Tens of thousands of devotees are expected to join Monday, Jan. 9, the feast of the revered Black Nazarene of Quiapo.
Large crowds are expected at the midnight fiesta mass at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila to be presided by Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula.
Organizers have earlier reminded devotees who will attend the holy mass to strictly follow health protocols.
The three-say “Pagpupugay” (Paying homage) which began on Jan. 7 at the Quirino Grandstand also ends on Monday, Jan. 9. The “Pagpupugay” took the place of the “Pahalik” (Kissing of the revered icon) as a safety measure against Covid-19.
The Walk of Faith procession last Sunday, Jan. 8 drew thousands of devotees
This is the third year that the traditional traslacion procession has been cancelled as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.
The celebration for this year’s feast started with the three-day blessing of the Nazareno replicas on Dec. 27-29, 2022, in front of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church). A nine-day novena was held from Dec. 31, 2022 to Jan. 8.. A motorcade procession was held on Dec. 31 at midnight.
To discourage crowds to converge within the vicinity of the Quiapo Church, all masses and activities are live streamed on the Facebook page of Quiapo Church as well as on the Facebook pages of the official social media platform of the Archdiocese of Manila - TV Maria, Radio Veritas and the Archdiocesan Office of Communications.
The life-sized black wooden statue of the Black Nazarene was brought to Manila by a group of Augustinian Recollect friars from Mexico on May 31, 1607. First enshrined at the first Recollect Church in Bagumbayan (now part of Rizal Park), the Black Nazarene was transferred to a bigger Recollect Church in Intramuros, Manila in1608.
In 1787, Archbishop of Manila Basilio Sancho de Santas Junta y Rufina ordered the transfer of the image to the Quiapo Church where it has survived great fires that destroyed the church in 1791 and 1929, strong earthquakes in 1645 and 1863, and the bombing of Manila in 1945 during World War II.
The Jan. 9 celebration commemorates the transfer, the “traslacion,”of the image from the Recollect Church in Intramuros to Quiapo Church in 1787.
The Recollect Fathers worked to spread devotion to the Black Nazarene all over the country. During the 19th century, Pope Pius VII granted indulgence to those who piously prayed before the image of the Black Nazarene.
The Black Nazarene is also brought out for a procession on its feast day on Good Friday.