Back in 1977, the then Archbishop, His Grace Gregory Yong commissioned Fathers Brian Doro, CSsR (an Australian priest now living in Perth), PJ O’Neill, CSsR (deceased) and Sister Gerard Fernandez, RGS to start RCPM, to “respond without fear and with quiet sacrifice to the scriptural mandate that” …when I was in prison and you visited me..” Matt 25:36. The group expanded with more Reverend Fathers, Religious and Seminarians of different Orders and Parishes volunteering to provide the chaplaincy.

The Chaplains are supported by a number of lay people who came forward on their own accord to sign up as prisons volunteers under the RCPM banner. They comprise both men and women from different Catholic Parishes, and a handful from the Anglican and Christian Churches. Many of whom hold full-time jobs and are active also in their Parishes whilst others have committed themselves full-time to this ministry.

The result of which is that RCPM became a Catholic Archdiocesan Ministry with no parish-based group.

All Chaplains and volunteers are issued with prison passes issued by the Singapore Prisons Service. Every week RCPM covers 13 prison institutions conducting 30 counseling sessions to about 300 inmates of different categories, both men & women. Each session can last for up to 2 hours at a stretch.