I just got back from Quiapo Church...
There was mayhem and madness everywhere... so typical of every First Friday at the Quiapo Church. People from all walks of life try to squeeze into every available space inside the cavernous church... all for the sake of recieving blessings from the Black Nazarene.
This is a practice that is unique in the Philippine Catholic Church. Our veneration of the Black Nazarene began many centuries ago. In 1588, Franciscan Friar Fray Antonio de Nombella had a church built in Quiapo (named after cuyapo, the vegetation that was abundant in the area at the time. Destroyed 5 times by uprisings, fires and earthquakes, a sturdier church was built in 1864. The venerated image was brought from Mexico in 1767 by the Agustinian Recollects during th incumbency of Archbishop Basilio Sancho and was housed in Intramuros at the Recolletos convento. They had a confraternity of the Jesus Nazareno there. Eventually, the image was transferred from Intramuros to Quiapo (now a Basilica Minore). It is this event that is commemorated every year on the 9th of January and which draws millions of barefoot devotees.
You can pray for anything your little heart desires in Quiapo Church...favors asked may range from healing to passing board examinations, from finding the dream job to acquiring a home... many devotees come back as a sign of thanks and praise for prayers answered. They grow in number every year too...
These days... i just pray for guidance and deliverance... guidance in voting for the right candidate ... deliverance from scams... that's 2010 for you...
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