The eight villages around the foot of the Mount Singai trace their roots to an old abandoned settlement on the mountain. The mountain whose name means slanting in Bidayuh in reference to its slanting flat top is their ancestral home. Until 1981 the old fruit trees planted by their forefathers were the only links with their past. Many families still lay claim to durian trees planted by their forefathers. These trees were not only useful source of income during the fruit seasons; they priced them even more sentimental reasons, for the tree serves as a living family heirloom. In the bad old days their ancestors had chosen to live on the mountain out of necessity the plains were too indefensible against marauding headhunters and bandits, in the wild and inhospitable hinterland of what was then part of Brunei.
In 1841, James Brooke carved out the State of Sarawak from the Brunei empire and brought peace to the people. Peace was not the only things that Brooke brought to the region. Though not particularly religious, James Brooke decided to introduce Christianity to his people. The first to come was the Anglican Church followed closely by the Roman Catholic Church. Naturally the first missions were established in Kuching but the need to reach the people in the interior was just as great. It was a time of great challenge for the missionaries and only the brave and dedicated would have entertained thoughts of preaching the gospel to the people whose tradition of headhunting was barely under control by the Brooke government. One such missionary was a young Dutch priest who came to Kuching in 1885. Fr. Felix Westerwoudt was fresh out of the seminary when he set foot in Kuching - a place totally unknown to him. A greater challenge awaited him as he was soon to be sent to the very heart of pagan country ..to the - Bidayuh settlement on the slope of Mount Singai. He was initially met with curiosity and amusement when he reached the settlement. The language barrier and the strong Pagan beliefs of the people made it impossible to preach to them immediately. Fr. Westerwoudt did the only thing possible - live among them !! Fr. Westerwoudt stayed there for 13 years before succumbing to typhoid in April 1898. His achievement were modest - seven families in thirteen years, a small but significant figure. But the seed of faith had sprouted and taken root and later preachers were to reap handsome rewards from the toils of Fr. Westerwoudt. The Church grew in the mountainside settlement. However, opposition from pagan group were strong, and new converts were not allowed to farm the land. They were also subjected to taboos, such as not being allowed to enter or leave the kampong during Gawai celebration. The ongoing tension eventually persuaded the Christian community to move down to the plain and set up their own village there. The continuing growth of the Church and the accessibility to amenities provided by the mission and government persuade those who chose to remain in the mountain to move down as well. By the early 1960’s the whole settlement on the mountainside was abandoned and over 90 percent of the people had been baptised. Fourteen (14) years ago, through suggestion by Fr. Sepp, an Austrian priest serving in St. Stephen Parish, Bau, which include Mount Singai, the people living in the eight villages decided to turn the site where the original longhouses were situated into a memorial and pilgrimage center comprising a:-
· chapel
· shrine
· hostels
and other basic amenities. The idea had a dual purpose; to build a permanent commemorative center for their ancestors and create a pilgrimage center for Christians. The idea of the center received an enthusiastic response but transforming it into a reality entailed great sacrifice and effort. Funds had to be raised and carrying building materials up the jungle trail on the slope of Mount Singai is arduous and slow. Confronted with this task the people of Singai rallied and formed voluntary work team to carry building materials up the mountain. Heavy cement bags were opened up and repacked into smaller sacks, bricks and stone were transported in tamboks (local reeds basket) and planks carried on people’s back up the steep slope. It seemed too good to be true - a community working together to rebuild their ancestral home but it happened and the center, situated on a two and half acre site in the very heart of the old settlement, was eventually completed. In 1987 Archbishop *Datuk Peter Chung blessed and declared open the Catholic Memorial and Pilgrimage Center. It was a grand occasion and the mountain came alive with locals and well wishes who came from all over the area who has heard about this pilgrimage center. Since then the center has grown in popularity, as more and more people make their pilgrimage there. The locals are not the only visitors to the center; pilgrims from all over Sarawak and even Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia are frequent visitors. With increasing number of pilgrimage, the spartan facilities and the chapel often could not cope with large numbers. Three years ago it was decided to expand and rebuild the center but by then Fr. Sepp had left. His enthusiasm, sacrifice and leadership were sorely missed in implementing the expansion plan. It took quite a while before the momentum of the project picked up again. After staggering start the expansion plan is finally in full swing. Once again the people of Singai rally to meet the challenge. Each village takes its turn to provide labour to transport building materials up the mountain. Each Sunday notices are read out naming each family which has to provide a worker for the work team the following Saturday. Skilled labourers are recruited from the villages to take care of the construction of the new buildings. They and the building materials are paid for by the fund set up to finance the project. Through appeals, joggerthons and government grants the fund manage to meet the cost of building materials and labour. At present the new hostel and new dining rooms cum kitchen and toilets have been completed. The next phase will include the rebuilding of the chapel and shrine. Improvements to the water supply and the track are also being looked into. The building committee is pressing ahead with the completion of the rebuilding and expansion project although there were not enough funds to do so at present. They intend to carry on as far as funds and spirit permit !!.