Nazarene devotees getting younger

Jerwina Bernando, who is five months pregnant, with 11-month-old son, Jerome, are among the devotees of the Black Nazarene who came to the Liwasang Bonifacio Shrine in Manila to join the annual procession Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. MAILA AGER/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Jerome Bartolome was only 11 months old and yet he is one of the millions of devotees who is joining this year’s Feast of the Black Nazarene.

And this is because his 21-year-old mother, Jerwina, has long been a devotee herself who hopes to pass it on to her children even in their early age.

Jerwina is now five-month old pregrant but this did not stop her from joining the procession of the Black Nazarene.

After all, she said, she has been doing this for the past five years now.

“I’m used to it. I wasn’t pregnant yet when I was climbing the carriage to touch the Black Nazarene,” the 21-year-old told INQUIRER.net in Filipino Wednesday as she and her children wait for the image to pass by.

She could not explain why she has been religiously joining the procession except that she believes that her faith with the Black Nazarene has somehow helped her problems go away.

“It’s like my weariness goes away. My problems as well,” she said.

Wearing a Black Nazarene t-shirt, one year and seven-month old Althea Domingo also joined the procession because her 24-year-old mother, Mercy, believes that the Black Nazarene cured her daughter.

One-year-old Althea Domingo is brought by her mother to the Liwasang Bonifacio Shrine in Manila for the annual feast of the Black Nazarene Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. MAILA AGER/INQUIRER.net

Mercy said Althea had weak lungs and was told to take medicines when she was only three months old.

But when she started praying to the Black Nazarene, her daughter’s illness suddenly disappeared.

“Mahina baga nya pero gumaling agad sya [Her lungs were weak but she got well immediately],” she said.

Althea’s grandmother, Nenita, attested to it because she herself said she was healed by the Black Nazarene.

Nenita has been joining the feast of the Black Nazarene for 15 years.