BLACK Nazarene devotees who cannot join the yearly “traslacion [transfer] of the revered image of Jesus Christ can follow the procession on a live feed on Facebook, the parish priest of Quiapo Church said Tuesday.
“We’re entering the world of social media,” said Parish priest of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene Msgr. Hernando Coronel. “We will try our best.”
He said they would not filter the comments, so that 30-million Filipino Facebook users can watch the procession and exchange opinions.
The Black Nazarene procession is one of the country’s biggest religious events with millions of devotees attending every year.
He said they expected 15 million to join the procession barefoot.
“If you are ill but your desire to take part in the procession is there, then God knows that already. Filipinos really want to be part of it and have a connection with God,” he said.
The church has used Facebook Live to broadcast the Misa de Gallo or night Masses in December.
Colonel likened the streaming of the Black Nazarene procession to the Sunday Masses that are carried by TV stations so that Catholics who are too sick to attend can hear the service in their homes.
Devotees may follow Quiapo Church’s official Facebook page, “Quiapo Church–Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene.”
Every Jan. 9, the Black Nazarene is carried into the streets for a procession in a “Caroza” or golden red carriage pulled through the streets of Quiapo by male devotees clad in maroon. The Traslacion celebrates the transfer of the image to its present shrine in Quiapo Church.
Manila City Mayor Joseph Estrada said security measures would be in place to guard against terrorist attacks and other incidents during Monday’s Black Nazarene procession.
Following a meeting with Manila Police District director Senior Supt. Joel Coronel, Estrada announced that they have finalized and established an incident command system to deal with the huge crowd during the procession.
“We have made all the proper preparations and final coordination with different agencies involved in Traslacion. We can say we are ready to deal with emergencies,” the Manila mayor said.
Estrada ordered the 4,995-strong MPD to double its security preparations for the annual religious activity, especially after the Armed Forces of the Philippines recently warned that the Maute terror group could send members to Metro Manila to launch terrorist attacks.