.2M devotees join ‘Black Nazarene’ procession in Cagayan De Oro

• Source:http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=844986
• Saturday, January 9, 2016

(PNA), JBP/CD

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Jan. 9 (PNA) -- Around 200,000 devotees from the Visayas and Mindanao joined the procession highlighting the annual celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene here Saturday.

Police officials estimated that the crowd has doubled over that of last year as venerating devotees continue to grow every year for the last six years since the “Black Nazarene” found a new home in this seaport capital six years ago.

The “left hand” of the replica of the life-sized “Black Nazarene” is an original part of the “Black Nazarene” in Quiapo, Manila, a parish priest said.

Msgr. Rey Monsanto, the parish priest of the “Nazareno Parish Church” located along the busy Claro M. Recto Avenue here, said he originally requested only a visit of the replica of the Black Nazarene from Quiapo during the Feast of the Black Nazarene here every January 9, of the year.

“I did not expect that an original portion of the “Black Nazarene” would be given to us to become part of the replica of the Black Nazarene here," Monsanto said.

He said the replica of the “Black Nazarene” in Cagayan De Oro City is recognized by Quiapo as the only one allowed outside Metro Manila.

Monsanto said that every year, the nine-day Novena, in preparation for the Feast of the Black Nazarene, here started on December 31 until the Feast Day of the Black Nazarene on January 9.

“A vigil at the provincial sports center is held on the eighth night to enable all devotees to have a chance to get near the Black Nazarene prior to the 10-kilometer procession on the Feast Day,” Monsanto said.

This year, the vigil was on Friday evening where thousands of devotees from Visayas and Mindanao trooped to the sprawling sports center along Velez Street here.

On Saturday, thousands of devotees joined the procession early morning as another thousand queue along the routes until the Black Nazarene was back to its Shrine at the Nazareno Parish Church along C.M. Recto here.

Police Superintendent Lemuel Gonda, deputy head of the Regional Police Strategy Management Unit, said the crowd swarmed at the start of the procession Saturday morning, filling the city’s major thoroughfares.

He said law enforcers have been placed on heightened alert as the local risk reduction management council deployed medical teams to respond to emergency calls.

Gonda said that there was no report of untoward incidents during the more than four-hour grueling procession.

“The observance of the Feast of the Black Nazarene here was peaceful and orderly,” Gonda said.