This year’s celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, at Quiapo Church and several other churches in Metro Manila and across the country, has been the most peaceful, orderly, and solemn one — a dream I always had in my life.
Though attendance may not have reached the physical body count of several millions (which became unruly), as in recent years, still the sheer number of churches that offered the same 9-day novena masses and actual feast day mass of the Black Nazarene, all of them livestreamed via Facebook accounts of the numerous participating churches, had been virtually participated in by hundreds of thousands of people here and around the world.
A Good Day For Devotees
The weather was not too hot. The day was cloudy and cool making it more bearable for devotees on the roads and alleys around Quiapo church (Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene), Sta. Cruz Church, San Sebastian Church, and the Nazarene School in Novaliches. Devotees lined up and stood for hours during the mass.
The motorized procession of the Nazarene image to the Baclaran church was a spectacle in itself.
Though the entire stretch of Quezon Boulevard and parts of Taft Avenue were closed to vehicular traffic, still, people (clad with shoes or slippers, not barefoot unlike in years’ past) inched their way to the nearest part of the church where masses were being held.
In all churches (including the Sts. Peter and Paul in Makati) where the Nazarene was exposed and honored, people were asked not to touch, but just bow, before the image.
In this particular church, the Nazarene replica was wheeled towards the main door so passersby can pay homage to the Nazarene.
Processions held in various parts of the country from the churches where the replica of the Nazarene was paraded on major roads leading to the “salubong” of Jesus with His Mother, Mary, have also been lined up with people waving kerchiefs with the image of the Nazarene or other religious icons to be blessed along the way.
The whole of Quezon Boulevard and connecting roads/bridges teemed with devotees who, despite their distance from the insides of the church, still banked on God being in their midst during the mass.
Solemn First Mass
Bishop Broderick Pabillo kicked off, in a concelebrated mass with around eight priests, the 4:30 a.m. mass today as he paid tribute to the sacrifices of the Filipinos for braving the coronavirus and making sure they attended the masses during the feast of Senor Nazareno.
He also lauded Quiapo Church for its charity works during the lockdown and up to now to reach out and attend to the needs of the least of our brethren.
Bishop Pabillo said the Nazarene is a magnet that attracts people, not just because He grants wishes but because of the spiritual closeness that people feel towards Him.
Compliant Devotees
Outside Quiapo Church, people lined up within distances prescribed by the national and local government and everything was so orderly because of the presence of hundreds of police, medical volunteers, and the youths (hijos and hijas) of the Black Nazarene.
Quiapo Church had 15 full-packed masses at the prescribed quota of 400 seating capacity by the Inter Agency Task Force on Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
Devotees lined up as far as Jones and Quiapo Bridges, the underpass of Quiapo and Recto Avenue where the masses were fed via large screens and loudspeakers so they could join in and actively participate.
It had to take COVID-19 for all of us to realize that we can venerate our beloved Black Nazarene in a peaceful, orderly and reverential manner.
Viva Nuestra Senor Poon Nazareno!