‘Jesus Nazareno saved my child from leukemia,’ says eatery owner
Eatery owner Josie Terencio (right-most), 40, hands out pancit to Jesus Nazareno devotees as they await the return of the religious image at Quiapo Church on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. She tells INQUIRER.net that it’s her way of giving back for help she received from Jesus Nazareno over the years, such as her youngest child’s near encounter with leukemia. (Photo by Jason Sigales / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Eatery owner Josie Terencio, 40, a mother of two, has lived in the Quiapo district, surrounded by images of the Nazareno and tales of His healing power, for nearly 20 years.
She has always been a devotee — a natural part of her Catholic faith, as she put it — ever since she moved to Quiapo. But little did she know, she would eventually need the intercession of Jesus Nazareno.
In 2019, Terencio’s youngest child was at risk of developing leukemia, a disease where blood cells become abnormal and grow rapidly. Treatments for the illness include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy — remedies that would cost a fortune
Yet, after offering some prayers to Jesus Nazareno, her child was cleared of any risk of the disease.
“’Yung mga pagsubok na nagkaroon ako ng mga problem na hindi ko sukat-akalain na makaka-survive ako, kay Nazareno lang ako lumalapit,” Terencio told INQUIRER.net.
Article continues after this advertisement(During challenges I’ve faced, problems I never thought I’d survive, I turn to Nazareno.)
Article continues after this advertisementHer youngest child’s improved health gave the eatery owner even more reason to continue her tradition of providing food for the hungry devotees flooding into Quiapo on the Feast of Jesus Nazareno.
READ: Nazareno 2025: Quiapo business owners give free food, drinks to devotees
Terencio explained, ”Namimigay ako. Kung ano binibigay sa akin ni Lord, sinishare ko iyon.”
(I give. Whatever the Lord gives me, I share it.)
As of 2 p.m. on Thursday, around 630,000 Jesus Nazareno devotees were in the vicinity of Quiapo Church as the Traslacion continued, according to the Nazareno Operations Center.
READ: Over 600,000 devotees gather at Quiapo Church as traslacion continues
The Traslacion is the grand procession every January 9 that commemorates the transfer of the centuries-old Holy Image of Jesus Nazareno from Quirino Grandstand, which was then Bagumbayan, to the Quiapo Church.
It is the culmination of the week-long festivities in celebration of the Feast of Jesus Nazareno.
