Hijos del Nazareno member John Emmanuel Monte (center), 17, with schoolmate Jelaine Kyla Flores, 18, visit the replica images of Jesus Nazareno at the Quiapo Church, formally Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Photo by Jason Sigales / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Jesus Nazareno devotees wish for many things—healing, graces, safety, and good fortune. Others, to pass the exam or attain a profession.
But for a senior high school student, he implores Jesus Nazareno to make his dream come true: become a priest.
“Aside from the fact that I felt that it was my calling, my vocation was to be a priest, to guide the people of God,” John Emmanuel Monte, 17, told INQUIRER.net in a mixed Filipino and English on Wednesday.
READ: LIVE UPDATES: Feast of the Jesus Nazareno and Traslacion 2025
Monte and schoolmate Jelaine Kyla Flores, 18, visited the Nazareno replica images at the Quiapo Church, formally Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, on Wednesday to show their devotion ahead of the Traslacion. He is a member of the Hijos del Nazareno, the brotherhood tasked with protecting the Holy Image of Jesus Nazareno.
He likewise serves as an altar server at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia in Paco district, a few kilometers away from Quiapo and across the Pasig River.
Monte believed that the Church needs more priests—”That”‘s why I am also willing to commit myself to be part of the bigger ministry,” he said.
The senior high schooler said he plans to take up philosophy at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines for a year before entering the seminary to begin his journey to priesthood.
He also said that taking such a path is a form of paying back Jesus Nazareno for his birth.
“Syempre, it is attributed sa himala na na-receive ng parents ko from Señor Nazareno saka sa Mahal na Birhen ng Salambaw sa Obando [sa Bulacan] when they prayed na maipanganak ako,” he said.
(Of course, it is attributed to the miracle my parents received from Señor Nazareno and Our Lady of Salambao in Obando, Bulacan, when they prayed for me to be born.)
For Nazareno 2025, Monte will render duties at Quiapo Church. He will not participate in the Traslacion, the long procession of the Nazareno image that attracts millions of devotees and lasts for many hours.
READ: Nazareno feast in the eyes of 2 high schoolers: ‘Christ is always here’
Joining the Traslacion or not, the teenager trusts that “Christ is wherever the Eucharist is celebrated.”
“Nandito naman ang Poon sa mismong tahanan niya. Much better na dito na lang na din kami mag-celebrate ng pista,” he asserted.
(The Nazareno is here in His own home. We should celebrate the festival here.)
Traslacion is the culmination of religious activities for the Feast of Jesus Nazareno, which is conducted on January 9 every year. It commemorates the transfer of the centuries-old image of the Nazareno from Bagumbayan—the present Rizal Park—to Quiapo Church.
Traslacion first took place between 1767 and 1787 and used the original image of Jesus Nazareno, but it was partially destroyed in 1945 during the battle for Manila in the Second World War.
An unknown sculptor made the original image from mesquite wood. The Jesus Nazareno image was brought from Mexico to Manila on May 31, 1606.
The Jesus Nazareno image is believed to have miraculous powers, and believers join the procession for a chance to touch the statue or even just the rope that pulls its carriage, hoping that doing so would bring them blessings and protection.