Quiapo church official expects fewer devotees at ‘Traslacion’
Faith and belief make a devotee’s prayers effective, not their attendance at the Feast of Jesus Nazareno, Fr. Robert Arellano, the parochial vicar of Quiapo Church, said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
“The Lord, He knows what is inside our hearts. That’s why we always say … we cannot consider as devotees those who are here but do not respect the rules of the Church,” Arellano said.
“It is better that the elderly, the youth are at home and praying sincerely. Their prayers are heard because these are based on the faith and belief of a devotee,” he added.
Nationwide celebration
The feast day on Jan. 9 is expected to draw millions of devotees, especially during the “traslacion” or the procession involving the transfer of the image from Rizal Park to Quiapo Church.
But this year, Arellano said they were not expecting a larger crowd “because the celebration for the Feast of Jesus Nazareno has already started across the Philippines.”
“We are expecting that there will be fewer [attendees]. Though we do not have the numbers and figures, last year had the largest number of devotees who attended the celebrations,” he said.
At the same time, he encouraged those at home, including those in the Visayas and Mindanao areas, to take part in the celebration by watching the activities through the social media platforms of Quiapo Church, the home of the Jesus Nazareno.
As for devotees who will be participating in the procession, Arellano urged them to attend masses that will be held on Jan. 9, which he said are the “most important” part of the celebration.
