Hijos: The Sons of the Black Nazarene
Millions of devotees participate in the Traslacion - a more or less 20-hour procession of the Black Nazarene from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church in Manila every January 9.
Among the mammoth crowd is a group of men clad in yellow and maroon uniforms. They are seen riding the “andas” or the carriage of the 17th century image of the dark-colored, kneeling Jesus Christ carrying the cross. Most of the time, they help eager devotees to climb and touch the miraculous statue of the Señor with their towels.
They are the Hijos del Nazareno - the “Sons of the Black Nazarene.” According to Rev. Fr. Douglas Badong, an official at the Quiapo Church, there are around 600 members of hijos based in Quiapo coming from six groups, namely: (1) Nuestro Padre Hesus Nazareno (NPJN); (2) Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (MBBN); (3) Bukluran; (4) Central; (5) Minor Basilica; and (6) Anak ng Poong Nazareno.
They only have one goal: to protect and wholeheartedly serve the Señor.
“Ang isang Hijos Del Nazareno, naglalaan ‘yan ng buhay, oras sa Poon. Yung paglaan po namin ng buhay sa Señor ay hindi po mababayaran ng kahit na ano (An hijo devotes his life and time to the Señor. No amount of money can buy this kind of devotion)," said Zaldy Bernabe, headlay or president of NPJN.
Adam Sanding, a decade-old devotee of the Nazarene and secretary of the same group said that hijos, like job seekers, apply to become servants.
Anyone is welcome as long as the the spirit and purpose to serve is sincere and not self-serving.
“Kailangan ng birth certificate, kung kasal ka sa simbahan siyempre marriage certificate, tapos kumpil, saka yung baptismal (You need a birth certificate, if you got married in church, of course, a marriage certificate, then confirmation, and baptism certificate),” said Sanding.
Aspiring Hijos also need to complete 60 hours of service in Quiapo Church during Fridays and Sundays which would take around one to two months. Most importantly, attending formation and recollection meetings are a must.
“Yung formation ito yung paghuhubog sa aming mga Hijos del Nazareno saka yung recollection. Doon itinatama ang pananaw namin kung ano ba ang turo ng poong Hesus Nazareno sa aming kapwa na ina-apply naman namin; itinatama kung ano ang dapat na kilos, pag-uugali, at pananaw sa kapwa (Formation and recollection are ways of molding Hijos del Nazareno. Here, the church is teaching the lessons of Jesus the Nazarene; correcting what is wrong in our behavior and outlook in life),” added Sanding.
In fact, Renz Mendoza, another member of NPJN is a native of Tuguegarao who would travel around 300 miles from Region 2 to the National Capital Region (NCR) just to participate in their activities.
"Hindi hadlang para sa akin ang malayong pook o lugar para masabing hindi dapat (makapaglingkod) dahil kung ang Diyos nga buhay ang binigay, bakit hindi ko gagawin? Minsan, sa hirap ng buhay dahil malayo at mahal ang pamasahe medyo nadadalang ang aking paglilingkod pero hindi 'yon hadlang (Distance is not a reason for me to stop serving [the Señor] because if God gave us His life, why can't I do that? Sometimes, I can't regularly attend the activities because I'm financially incapable; fares are very expensive, but these were never reasons for me to stop my devotion," said Mendoza.
Despite criticisms that some stories of devotion are turning into fanaticism, one thing is clear for these men: They are not just visible during Traslacion but anytime of the year since Quiapo Church has become their home.