viewed interview about his path to the priesthood has introduced his story to people of different faiths and none, prompting varied responses to its themes of vocation, purpose, and sacrifice.
Chew said he was “Catholic in name” as a teenager, turning to God mainly when he wanted help with exams. He recalled that, after an argument with his parents over what to do after his O-level exams, he attended morning Mass and heard the Gospel story of the rich young man; he felt it answered his prayer and began considering the priesthood.
He entered seminary at 22, after completing National Service. His mother initially worried that priesthood would be difficult and that he might regret spending his twenties in seminary, but later told him she believed he would make a good priest. His father, who had lost his eyesight, also came to support his decision after attending Mass on Vocation Sunday.
Chew was one of four men ordained by Cardinal William Goh on June 1. He serves as assistant parish priest at the Church of the Holy Spirit.
A 14-minute interview with Chew, published by Singapore news site AsiaOne on Oct. 21, had received more than 160,000 YouTube views by Nov. 8. In it, Chew speaks candidly about his earlier, transactional approach to faith and the personal experiences that led him toward priesthood.
Some non-Catholic viewers connected with the story without saying it had changed their views on religion. Sam Ho, who has no religion, described Chew as grounded and purposeful, and said his honesty and commitment to service made him an effective representative of Catholicism. Ho also said the story raised broader questions about purpose, service, and how people understand sacrifice.
Sikh viewer RP Singh said Chew seemed calm and certain about his direction in life. He interpreted the Gospel line “Leave the dead to bury the dead” as a reminder not to cling to the past, and saw the interview as a personal account of choosing a religious life rather than simply a religious story.
Other responses were more reserved. Tang Song Hee, who attended a Catholic school as a teenager, said he had explored religion but had not experienced an epiphany like Chew’s.
Chew said his clerical clothing often prompts strangers to ask whether he is a pastor, creating opportunities for conversation. The interview concludes with scenes from his ordination, which he described as moving because he saw people expressing their love for God and the Church.
Religious vocation, personal discernment, and family support in Catholic theology
In Catholic theology, vocation is not merely a career choice or a private feeling: it is a way of answering God’s call to holiness and service. Discernment involves both personal freedom and the help of others, especially family, priests, and sound spiritual guides. Parents are called to encourage and support a child’s vocation—including priesthood or consecrated life—without deciding it for the child or pressuring the child toward a predetermined path.
A Christian vocation begins with the call to follow Christ, but people live that call in different states of life. The supplied sources discuss marriage, priesthood, and consecrated life, including virginity or celibacy for the sake of God’s Kingdom. They present these not as competing routes to a merely private fulfilment, but as forms of self-giving in Christian life.
The Church’s encouragement of priestly and religious vocations should be understood in that wider setting. A scholarly essay argues for giving consecrated life special priority in discernment, drawing on the Church’s promotion of these vocations. That is the author’s theological position, not a command that every person should choose consecrated life. The same source records Church teaching that parents should help their children choose their vocation and foster any sacred vocation they discern. The key distinction is between recognizing the particular witness and service of priesthood or consecrated life, and treating every individual as if they were called to those states.
Marriage, too, can be understood as a vocation and mission, rather than simply a default for people who do not pursue religious life. The supplied scholarly discussion cites Familiaris Consortio on engaged couples recognizing and accepting a call to follow Christ in marriage, and notes that God continues to call a couple in their married life. It also observes that the Church’s language about vocation has often emphasized priesthood and religious life more explicitly than marriage. That difference in emphasis should not erase marriage as a genuine Christian way of responding to God.
Discernment is the process of seeking to recognize which path of Christian life a person is called to embrace. It is not simply “choosing what feels right,” nor does it require a dramatic or unmistakable experience. The supplied theological writing describes ways a call may be perceived: suddenly, gradually, or through reasonable reflection on how to offer one’s life in service. It also emphasizes the need for guidance from experienced, prayerful people.
The practical elements named in the supplied discussion include self-knowledge—one’s gifts, abilities, and existing responsibilities—along with Scripture, Church teaching, prayer, and spiritual direction. Attention to the needs of others, especially those who are poor, also belongs in that discernment. In other words, discernment involves asking not only what one wants, but how one’s life can be offered faithfully and fruitfully.
A person need not discern alone. The Pontifical Council for the Family says that parental advice can be important, sometimes decisive, and also identifies priests and other properly formed people as possible guides. This accompaniment is meant to help a person discover the meaning of life and the forms of the universal call to holiness—not to take the decision away from the person discerning.
A desire to serve God is therefore a reason to explore a vocation, not proof by itself that a person should be ordained or enter a religious community. The supplied sources distinguish a person’s willingness to offer himself or herself from the further process of discernment and preparation; the essay on vocation notes that Church authorities may still need to assess a candidate’s suitability. A prudent approach gives room for prayer, honest discussion, and appropriate formation rather than treating an initial inclination as a final decision.
The family often provides a young person’s first experience of faith, prayer, virtue, and self-giving. John Paul II describes parents as having a particular role in helping the young develop confidence and patiently discern the Lord’s call. He also urges parents to help their children fulfil a vocation freely, even when a commitment to Church service makes the family uneasy.
Support may be practical as well as spiritual: listening, praying together, speaking respectfully about different vocations, and helping a child connect with well-formed guidance. The family should not assume that a child’s interest in priesthood or religious life is a rejection of the family, nor should it turn that interest into an expectation the child must satisfy. The Church’s family guidelines explicitly say to respect each child’s freedom and encourage a personal vocation “without trying to impose a predetermined vocation.”
The same guidance asks parents to rejoice if they see signs of a call to virginity or celibacy for the Kingdom, and to adapt their formation in chaste love to the needs of that child. It describes the family’s contribution as nurturing and protecting a vocation, while allowing the call to mature.
John Paul II connects that support with the example of family life: young people first encounter Gospel values and self-giving love at home, and need to be formed in the responsible use of freedom. He therefore describes prayerful, sacramental Christian homes as places where vocations can be welcomed. The point is not that a family can manufacture a vocation, but that its habits and example can help a young person become more ready to hear and answer a call.
The Church’s promotion of vocations is a shared responsibility, not the task of parents alone. The supplied sources describe families, parishes, teachers, priests, and laypeople as having roles in fostering vocations and helping young people encounter the distinct forms of service in the Church. Contact with priests and consecrated people can help young people understand what those lives involve.
But encouragement should not become pressure. A parent may honestly hope that a child considers priesthood or religious life, yet the child’s vocation must be personally embraced. In the same way, a young person should not be pushed into marriage merely because relatives consider it the expected path. The standard is neither family preference nor social prestige, but a free, responsible response to God, discerned with the help of sound counsel and the Church.
A balanced Catholic approach therefore joins three things: a generous openness to God’s call, serious personal discernment, and family support that respects freedom. The family can offer a first school of faith and self-giving; spiritual guides can help test and clarify an emerging desire; and the person discerning must freely take responsibility for the path chosen. The supplied sources support this approach, while not resolving every theological debate about how to compare the different states of life.