Devotees prepare for Black Nazarene feast across the regions

MANILA -- Devotees and Catholic church officials across the regions are also preparing for the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Black Nazarene devotees in Naga City are expected to come in droves at the Holy Cross Parish Church in Barangay Tabuco on its feast day on Thursday. Devotees have been observing the feast for 25 years now. It started in Barangay Palsong ng Bayan in Bula, Camarines Sur with the Hijos de Nazareno. One devotee said her faith in the Black Nazarene helped get all her six children through college. Naga City also has probably one of the youngest devotees, 7-year-old Angel Tena, whose mother has long been a devotee. A novena will begin at 3 p.m. today and a Mass will be held at 5:30 p.m. In Iriga, devotees have been holding a procession of the Black Nazarene for 10 years now. Sixty Guardias de Nazareno donning yellow shirts will stand guard over the religious icon. Organizers said food will also be handed out to the thousands of people expected to take part in the procession. In Calabanga, a pre-dawn procession, Mass and confirmation will be held at the first church of the Archdiocese of Caceres. This will be followed by the procession on Thursday. Meanwhile, in Cagayan de Oro, the image of the Black Nazarene is also ready for Thursday's procession. In Mindanao, only Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City have images of the icon. The replica was brought to Cagayan de Oro in 2009. The procession will begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday and is expected to end by 8 p.m. at the Shrine of the Black Nazarene. In Iligan City, devotees are also expected to flock to church even though locals observe the feast in February since the replica was brought to the city that same month in 2011. -- ANC