The Bright Side

Architect Michael Leong shares on a book released by the Archdiocese's Catholic Architectural Guild that sets a moral standard for the industry and for everyone who cares for the environment and creation.

Songwriter Ethan Hsu shares his musical journey and how the process of composing songs has been a means for him to strengthen his relationship with God. Stay tuned for a snippet of this song performed by Mystic Font - only on CatholicSG Radio!

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognised the concept of self-care in 1983 as "preventing disease, promoting and maintaining one's mental and physical health, and actively participating in healthcare." But isn't there more to self-care than just the self? How do we move from self-care to caring for others? Find out as we chat with Sarah Teo and Glenice Lee, from Clarity Singapore.

Known for his gift and passion for Radio and music, Brian Richmond is a well-known media personality and now a presenter at VintageRadio. Brian chats about stewarding his gifts and passion for the community including how in his golden years it's an opportunity for him to discover a new purpose and passion for life.

Persons with special needs are not looking for pity - but they seek to live out their full baptismal rights in the Church. Faith and Light community members Rosalind Jeraled and Michael Jalleh share their stories of the ‘special persons' God has placed in their love and care.

The Catholic Prayer Society (CPS) has organised lunchtime Masses at workplaces in the city and business and industrial parks across Singapore for more than 20 years. Joyce Lo, Vice-chairperson of CPS shares how their team of volunteers strive to create a spiritual oasis for workers in the marketplace.

Seven years ago, Debbie and Jacob Woo first met Pope Francis at the Sposi Novelli blessing (blessing for newlyweds) in Rome. As they look forward to the Papal visit with their young son, the couple shares how faith has blossomed in their marriage and family!

Natural Family Planning (NFP) - What is NFP and who is it for? How is NFP part of living in harmony with God's design of life? We hear the personal experiences of Dr John Hui and Andy Wee who are advocates of NFP.

Jolene Pang and Ying Leng heard and answered the call to journey with children experiencing hearing loss. In their roles at Canossaville as an educational therapist and audiologist respectively, they share how gaining awareness is key in supporting those who are have hearing loss.

With the March school holidays coming, how do we connect with the Gen Z of today? Our two guests, Daniel and Michelle Goh (parents to 5 children) will be sharing how they connect with their 2 teenage children at home. Find out more on this Bright Side episode!

'Raising children is no easy task. But let us not forget that they also “raise” us too.' Pope Francis mentions this in his letter to married couples for the Amoris Laetitia Family year. Raymund Wong, a husband and father to two, shares how being the youngest in a family of 10 siblings has shaped the way he brings up his young children.

The CatholicSG Radio Team brings you a LIVE panel discussion from the Family Conference 2024, organised by Catholic Family Life (familylife.sg) on 28th January 2024. Join panellists Fr Krish Mathavan MSC, Pauline Wong, Daniel Ng, Juliana Foo who share their personal experiences in areas of caregiving, education, counselling, social work and services. At the same time, they unpack the challenges and opportunities in a modern family life and touch on an array of topics that will help us build stronger families in a connected yet disconnected world. Stay tune for the YouTube video on Catholic.sg, out on 8th February, 8pm!

On the final day of praying the Novena to Mary Undoer of Knots, Yoshika Murakami was puzzled to find the next day that her rosary had been broken. To this day Yoshika keeps that rosary as it is - broken. Catch this moving conversion story as Yoshika also shares how her first interaction with the Catholic Church in Singapore was by a YouTube link of the Mass sent by her friend.

The joy and experience of interacting with seniors around them! Serene Soh from the Church of the Divine Mercy and Joseph Cheong from Club Agape (Holy Family Church) share how seniors play an essential bridging role in building strong inter-generational bonds within families. The Bright Side finds out what the Church community can do to honour and support the growing number of elderly in our parishes.

From a personal experience to a practical response, Jason Foo of Dementia Singapore shares with us his role as a caregiver to a family member who was diagnosed with dementia. Relying on God's strength, his deep-rooted faith is his source of hope as he journeys with caregivers and those in the dementia community.

Every 1st Friday of October, we commemorate Children's Day! Today, we remember the ones who tirelessly put in their best efforts to create a nurturing environment for their students. Abhirami Prakash, principal at Canossaville Preschool and Magdalene Chan, manager at Canossian Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) share their personal experiences of how they've been forming hearts and enlightening young minds.

