ON JAN. 9, SANTIAGO de Compostela Catholic Church in Lake Forest hosted the first-ever celebration of the feast day of the Black Nazarene in the Diocese of Orange. The Black Nazarene is known to its devotees as Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, or simply Poon Jesus Nazareno.
The event began with a candlelight procession with some 500 devotees praying the Rosary while walking behind the life-size image of the Poon Jesus Nazareno. The familiar hymn of “Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno” was playing in the background. The life-size image carried on the shoulders of volunteer Hijos de Nazareno then made its entrance to the church where the people welcomed the Poon by waving maroon-colored handkerchiefs, a devotional item used in the veneration of the sacred image.
The Mass was presided by Fr. Thomas Naval, pastor, along with Fr. Douglas Zavala, parochial vicar, Fr. Mark Cruz and Fr. Romeo Ascan of Alagad ni Maria as concelebrants. The church was fully packed with lively and animated attendees of various ethnicities. Every time Fr. Thomas prompted the congregation with “Viva Padre Jesus Nazareno,” the crowd enthusiastically responded with “Viva!”
After the Mass, people lined up for the veneration of the Poon – their chance to wipe the foot of the Nazarene with their handkerchiefs and offer a prayer of petition or thanksgiving.
WHY PEOPLE ARE DEVOTED TO THE BLACK NAZARENE
Myriads of miraculous occurrences are attributed to the Poon Jesus Nazareno. Some devotees state that at times as they come to the Nazareno to pray, they have an unspoken prayer request in the back of their minds, only to realize that the response to their request is already happening. Devotees with prayer requests, mostly for good health or the healing of a loved one, assistance in passing an exam, a job offer, conversion or safety of family members, success in work or studies, direction toward making the right decision – all have experienced a response to their prayer that is uniquely personal and intended for them.
The replica of the Black Nazarene that is currently visiting various parishes in the Diocese of Orange was donated by a Filipina devotee who was healed from cancer. This fulfills the promise she made that when healed she would help spread the devotion to the Poon among the Filipinos in the United States.
BLACK NAZARENE FEAST CELEBRATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
The celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene has been a traditionally phenomenal religious celebration in the Philippines for many years, but the devotion to the Black Nazarene is fairly new to the United States. Every year in Quiapo, Manila, a religious procession called Traslacion takes place on Jan. 9, the Feast Day of the Poon Jesus Nazareno.
The procession on the streets of Manila starts from the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta Park where the faithful gather for Mass before the procession begins. It commemorates the transfer (“traslacion”) of the sacred image of the Black Nazarene from the church it was originally housed when brought to the Philippines from Mexico to the church in Quiapo which is now a minor basilica and a national shrine for the Black Nazarene.
Devotees join the procession to express their love and thanksgiving to the Poon for the graces and blessings received, and to make their prayerful requests for the most important things in their lives. At the Traslacion, their only focus is on the Poon Jesus Nazareno. So, regardless of the tumultuous crowd and thousands of people joining the procession, no major incidents of injury or harm are reported. Although there is outward manifestation of religious fervor, like reaching out and touching the image of the Poon, a sense of piety and intense devotion to the Poon prevails.
Filipinos are known for their deep faith and religious devotion. Professor Fernando Zialcita of Ateneo de Manila, who is a resident of Quiapo, stated that he doesn’t know of any other practice that comes close to the intensity of devotion displayed by Filipino devotees as that shown to the Nazareno.
This year’s Feast of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines drew 8 million devotees from all walks of life – young and old, men and women, coming from near and far. It was an overwhelming sea of humanity that came together and walked the 6 km religious procession route which took 21 hours. Every year the\ number of devotees attending this phenomenal event in Quiapo increases.
According to the devotees, this is the one day that they claim they give to the Lord with all their heart and strength, coupled with an ardent hope to be physically present with God.
WHY AND HOW FILIPINOS VENERATE THE POON JESUS NAZARENO
Most devotees come to express their thanksgiving to God for blessings and favors received in their lives. The Poon Nazareno’s presence to them signifies the presence of God, and people want to be there at the Traslacion to feel His presence. They need to touch, feel and get a part of the image with them, even if it means simply wiping the foot of the Nazarene with a handkerchief to take home to share with a sick family member who hopefully will be healed.
For Filipinos, the Nazareno is a symbol of hope.
As Filipino Cardinal Jose Advincula of the Archdiocese of Manila conveyed in his homily last Jan. 9, “Our hope as a people lives, because our Poon Nazareno lives. While there is hope, there is life.”