Quiapo Church to young faithful: Show Nazareno devotion through Mass, prayers

The Quiapo Church on Wednesday encouraged young Filipinos to express their devotion to the Jesus Nazareno in other ways, aside from climbing the andas during the yearly Traslacion.

In a press conference, Quiapo Church rector Reverend Father Ramon Jade Licuanan stressed that the highest form of expressing one’s faith is prayer and hearing Mass.

However, the Catholic Church recognized that some Catholics and the young preferred to join the hours-long Traslacion.

“Hindi mo pwedeng ikumpara ang sampung oras mong prusisyon sa isang oras [na dasal]. Kahit 24 oras kang mag-prusisyon, magpagulong-gulong ka doon, di mo kayang tapatan ang isang oras o 45 minutes na Misa,” Licuanan said.

(You cannot compare 10 hours of procession to one hour of prayer. Even if you join a procession for 24 hours, you cannot compare it to one hour or 45 minutes of Mass.)

“We recognize na some Catholics nakakaramdam sila ng a little consolation pag nakakahawak sila [ng Poon]… Kanya-kanya naman tayo, ‘di natin maaalis ‘’yun… Kaya nga may mga hijos sa nandoon sa tagiliran ng andas,” he added.

(We recognize that some Catholics feel better if they touch the image… We all have our own preferences, and we can’t take that away… That is why there are hijos there beside the andas.)

For his part, Quiapo Church technical adviser Alex Irasga encouraged young Nazareno devotees who are thinking of joining the Traslacion to participate by waving their towels or pulling the rope barriers instead of climbing the andas.

“’Wag na muna natin isalang [sila] sa isasalya sa likuran. Katawan sa katawan po ‘yang sinasalya natin. ‘Wag na muna natin sila turuang sumampa. Hayaan na muna nating masanay ang kanilang katawang-lupa sa pisikal na kahirapan ng pag-pruprusisyon,” he advised.

(Let’s not tap the youth yet for those who will be assigned behind the andas. They will be using their bodies. Let’s not teach them to climb yet. We should allow them to let their bodies get used to the physical challenges of joining the procession.)

Licuanan also reminded the public that the Quiapo Church is open all hours and all days of the year, and that the Jesus Nazareno is there 364 days of the year.

“’Di niyo kailangan makipagkumpetensya sa walong milyon. Only one day lang ‘yan nawawala. Why don’t you come here on an ordinary day? Inyong-inyo ang Nazareno, yakapin niyo ‘yan kung gusto ninyo. Walang pipigil sa inyo. You can always come here, you’re always welcome,” he said.

(You do not need to compete with eight million devotees. It’s only gone for one day. Why don’t you come here on an ordinary day? The Nazareno would be all yours, you can even hug it if you wanted to. No one will stop you. You can always come here, you’re always welcome.)

Innovations for 2026 Traslacion

To help with a smoother procession this year, Irasga said the Quiapo Church will be implementing innovations for the Traslacion on Friday.

The andas’ design shall remain the same with stainless steel and glass inclusions, but Irasga said the cross of the Jesus Nazareno will be shorter so that devotees will be dissuaded from hanging on it.

The andas’ design now has four wheels and a wheel, similar to an owner-type jeepney without an engine.

The case carrying the Jesus Nazareno will have perforated metal plates to help regulate temperature and prevent moisture build-up inside the glass case.

“Layunin po natin rito ay proteksyunan ang ating imahen at ‘wag maapektuhan ang katawan ng Mahal na Señor,” Irasga said.

(Our goal here is to protect the image and make sure that the Mahal na Señor’s body is not affected.)

For the procession, there will be two sets of rope barricades readied for faster switching and response in case the rope breaks.

“Kung sakaling maputol kung saan man sa ruta ng prusisyon, madali nating mapapalitan… Dalawang set po ito. Bagama’t di kasing haba ng nakalagay sa simula na 50 meters, ito po ay 30 metro bawat gilid,” Irasga said.

(In case it breaks anywhere along the procession route, it will be easy to replace… There are two sets. Even if it’s not as long as the 50 meters at the start, this is still 30 meters for each side.)

Lastly, roads and bridges will be closed during the procession, along with three major corners of Roxas Boulevard, Katigbak Drive, and P. Burgos Avenue.

Irasga said these are major choke points and that previous closures in 2024 led to a faster procession.

Earlier, the Quiapo Church released the full walkthrough of the 2026 Traslacion route.

For 2026, police are hoping to cut the procession time to 10 to 12 hours. In 2025, the Traslacion lasted for 20 hours. — JMA, GMA Integrated News