WITH only a few days until the annual feast of Jesus Nazareno, the Quiapo Church (Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno) has begun the planned activities for Traslacion 2025.
According to the advisory, today, January 2, 2025, at 1:30 PM, the church will hold the much-anticipated blessing of the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno replica and standarte.
Photo Courtesy: Quiapo Church | Facebook
“We will hold the blessing of the replica images of Jesus Nazareno and standartes at 1:30 in the afternoon,” the Quiapo Church told the media.
Last year’s benediction was said to have included nearly 500 replicas and standard bearers. Devotees are anticipated to come to Quiapo Church not just for the blessing, but also for Novena Masses.
Most Rev. Charles John Brown D.D., Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, will preside over today’s planned service. will preside, according to the church’s week-long program of masses at Quiapo Church.
The Blessing’s Importance
The blessing of the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno replica and standarte is an important tradition for Filipino Catholics, both individually and as a religious community.
In the context of Filipino Catholicism, blessings are frequently viewed as a sort of sanctification—an act that consecrates an object or a person, making it sacred and in accordance with divine will.
For the Nazareno, the blessing means that the replica and its standarte are suffused with heavenly presence and grace. For devotees, the blessing is an appeal to God’s intervention, protection, and miracles in their life.
The act of blessing both the image and the standarte is a symbolic gesture that connects the spiritual and physical realms, honoring God’s power and love for all elements of human life.
Bracing for Traslacion 2025
On January 9, the 400-year-old black picture of Jesus Christ was paraded from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church in Manila as part of the annual Feast of Jesus Nazareno.
The Quiapo Church said that last year, the devotees who attended the Traslacion reached up to 6.5 million. It was the first Traslacion following a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), 15,200 officers will be deployed to secure the Traslacion 2025, which is expected to attract millions of Catholic devotees once more.
Meanwhile, the public is asked to follow the security regulations that will be implemented during the parade. These include the ban on bringing backpacks, umbrellas, and canister bottles. Wearing a bull cap is also forbidden.
