Manila archdiocese awaits Vatican decision on proposed 'Black Nazarene national feast day'

The proposal to declare January 9 of every year as the National Feast of the Black Nazarene has been submitted to the Vatican, said a church official.

"It is our prayer that when we meet again next time, the Church will designate Jan. 9 as a national feast in honor of our beloved Black Nazarene," said Fr. Rufino Sescon, rector of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Black Nazarene, yesterday.

Sescon made the announcement after the celebration of the Mass for the feast of the Black Nazarene, which was presided over by Cardinal Jose Advincula at the Quirino Grandstand on Tuesday.

According to a post on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website, the Filipino bishops approved the proposal during their plenary assembly in July 2023.

It was also in the same meeting that bishops approved the "petition to elevate Quiapo Church to national shrine status."

"Making it a national feast will definitely bring order and most especially joy to the millions of devotees, particularly those who cannot go to Quiapo," said Cardinal Advincula, in a letter addressed to the CBCP. — BAP, GMA Integrated News