Margaret Moses Dcruz shares how Pope Francis' Laudato Si has encouraged her to meet the Creator in creation through nature walks and even beach clean-ups! Beginning with small steps, what can we do in our homes in this Season of Care of Creation?

The loss of one's spouse is one of the most traumatic experiences one will ever face. In this episode, Judy Chok opens up about her personal struggles of coping with the loss of a husband 10 years ago and how it is possible to begin living life to the fullest once again with the support of a community.

For the first time ever, the CatholicSG Radio Team brings you The Bright Side conversation LIVE from the Catholyst Conference 2023, organised by the Office for the New Evangelisation (one.org.sg). How can we find Christ in EVERYTHING we do and EVERYWHERE we go? Josie Seow and Stuart Peter share their personal experiences on how they've discovered the presence of Christ in their lives - in family life, daily occupation; in times of rest and in times of labour. Yes, because all of life (even outside of church!) is found ALL IN CHRIST.

Daniel and Shelley Ee share the realities of empty nesters and how marriage can be at risk without the couple even realising it. What can couples do to become re-acquainted with each other and to strengthen their love with Christ in the centre?

When someone retires, there will be an initial ‘vacation' phase where the retiree is enjoying not having a set routine like they used to have before. When that ‘vacation' ends, there will be a tendency where a retiree will face psychological stress and anxiety aside from financial woes. Find out how you can overcome the issues faced through forming perspectives to enable retirees to look at the years ahead with excitement and enthusiasm with Mr John Ooi who will also be speaking on the psychological challenges of retirement and aging.

As our once adorable children enter teenage years, we find ourselves having great difficulty in communicating with them. We sometimes find ourselves at a loss for words, not knowing what to do or say to them. The child that we doted on and who looked up to us, now becomes a stranger we can barely recognise. Do we need to build a friendship with our children to re-establish a connection? Andrew Soong, a certified coach and trainer shares what parents can do to reconnect.

Children these days need to cope with the overwhelming workload in school, the pressures related to friends, and then there is social media which opens a greater set of problems. Without a doubt, our children are exposed to more stress than what we had previously. How do we help our children cope with anxiety, insomnia, low moods and in more serious cases, depression and even suicidal thoughts? Dr Irena Kit, a practising counselling psychologist shares her take on these issues.

Sex and Gender, two topics that parents often have trouble speaking to their children about. Find out how best to broach the topic in this episode with Fr David Garcia, OP and Gillian Yeong.

Often, a terminal illness like Cancer can be a long, painful and lonely journey. For someone who has Cancer, the support of a loving community can bring a lot of joy, hope and comfort and perhaps make the journey less painful. Hear the sharing of Christopher, Eelin and Helen as they share their story of belonging to the Catholic Cancer Support Group.

Khoo Eelin and her husband Christopher share about their experience of her struggle with Cancer and how surrendering to the Lord and allowing Him to take control of their lives has helped to strengthen their faith and even give hope to others.

Kristen shares her journey of surviving cancer and how her faith has helped her pull through all the obstacles she faced and be able to minister to others who walk the same journey.

How can we integrate Work and Life together from a Christian perspective? Is there a way to work and live in a way that can provide a little more hope and joy in our lives? Catch this episode of The Bright Side, where Family Counselling Psychologist Adrian Lim Peng Ann shares on the need for Work-Life Integration for a more holistic way of life, and how we can include Christ into the equation so that we can each live a happier life.

For Nicholas and Noeline Wong, juggling work and having seven children can be hectic, challenging and stressful. Searching for God in her life, Noeline first had her own conversion experience at a retreat that brought about a deep change in her. That became a catalyst for Nicholas to become more receptive to attending a retreat on his own too. Renewed and anchored in faith together, their love for each other and their children continue to strengthen and deepen - with God in the centre of it all. Perhaps God is also calling you to spend some time with him this Lent to experience His loving touch.

Leonard Ong, from the Landings Singapore Ministry shares his journey of regaining his faith when it was almost non-existent, and his encouragement to others who are searching for answers in life.

Jacinta is a mother of two baptised children, who have stopped going to Church. She shares how she balances the need to surrender and trust in God to bring her sons back to the faith and how she makes the effort to introduce them to faith activities in the Church.

CatholicSG Radio's presenters together with 3 listeners share their highlights and challenges in 2022, giving thanks to God for His blessings!

