The Archdiocese of Manila has requested the Vatican to designate January 9 as National Feast of the Black Nazarene, a Quiapo Church official said Wednesday.
Fr. Rufino “Jun” Sescon, the church’s rector, said that the ball is now in the Vatican’s court after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines approved the Manila archdiocese’s proposal during their plenary assembly in July 2023.
“It is our prayer that when we meet again next time, the Church will designate Jan. 9 as a national feast in honor of our beloved Black Nazarene,” Sescon said.
“We want it to be a national feast for the Church so it is up to the bishops and the Pope to discuss this,” he added.
The feast, initially a parochial celebration, has organically spread and is now celebrated by devotees across the country and even abroad.
Advincula, in a letter to the CBCP in May 2023, pointed out that in the absence of a specific national liturgical directive, the celebrations become dependent on the priests or the community.
“Making it a national feast will definitely bring order and most especially joy to the millions of devotees, particularly those who cannot go to Quiapo,” the cardinal wrote.
As this developed, the Southern Police District (SPD) deployed 1,500 officers to work with other law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and security of millions of devotees expected to attend the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila today.
“The Feast of the Black Nazarene is a celebration of faith, hope, and unity—a testament to the devotion of Filipinos from all walks of life. As police officers, our role is to maintain peace and order while ensuring that every devotee can participate safely and without fear,” SPD Director Brig. Gen. Manuel Abrugena said.
Abrugena urged his officers to approach their duties with empathy and humility, emphasizing the event’s deep spiritual significance.
Police officers will be augmented by personnel of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to ensure the safety of devotees throughout the long procession route.
“We have deployed 1,200 personnel specifically for the procession, including those responsible for maintaining cleanliness along the route immediately after the procession passes through,” MMDA Chairman Don Artes said.
“We appeal to our fellow citizens not to throw trash that could cause injury or harm to other devotees who will participate in the procession on Thursday, particularly since many will be joining the Traslacion barefoot,” he added.
The MMDA has put in place a Mobile Command Center and First Aid Station along the route.
Meanwhile, hospitals in Metro Manila and nearby regions have been under Code White Alert since Sunday and will remain so until Friday in anticipation of health emergencies amid the celebration of the Feast of Jesus Nazareno and the annual Traslacion.
In a statement, the Department of Health (DOH) said this is to ensure that all designated medical personnel, equipment and facilities in NCR and neighboring regions such as Central Luzon and CALABARZON are on standby to quickly respond to emergencies or related incidents on health during large religious gatherings.
However, partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated rains will likely greet Black Nazarene devotees along the route of the ‘Traslacion’ today.
Based on its weather bulletin on Wednesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the devotees must brace for light showers during the ‘Traslacion’ caused by the northeast m9nsoon or “hanging Amihan.”
Weather specialist Benison Estareja said Metro Manila, the Ilocos region and the rest of Calabarzon will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains until January 10.
Localized thunderstorms may also bring partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms in the rest of the country.
Last year’s event attracted 6.5 million devotees, and this year’s celebration is expected to draw even larger crowds. ( Vito Barcelo, Joel E. Zurbano & Rio N. Araja/MS)
