Minor Basilica in Quezon Boulevard, Manila (PNA file photo)
MANILA – A Walk of Faith or Lakad Pananampalataya will be held at midnight of January 8 in the lead-up to the Feast of the Black Nazarene, a Quiapo priest said on Thursday.
The Walk of Faith will start at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta and head for the Minor Basilica in Quezon Boulevard, Manila, Father Earl Valdez said, urging devotees to bring miniature replicas of the Black Nazarene during the procession.
According to Valdez, the procession is different from the traditional Traslacion.
“We will not process the image of the Black Nazarene. We instead encourage devotees to bring their own miniature replicas that they use for prayer and devotion. We also ask (the) devotees to bring candles, rosaries, and face masks,” he said in a Viber message. “The Walk of Faith/Lakad Pananampalataya will be held in the early morning of January 8, 12:00 midnight. This is to prevent clogging of entry and exit points in Quiapo Church, as Masses will be celebrated hourly in Quiapo by the afternoon of January 8.”
Valdez noted that the event on January 8 is also a way to prepare them in holding the Traslacion again.
“In any case, this Walk of Faith is done in order for us to gradually return to the practice of having a procession in honor of the Black Nazarene, but due to the pandemic, sans the image and with restrictions,” he said. “In a way, it is also a gradual resumption of activities, perhaps in preparation for the actual Traslacion in years to come.”
As for the route of the procession, Valdez said details have yet to be finalized.
Earlier, Quiapo Church officials announced that the Traslacion will still be suspended next year as a health precaution, considering that the threat posed by the pandemic remains.
However, other activities related to the feast will be conducted, among them the Feast Day Mass to be officiated by Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula at the Quirino Grandstand, as well as the continuous Fiesta Masses from the afternoon of January 8 to the evening of January 9 for a total of 34 Masses at the Basilica. (PNA)
