AS THE Quiapo Church prepares to revive the grand procession of the Black Nazarene, its rector, Fr. Jun Sescon, urged the devotees to hit the reset button on how they show their devotion to the iconic image of the black Christ.
In a press conference, Sescon appealed to the devotees to consider going back to the essence of their faith in the Black Nazarene, which is prayer.
"After what we’ve been through, the pandemic, this is the time for reset," said Sescon.
“Our prayer is that, with these learnings, may we celebrate it in orderly, safe, and sacred manner,” he added.
The priest said such an appeal is not difficult to heed for true devotees as it is simply recalling how it was celebrated several years ago.
"It’s not really something new, but rather a return to the old ways of expressing our devotion," said Sescon.
Citing as an example, he recalled how climbing the andas (carriage) carrying the image was not practiced in previous years.
“The measures we’re implementing now for a solemn and orderly procession has long been desired by parish priests before me,” said Sescon.
On January 9, the grand procession of the Black Nazarene is set to return after a three-year absence with the iconic image set to travel anew from the Quirino Grandstand to the Quiapo Church.
One of the measures set to be implemented by Quiapo Church is the strict prohibition on climbing the andas. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)