Dominique Nelson recently completed her 6-week marriage preparatory course with her fiancé, Ian. She shares some of the things that went on in the course, some pleasant surprises, and also facing issues like finances and in-laws as part of the bigger equation to the biggest commitment of one's life— marriage.

Cassandra Seow talks about work challenges, and how she has had to adapt to new people and surroundings as well as a different work culture. She shares how she navigates through these challenges, and how God always reminds her that the difficult people she works with are still children of God to be treated with love and dignity.

Julianne recently presented at the Young Stewards Conference, and empowered her participants with her determination and passion for life, thanks to her battle and survival with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. On our programme, she shares her fears, her surrender, and her miracle.

Our Kenny Ngo recently received an unexpected call to become a godfather to a boy he'd never met. Unlike most godparents who get to know the person first, and then decide whether this role is suitable, Kenny's decision-making process was cut short because the boy's baptism was to happen in a week! Kenny shares how his 'yes' had similarities to St Joseph's, who said yes to become Jesus' foster father, even though there was much uncertainty in living out his parental role. On the bright side, Kenny reckons that saying yes does trigger spiritual reflection, resolve, and a turning to God to for the grace needed to become a spiritual role model.

Life coach Delphine Ang believes that every feeling is a friend. It is on that basis that she developed a deck of cards to help individuals - including children - name and tame their emotions. These cards are also designed to help people realise that seemingly insignificant emotions are the actual reasons for fear and discomfort, which can in turn manifest in disharmony in one's relationships with others.

Ophthalmologist Dr Gerard Nah speaks about different eye diseases as well as how we can care for our eyes. He also shares his journey of what inspired him to specialise in eye care.

Johannes took a 180 degree turn in his career as a digital journalist, and responded to God's call to serve as a youth pastoral associate. He shares his journey, and how a lot more is needed to ensure the youth find their voice in the Catholic Church.

Vivianna Wou is a Catholic certified nutritionist. She shares her knowledge of how diet plays a huge role in not just weight loss, but curing certain chronic medical conditions where medicinal drugs fail.

Christina Michael is the principal of Canossian School, which caters to children with severe hearing impairment. She shares her experiences as a school principal, and the beauty she sees in these children despite the many challenges the face.

Catholic palliative care doctor, Dr Joseph Ong, shares what hospice care is all about, and what options are available for the dying patient, and their family members. He also shares how he sees God in small gestures from his interactions with them, and his colleagues providing care for these patients.

Adrian Lim Peng Ann, a certified family counselling psychologist, gives a glimpse of how to raise children the “Luke 2:52/BPSS way”. He reveals how scripture and modern parenting strategies can go hand-in-hand.

Youth counsellor and psychologist Nicholas Gabriel Lim shares about a concept called a 'love bank account'. Having such an account allows a family to accumulate and invest time and memories; this can be tapped on in later years to keep the family together through tough times.

As a life coach, Valerie Lee shares with us some of the gaps parents and youth need to address. While the youth today are very different from the youth of the past, parents need to maintain communication and connection, and show understanding and unconditional love.

On top of his work in the film industry, Freddie Yeo volunteers his time and talent for Hearts at Work, where he interacts with a group of persons with special needs. Hear how his encounters with this group has prompted him to be creative.

Cassandra Seow wraps up our series on mental wellness by sharing how God inspired her to courageously make changes in her life to accommodate the needs of her family, and for her own well-being too. As she embarks on a new chapter in her career, she recognises that the uncertainty and changes are indeed God's blessings for her.

In Part 3 of our series, Kenny together with guest Cassandra Seow explore how art and music can illustrate accurate emotions of pain, and the need for healing, where mere words fail to describe. They also provide suggestions on how to get started, and how to manage expectations to encourage anyone, no matter how untalented they seem, to use art and music as tools for therapy and healing.

Cassandra Seow addresses some of the stigmas and stereotypes made by society, and how we should learn to be more understanding.

In this first part of a series on Mental Wellness, Cassandra Seow shares about societal withdrawal, putting up masks while dealing with her inner pain, and how God sent her role models to help her out of during her traumatic teenage years.

Dr Marcia Pang is a dentist who volunteers at a hospice to take care of the patients' oral health. She also goes on overseas mission trips to provide dental care to the less fortunate in poorer countries. She shares her insights on her work and service.