Fr. Simon Pereira, C.Ss.R., whose preaching took him from the Church of St. Alphonsus in Singapore to the clergy of a diocese in Myanmar, died on Sept 13, 2026, aged 78. A member of the Malaysia–Singapore Vice-Province, he had lived 55 years in religious profession and 49 as a priest.
By the account Radio Veritas Asia has given of his vocation, the call came through a late arrival. Turning up to Mass with a football, the young Simon heard the Gospel in which the risen Lord asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” It would not leave him. He began putting aside his recess money to pay for the two buses that took him to the Redemptorist church on Thomson Road, and from there to the Congregation itself.
1. Jan 27, 1997: Fr Simon Pereira with Vine and Branches members outdoors. Photo courtesy of Benedict Tang 
2. January 1997: Fr Simon Pereira with Vine and Branches members before a Nativity grotto. Photo courtesy of Benedict Tang 
3. 1990s: Fr Simon Pereira with Vine and Branches members on a lawn outside a house. Photo courtesy of Benedict Tang 
4. 1990s: Fr Simon Pereira with Vine and Branches members on a seaside jetty. Photo courtesy of Benedict Tang
His memorial card records first vows on Feb 10, 1971, and final vows on Aug 1, 1976. Part of his formation was spent in Australia: a 1971 photograph from the Church of St Alphonsus, published by CatholicNews after his death, shows him there with Fr. Patrick John O’Neill and Fr. Eugene Fernandez. Ordination to the priesthood followed on Dec 18, 1977.
Much of his priestly life was given to leadership at home. Scala News reported in 2019 that he had been rector of St Alphonsus, popularly known as Novena Church, and an assistant priest there, as well as rector of the Congregation’s seminary in Singapore. The same report credited him with helping to found charismatic groups and recalled the many retreats and Masses for healing he had conducted. That bond with the renewal lasted: in February 2025, the Archdiocese of Singapore renewed his two-year appointment as spiritual director of SACCRE, its Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
Radio Veritas Asia described his preaching as direct, practical and accessible, particularly to young people and senior citizens, and often lit with humour. The same plain, humorous approach shaped the book he wrote, Never a Dull Moment with God.
Archival: Fr Simon Pereira and Br Celestine Toh, C.Ss.R., before the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Photo courtesy of Benedict Tang 
1990s: Fr Simon Pereira with Vine and Branches members at a send-off at Changi Airport. Photo courtesy of Benedict Tang 
1990s: Fr Simon Pereira with Vine and Branches members during a stage production. Photo courtesy of Benedict Tang 
Sept 21, 2026: Fr Pereira’s columbarium plaque, set among the plaques of fellow Redemptorists. Photo: Benedict Tang
The phrase travelled beyond Singapore. It was the theme of the annual clergy retreat of the Diocese of Loikaw, Myanmar, held from Sept 16 to 20, 2019, for which Fr. Simon was the invited preacher. Reporting for Scala News, Br. Dennis Galan wrote that he gave the homily at every Mass of the retreat and spoke about the realities facing the Church today and how a good shepherd should live amid them.
At home, young people were a constant thread. In the first years after his ordination, he began meeting about ten of them on Saturday evenings in the grounds behind Novena Church. The circle became Vine and Branches, named for the image in John 15, and a 1998 Catholic News report found it organising family Masses, school missions and Lenten vigils, with Fr Simon still its spiritual director two decades on. I was a member of the group in the 1990s.
The archdiocese announced his death on Sept 14, saying the Redemptorists were “profoundly grateful” for his years of service and his commitment to the Congregation. Some 1,500 people attended his funeral Mass at Novena Church on Sept 17, presided over by the vice-provincial superior, Fr. Victorino Cueto, C.Ss.R., CatholicNews reported. When the hearse left for Mandai Crematorium, the people gathered outside applauded.
His columbarium plaque is now set among those of his Redemptorist confreres.
Benedict Tang
