Church leaders count on solely 15,000 to twenty,000 devotees to take part within the December 9 procession in Cagayan de Oro, a pointy drop from the greater than 100,000 who participated in 2023
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – For years, the Traslacion on this bustling Northern Mindanao metropolis drew throngs of devotees, a mirrored image of the fervor seen in Manila’s Quiapo. However on Thursday, December 9, Catholic leaders and native authorities anticipate a extra subdued turnout – a distinction to the throngs that after outlined the occasion when Cagayan de Oro nonetheless held a monopoly on the Black Nazarene procession in Mindanao.
Launched to town in 2009, Cagayan de Oro’s Traslacion has served as a scaled-down but significant model of the Quiapo procession for the predominantly Catholic metropolis. Over time, it developed into a serious spiritual occasion for the devoted in Mindanao, rooted in Catholic devotion and custom.
This Thursday, barefoot Hijos de Nazareno devotees will once more take to the streets, carrying the life-sized, dark-skinned wood statue of the Black Nazarene. The solemn march mirrors the centuries-old rituals seen yearly in Quiapo.
For years, Cagayan de Oro stood alone in Mindanao because the host of the Traslacion, commemorating the late 18th-century switch of the revered icon from its unique shrine in Intramuros to Quiapo Church.
The occasion additionally commemorates the arrival of one of many Callejeros, a duplicate of the Black Nazarene, which has change into central to the devotion within the metropolis.
In 2009, an area parish priest led efforts to deliver a Callejero to Cagayan de Oro, reaching out to Quiapo Church for a duplicate throughout a jubilee yr celebration at Nazareno parish. Fairly than a brief mortgage, the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene gifted the reproduction to the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro – a gesture that cemented town’s position as a middle for Nazarene devotion in Mindanao.
The Callejero’s arrival on January 5, 2009, on the Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral marked a turning level. Days later, the primary January 9 Black Nazarene procession in Mindanao befell.
The devotion traces its roots to 1606, when Augustinian Recollect missionaries introduced the unique Black Nazarene from Mexico to Manila. Carved by an unknown artisan, the darkish, kneeling Christ carrying a cross grew to become a permanent image of Filipino religion and devotion, drawing hundreds of thousands of devotees annually.
Tight safety preparations are being made regardless of projections of a comparatively low turnout of devotees for this yr’s Black Nazarene procession, with Church leaders citing lingering fears from the COVID-19 pandemic and a waning curiosity amongst youthful parishioners.
Monsignor Perseus Cabunoc, parish priest of Cagayan de Oro’s Nazareno Church, mentioned he anticipated solely 15,000 to twenty,000 devotees to take part within the Thursday procession, a sharp drop from the greater than 100,000 who participated within the early morning procession in 2023, following the relief of well being restrictions.
“It appears that evidently we’ve got not but recovered from the fears throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cabunoc mentioned, reflecting on the 2021 and 2022 hiatus of the annual spiritual occasion resulting from well being restrictions.
Cagayan de Oro is not the one venue in Mindanao internet hosting processions in honor of the Black Nazarene, because the custom has expanded to different areas. Cabunoc mentioned related processions in Iligan Metropolis and in Bukidnon’s Manolo Fortich city and Malaybalay Metropolis have contributed to the decrease turnout in Cagayan de Oro.
Nonetheless, Cabunoc pointed to a bigger subject: the declining curiosity amongst younger parishioners.
“We’ve got a era that’s extra considering their cellphones and what’s occurring in social media,” Cabunoc lamented.
In the meantime, Wenceslao Salcedo, a pacesetter of the Hijos del Nazareno de Cagayan de Oro, mentioned one other issue is the “extreme” safety measures within the metropolis throughout the annual procession..
Salcedo frowned over the very tight police cordon across the carriage carrying the life-size reproduction of the Black Nazarene, saying it discouraged devotees from approaching the icon.
“The presence of too many policemen across the carriage prevented individuals from going close to the Black Nazarene,” Salcedo mentioned.
Authorities mentioned they’ll deploy snipers to shoot down drones and Ok-9 models, and guarantee a visual police presence throughout the annual procession in Cagayan de Oro.
Lieutenant Colonel Nerfe Valmoria, chief of operations of the Cagayan de Oro Metropolis Police Workplace, warned that the police wouldn’t hesitate to shoot down drones straying alongside the route of the Traslacion from the Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral to the Nazareno Church in Barangay Lapasan.
Valmoria mentioned telecommunication companies alongside the procession route would even be quickly shut down for safety causes.
“We aren’t taking possibilities. There will likely be sniper groups on high-rise buildings alongside the route,” Valmoria informed reporters.
He mentioned the carriage bringing the life-sized statue of the Nazarene bearing the cross could be surrounded by 270 cops to stop devotees from climbing it.
Church officers have urged devotees to not throw white towels and handkerchiefs in the direction of the carriage, a conventional follow throughout the annual procession.
Street and Site visitors Administration chief Nonito Oclarit mentioned vehicular site visitors could be diverted alongside the procession route from the cathedral to the Nazareno Church. Truck drivers, he added, are suggested to take coastal roads.
“There will likely be groups of paramedics strolling together with the devotees in case anybody wants medical consideration,” mentioned Nick Jabagat, chief of the Cagayan de Oro Catastrophe Danger Discount and Administration Workplace. – Rappler.com
