St. Theresa's Church (Melaka)

St. Theresa's Church
Gereja St. Theresa (Malay)
Location	Jalan Gajah Berang, Kampung Tujuh, 75200 Melaka Melaka
Country	Malaysia
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Tradition	Latin Rite
History
Dedication	Thérèse of Lisieux
Consecrated	December 15th 1941
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Style	Colonial Gothic Revival architecture
Years built	3
Completed	1941
Administration
Parish	Malacca Vicariate Forane (under Roman Catholic Diocese of Malacca-Johor)

St Theresa's Church is a church in Melaka City, Melaka, Malaysia. It is the second largest catholic church in Melaka after the Church of St. Francis Xavier (Melaka) and is the third oldest after St. Peter's Church (Melaka) and St Francis Xavier Church.

History

The church of St Theresa was initially proposed by the then parish priest of St Francis Xavier Church (SFX) in Melaka as a church for the migrant chinese catholic community. SFX parish priest Fr Raymond Dubois, MEP, to voice their desire for a church catering to the needs of the Chinese-speaking Catholics.

After consulting the Bishop of Malacca Singapore, Msgr Adrien-Pierre Devals, MEP, in 1938, Fr Dubois took the responsibility of building a church for them. He bought a piece of land along Jalan Gajah Berang, where the present church has stood for 81 years, for $5,000.

In addition to some thousand Chinese Catholics in the community who contributed physically and financially towards building their place of worship, Fr Dubois organised fundraisers in Johor Bahru and Singapore to garner funds to help complete building the church. Three years later, Bishop Devals blessed and dedicated the Church of St Theresa of the Child Jesus on December 15, 1941, just before the Japanese captured Malacca. ^[1]

Architecture

Located within the church are stained glass featuring 2 saints as backdrops for the altar with the middle stained glass being removed after renovations. The wings of the church feature stained glasses highlighting the stations of the cross.

On the facade, a rose window is placed center above the choir loft and two small white statues could be seen on either end.

References

1. "Golden Jubilee of the Diocese of Malacca-Johore (December 3, 2022): Church of St Theresa, Gajah Berang". Herald Malaysia Online. Retrieved 2025-02-18.

2°12′24″N102°14′32″E / 2.20675°N 102.24213°E / 2.20675; 102.24213