Archbishop: Where are the young faithfuls in CDO Nazareno?

CAGAYAN DE ORO- A prominent Church leader here expressed concern that Gen Z and millennials are veering away from traditional religious rituals.

Archbishop Jose Cabantan, prelate of the Cagayan de Oro Archdiocese, said this is evident during the Traslación of the Feast of Black Nazarene held here Monday morning.

Cabantan said most of the 10,000 devotees who participated in the Traslación were elderly.

The young, he said, were noticeably absent during the procession.

“The young seem do not appreciate that religious rituals like the Feast of Black Nazarene help fortify their faith,” the prelate said.

Cabantan said he also noticed only a few millennials attended other Catholic religious rituals like the First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

He thinks the clergy needs to reach out more to the young people and explain the importance of religious rituals to their faith.

Only Traslacion allowed this year

Compared to Manila, devotees in Cagayan De Oro were allowed to celebrate Traslación or the traditional long procession transferring the image of Black Nazarene.

This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that the city has held the Traslación.

Church organizers brought the replica of the Black Nazarene image out of Metropolitan Cathedral in Gaston Park to the parish church in Barangay Lapasan.

City health officials allowed the holding of Traslación, but required strict implementation of health protocols, including wearing face masks.

No umbrellas allowed

Despite the intermittent rains brought by the trough of the Low-Pressure Area, around 10,000 devotees showed up as early as dawn to pray to what they believed was a miraculous image.

However, devotees were not allowed to bring umbrellas for security reasons.

So all who joined the morning walk, including security personnel, had to endure getting wet from the rain.

Nazareno believers who walked barefoot, had to step into wet and sometimes flooded roads.