Faith and consistent family bonding are among the most important ingredients for building strong and resilient families.
This was the key finding of a three-year study presented at a symposium hosted by Catholic Family Life (CFL) in the Archdiocese of Singapore.
Singapore’s Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, speaking as guest of honor, underscored the power of faith to restore and strengthen family life.
“There is something called kintsugi in Japanese art. Broken ceramic is glued back together with gold, and it becomes a work of art,” he said. “What is this gold that puts it together? I think it is our faith.”
The symposium gathered around 150 participants—ranging from faith leaders and educators to social workers and policy advocates—at the Saint Francis Xavier Seminary Building in Upper Bukit Timah.
Organised by CFL, the event marked the release of its study Building Strong Families: A Study of Family Strength and Family Resources, conducted from 2022 to 2024 with support from the National Council of Social Service.
Dr Kenneth Poon, CFL vice-chair and head of the study’s research task force, said the findings provide timely insights as more Singaporeans live alone and young people spend less time with family.
“We are looking at more households and individuals that might not be able to benefit as much from the protective influence of families,” said Dr Poon, a veteran psychologist and researcher.
The study identified key contributors to family resilience: family commitment, marital satisfaction, conflict resolution, and—though to a lesser extent—family spirituality.
Dr Poon noted that spirituality was more evident in families where couples had been married for over two decades. While the study did not determine the exact cause, he suggested that shared faith practices like family prayer may become “internalised” over time.
Pauline Wong, Executive Director of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools, said the findings affirm the Church’s focus on the family as the first educator. “What about family spirit? It’s the family that’s going to journey with each child for life,” she said.
For Colin and Debra Tan, who have been married 25 years and serve in the Couple Empowerment Programme, the study reinforced their experience.
“When couples are empowered by knowledge of their faith and a sense of a shared vocation, they can provide a nurturing, faith-filled environment for their children,” said Mrs Tan.
CFL board chair Martha Suen said the findings would guide the organisation’s programming. “Building strong families doesn’t always need grand gestures,” she said. “Sometimes, it is in these small, repeated acts of togetherness that the deepest strength is forged.”
