EVERY year thousands of Filipino devotees flock to Quiapo Church in Manila to celebrate the Feast of the Black Nazarene. The life-size, dark, wooden sculpture is believed by many Roman Catholics to be miraculous.
The image was brought to Manila by a Spanish priest in 1607. It survived a fire that razed the ship that carried it, earning its name, the “Black Nazarene.” Since then, there had been stories of miracles happening to those who touched it.
Every year without fail, people line up to kiss the feet of the Nazarene, unwavering with the belief that the statue can heal and grant wishes. The faithful burn their candles for the overnight vigil and offer their prayers.
On the feast day itself, the Black Nazarene, placed in a carriage, is joined by thousands of Filipinos as it passes through the streets of Manila to its home in Quiapo.
The procession in itself is a spectacle, unrivaled by any other religious gathering in the country. In this slideshow, photojournalist Vincent Go joined the throng of devotees from January 8 to 9 and captured the devotion and zealousness of a people crying for help and deliverance in a nation besieged with calamity and poverty.
