Quiapo Church

Before sunrise, a woman slips off her shoes and puts them into her bag. She presses her palm to the pavement, whispering a prayer before joining the slow, tightening crowd. Around her, bodies sway and surge. Someone offers water. Another grips a thick rope. The air is heavy with sweat, incense, and murmured petitions. For hours, she will walk barefoot—not to prove anything, she says later, but to carry what she can no longer carry alone.

As millions of devotees prepare for the 2026 Traslacion of the Black Nazarene, church leaders in Quiapo are urging Filipinos to see the country’s most massive religious procession not only as an expression of faith, but as a call to humility, social responsibility, and ethical citizenship.

The Archbishop of Manila urged the faithful to dedicate this Jubilee Year of Hope to building communities that deliver hope.

In one of the most famous churches in the Philippines, where the Catholic faith is deeply
expressed, a vendor was converted into a devotee of the Jesus of Nazarene at the Minor Basilica
and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, more commonly known as Quiapo Church.

The Feast of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno has been declared a National Feast Day in the Philippines.

The Quiapo Church in Manila, Philippines, home to the miraculous image of the Black Nazarene, has decided to drop the word “black” in its official title.

"So I always tell them, we will serve without expecting anything in return because Jesus the Black Nazarene has been very generous to us," Bernal added.

According to the Quiapo Church Command Center, the image’s home in the capital city of Manila, this year’s Traslacion welcomed a total of 6,532,501 devotees.

The biggest change that the officials emphasized is that the devotees will no longer be
allowed to climb up the caroza also called “andas” of Jesus the Black Nazarene.

Cardinal Jose F. Advincula of Manila Archdiocese urges the Catholics to strive for truth, justice, and peace in the world, during the Black Nazarene Feast day Mass on January 9. On January 8, the six kilometres “Walk of Faith” began at 1 AM at the Quirino Grandstand and ended at 4 AM at the Quiapo Church to commemorate the Feast of the Black Nazarene.