69-yr-old Nazareno faithful’s dream turns into devotion
Devotee Odelino Faraon, 69, shares that he has had his maroon Nazareno shirt for 35 years. (Photo from Dianne Sampang/INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — A dental technician’s dream led him to become a Nazareno devotee for 35 years.
Odelino Faraon, 69, was an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) when a figure resembling Jesus Nazareno appeared to him in a dream.
“Parang Nazareno. Parang panaginip pero parang totoo siya kaya bigla akong umuwi. Pinagpilitan kong umuwi para makapunta sa Quiapo [Church],” Faraon told INQUIRER.net.
(It looked like the Nazareno. It was like a dream but it felt real; that’s why I immediately went home. I went home so I could go to Quiapo Church.)
READ: Devotees flock to Quiapo Church ahead of Traslacion 2025
Article continues after this advertisementFaraon said he was abroad for only four months when he decided to come home.
Article continues after this advertisement“Napanaginipan ko ‘yon, December. January 5 noong nakauwi ako… ‘Yung anak ko, kapag nagbe-birthday ‘yon, kaedad niya ‘yung pagpunta [ko] sa Quiapo,” Faraon added.
(I dreamed about it in December. When I got home on January 5… My child’s birth year is the same year I went to Quiapo.)
Wearing his maroon Nazareno shirt, he also mentioned that he visits the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, commonly known as Quiapo Church, every Feast of Jesus Nazareno and Holy Week.
The former OFW said he owes the success of his dental laboratory to Jesus Nazareno, adding that he used to join the Traslacion, or the procession of the image. However, he stopped after suffering a stroke.
READ: Crowds building up for ‘Pahalik’ on the eve of Nazarene procession
But he braved the long queue and the hot weather on Wednesday to participate in the “Pahalik” or the touching and kissing of the image.
“Kanina habang nando’n, masakit ang tuhod ko. Ngayon, wala eh. Wala nang sakit na nararamdaman,” Faraon said.
(While I was there earlier, my knees hurt. But now, the pain is gone. I don’t feel any pain now.)
The Pahalik began at 8:05 p.m. on Monday, January 6, at the Quirino Grandstand, ahead of its schedule. The activity will last until the Traslacion on Thursday.
