Jon Raz

Quiapo Church Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene is more popularly known as Quiapo Church, one of the most popular Catholic churches in the Philippines. Lying at the very heart of Manila's Quiapo District, it houses the Black Nazarene, a dark-skinned Jesus Christ statue believed to carry with it miraculous powers. It is the centerpiece of the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene every January 9th, where millions of devotees join a procession called the Traslación. It has been considered one of the major religious and cultural monuments in Manila, its present edifice dating to the 20th century after successive reconstructions due to natural calamities and World War damage. Architecture varies between a remarkably imposing Baroque among others, with the prestige of the church allowing historical and religious significance.  Photos taken: January 2021

National Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus The National Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus or Saint Jude Parish is one of three Chinese parishes established by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila in Metro Manila, Philippines. The shrine holds its novena service every Thursday to Saint Jude. Photos taken January 2021 The National Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus The Chinese presence in the Philippines goes back many centuries. With the coming of the Spaniards, the evangelization and pastoral care of the Chinese in Manila came under the Dominicans. Eventually, the Chinese Parish was attached to the Binondo Parish. This arrangement lasted until 1954. In that year, Archbishop Rufino J. Santos obtained from the Roman Consistorial Congregation to the faculty to erect three more parishes for the Chinese. One of these was St. Jude Parish. On October 13, 1954, Father Provincial Hermann Kondring, SVD appointed Fr. Henry Windges, SVD as the first parish priest of the Espiritu Santo Chinese Pa...