{"id":38473,"date":"2026-02-12T17:16:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/nieuws\/replica-of-manilas-famed-black-nazarene-arrives-in-los-angeles-archdiocese\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:16:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:16:00","slug":"replica-of-manilas-famed-black-nazarene-arrives-in-los-angeles-archdiocese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorecatholic.nl\/en\/nieuws\/replica-of-manilas-famed-black-nazarene-arrives-in-los-angeles-archdiocese\/","title":{"rendered":"Replica of Manila\u2019s famed \u2018Black Nazarene\u2019 arrives in Los Angeles Archdiocese"},"content":{"rendered":"
The centuries-old devotion to Nuestro Padre Jes\u00fas Nazareno of Quiapo, Manila, in the Philippines has formally reached the U.S. West Coast as an official replica of the revered image was turned over to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and entrusted to Holy Family Parish in Artesia and the archdiocese\u2019s Filipino ministry.<\/p>\n
The replica, gifted by the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jes\u00fas Nazareno in Manila, will be enthroned at Holy Family Parish and serve as a pilgrim image, visiting parishes across the archdiocese\u2019s five pastoral regions as part of a broader evangelization initiative.<\/p>\nFather John Cordero displays the official replica of the Jes\u00fas Nazareno from Manila\u2019s Quiapo Church in 2025. | Credit: Holy Family Catholic Church Artesia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The arrival of the image marks the fruit of an evangelization effort spearheaded by then-rector of Quiapo Church, now Bishop Rufino Sescon of Balanga, Bataan. According to Father John Cordero of the Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross, pastor of Holy Family Parish, the development unfolded providentially.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real starting point of this development was the evangelization initiative of the National Shrine of Jes\u00fas Nazareno in Manila, spearheaded by then-rector and now bishop of Balanga, Rufino \u2018Jun\u2019 Sescon,\u201d Cordero told EWTN News.<\/p>\n
The replica was initially offered to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles through Father Rodel Balagtas, priest liaison to the Filipino Ministry. Although another parish had first expressed willingness to host the image, no final arrangements had been made.<\/p>\n
Months later, Sescon personally contacted Cordero \u2014 a former graduate school classmate \u2014 to reestablish communication between Quiapo Church and a receiving parish. What seemed at first a closed matter reopened, and Cordero discerned that the parish could accommodate the image by converting a religious goods store in the vestibule into a shrine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed something that had slipped my attention: We have space,\u201d Cordero said. After consultation with Filipino Ministry leaders, including its president and parishioner Noel Motus, the parish agreed to receive the image. \u201cIt is a gift from the national shrine, and our parish was merely chosen to be the caretakers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Formal reception and Mass<\/h2>\n
Sescon will celebrate the Mass marking the official arrival and reception of the replica in Los Angeles on Feb. 14. Later this year, the image will also be brought to the annual Religious Education Congress, further expanding its exposure to thousands of catechists and ministry leaders.<\/p>\n
Bishop Oscar Solis of Salt Lake City \u2014 the first Filipino-born bishop to lead a diocese in the United States \u2014 is also scheduled to celebrate a Mass in connection with the image\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n
While there was no prior organized clamor among parishioners for a Nazareno image, Cordero said the parishioners\u2019 response after learning that their parish will be the home of the replica has been one of \u201csheer joy,\u201d with Filipino and Hispanic faithful alike rallying around the new shrine.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a pastor explaining this new devotion to my multicultural parish, I would like to point to our mutual interconnectedness with this image,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is primarily an image of Jesus, the focal point of our Christian unity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Historical connections<\/h2>\n
The original image of the Jes\u00fas Nazareno, which arrived in Manila from Mexico in 1606, bears deep historical ties to both the Philippines and the Americas. California itself was once part of Mexico, and devotion to Jes\u00fas Nazareno has long-standing roots throughout Latin America.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe image, touched by hundreds of millions of pilgrims throughout its four centuries of devotional history, connects us with the everyday faith stories of all who identify with the suffering of Our Lord,\u201d Cordero said.<\/p>\n
In a gesture underscoring that spiritual continuity, \u201clike the Galileans who were content with touching the tassels of the cloak of Jesus for their healing,\u201d Cordero requested Father Jade Licuanan, the current Quiapo Basilica rector, to have the replica be touched to the original image in Quiapo before being shipped to the United States. Cordero described this as an \u201cintimate act of blessing and sending.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mass devotion in Manila<\/h2>\n
The devotion to the image once known as the \u201cBlack Nazarene\u201d is among the largest Catholic expressions of popular piety in the world. Each January, millions of barefoot devotees join the Traslaci\u00f3n procession in Manila, accompanying the dark wooden image of Christ carrying the cross through the streets of Quiapo.<\/p>\n