HAGONOY, Bulacan— Close to 2,000 local believers of Black Nazarene of Quiapo Church in Manila participated on Sunday’s procession of the Feast of the Black Nazarene through their own celebration of fluvial parade.
For 32 years now, the devotees from this town and other places in Bulacan have been joining the annual traditional festive yet sacrificial procession of the patron of Quiapo Church in Manila through their own distinct way of fluvial parade of the image in Parong-parong river.
They first attended the 9 a.m. mass at the Parong-parong chapel along the Halang river in Barangay San Agustin before they boarded the makeshift huge banca and ten other smaller ones along the said river for the past 11 a.m. actual procession of the image.
Following the mass, fireworks were cracked in the air in front of the chapel compound to symbolize and call on other devotees that the water procession is just about to start.
Rosalla Montehermoso, one of the close devotees and organizers to the Feast event, said the fireworks made of skyrocket or kuwitis was made an integral part of the procession as a symbol calling on other devotees in the remote Sitio of Parong-parong who are still in their houses to go to the chapel as the fluvial procession is just about to go ashore.
Flora Santiago-Robles, 69, from Sitio Halang and a close Black Nazarene of Quiapo devotee said the annual fluvial parade of the Black Nazarene patron of Parong-parong chapel that had been going on for 32 years now continue to draw more devotees from several other places every year.
Robles who joined her brothers and sisters in shouldering the construction of the said chapel more than 20 years ago to help keep the Roman Catholic faith of regularly going to mass of the residents in the said remote place, said another set of firecrackers are cracked symbolizing the image of the Black Nazarene is already making its trip along Halang river, a major part of this town’s waters connected to the Manila Bay.
A third batch of firecrackers was cracked in the air as the image of the Black Nazarene approached back the chapel, Robles said symbolizing the thanksgiving and praises of the residents to their chapel’s patron for an abundant year and hope for a continuance of the said blessings.
“The water procession of the Nazarene has also become a tradition for them and the people to spread the graces of God to their folks living in the coastal villages by giving blessings to the river where many residents depend their living,” she told NEWS CORE.
As the major coastal municipality in Bulacan, more than half of the residents here are fishermen.
Because of the resident’s recognition and thanksgiving to the abundant aquatic food and resources being made available to them and their families for over a hundred of years, they are annually bringing the image of St. Anne, (Virgin Mary’s mother), their town’s patron saint in a fluvial parade.
Robles, a mother of five used to walk on her knee at Quiapo church especially during the time of her nearing respective date of giving birth to all of them. She said she was doing that to ask graces and offer the lives of her children to God and Jesus Christ through the Black Nazarene.
Robles said she was not surprise she had an easy and light delivery to all of them.
When each of her children is about two months old, she again walk on her knee from the entrance door of the Quiapo Church to the altar carrying them and offering their lives to God to become good children and good followers of His name.
Robles, who is one of the owners of the Bulacan Garden ornamental plant firm that has already gone intoexporting since several years back and whose family is the one who built the Parong-parong chapel said that she got her strong and deep faith in God and her devotion to the Black Nazarene first from the influence of her parents. She said, her personal encounters of trials and graces made her faith deeper.
Just like Robles who previously show her faith and respect to the Black Nazarene in Quiapo but have made switch to the Black Nazarene of Parong-parong, many from the devotees annually flocking to the said chapel for the Feast of the Black Nazarene are also regular devotees to Quiapo but transferred here after the chapel had been made and the fluvial parade had been started.
Eighty one years old Cristina Magsakay from Tawiran this town was in tears during the procession because of her wholehearted thanksgiving to the Black Nazarene for keeping her alive and with still a sound health despite her age. She said she used to go to Quiapo every Black Nazarene day but she contended herself in Parong-parong chapel after it was constructed.
Rosalie De Guzman, 63, from nearby Paombing town said she started going to Quiapo Church and made her devotion to the Black Nazarene when she was only 23 years old.
Nea De Jesus, from Barangay San Miguel this town is now on her second year devotion to Black Nazarene in Parong-parong seeking for a cure through faith to the bone problem of her 4 years old niece Cristina.