Rizal Park ready for Nazarene devotees' influx

source: mb.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines — The Rizal Park management on Friday said it is 100 percent ready for the expected influx of millions of devotees for the annual feast of the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, more popularly known as the Black Nazarene, on Monday.

Director Juliet Villegas of the National Parks Development Committee (NDPC) said that the park is ready for the massive crowd that will participate in the “Pahalik” on Sunday, and the procession where barefooted devotees are expected to join.

She added that the park also has enough parking spaces for those who wish to bring their vehicles and attend the festivities for the 405-year-old religious image which first came from Acapulco, Mexico during the 15th century.

Authorities in the park said they are expecting the religious image to arrive at the grandstand on Saturday, but did not disclose the specific time since devotees will be allowed to venerate and kiss the miraculous image starting Sunday morning, where vigil that will last overnight will be held before the big event on Monday.

Thousands of devotees are expected to join the procession of replicas of the Black Nazarene at 2 p.m. Saturday to serve as a prelude to the 405th grand “traslacion” procession on Monday.

Coming from different parts of the country, bus loads of devotees arrive in Manila every year to take part in the celebration. Many will be carrying an image of the Nazarene through the streets of Quiapo, Manila. Some of the sacred images are believed to be centuries-old and passed on from generations of devotees.

On Sunday, a bigger crowd is expected to converge at the Quirino Grandstand where the Black Nazarene will be brought for an overnight vigil and a series of activities before the grand procession bringing the image back to Quiapo Church on Monday. The traslacion procession recalls the transfer of the Black Nazarene image from the Recollect Church in Intramuros, Manila to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (St. John the Baptist Church or Quiapo Church) in 1787.

Meanwhile, the eighth of the nine-day novena masses in honor of the Black Nazarene that began last Dec. 31 will be held at 5 p.m. at the Quiapo Church on Saturday. Prayer intentions will be offered for the victims of tropical storm Sendong in northern Mindanao.

To ensure the safety of students, classes in eight schools in Manila were declared suspended on Mondayfor the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Two colleges, five secondary schools, and one elementary school in Manila area announced the suspension of classes because they expect to be greatly affected by heavy traffic due to the celebration and procession for the Feast.

According to the advisory issued by the Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday, classes in Manila Science High School, Araullo High School, Manila High School, Ramon Avanceña High School, Geronimo Santiago High School and Apolinario Mabini Elementary School -- all public schools have been cancelled.

Meanwhile, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim announced the suspension of classes in two of the city’s largest public colleges. Through Ricardo de Guzman, city chief of staff and media bureau head, Lim said that college students in City College of Manila and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila no longer need to attend classes on Monday after the classes have been declared suspended. (With reports by Christina Hermoso, Ina Malipot and Leslie Aquino)
source: mb.com.ph