HONG KONG (SE): “I am very grateful that a statue of the Black Nazarene has come to Hong Kong. Every Sunday, I attend the online service of Quiapo Church. Now it feels like the church has come here and we are so close to the suffering Jesus,” said Evelyn Galabo, as she prayed and touched the robe of the image of the Black Nazarene at St. Joseph’s Church, Garden Road.
Galabo said she believes in the power of praying before the image of the Black Nazarene, and it is a way to strengthen her faith.
Another parishioner, Jonalyn Rivera Corpuz, said she now prays before the image every time she attends Mass at the parish. She was thankful to God for her 15 years working in Hong Kong which enabled her to support the education of her four children.
This replica of the Black Nazarene was a gift from the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila [Quiapo Church], to support the pastoral care of Filipino migrants in Hong Kong. Arriving at the parish in May last year, it has now been enshrined at the back of the church. According to parish priest, Father Joseph Tan Lei-tao, the image has acted as a reminder for more prayers for parishioners and pilgrims, as many gather and pray in front of it before and after Masses.
To mark the Feast of the Black Nazarene, which falls on January 9, a ceremony was held at the beginning of every Mass on January 7 and 8, with the celebrant praying before the image. The choir led the congregation in singing the official hymn for the feast used by Quiapo Church.
I am very grateful that a statue of the Black Nazarene has come to Hong Kong. Every Sunday, I attend the online service of Quiapo Church. Now it feels like the church has come here and we are so close to the suffering Jesus
Evelyn Galabo
The statue shows Jesus kneeling to shoulder the weight of the Cross. But at the same time, he is wearing a crown, showing his victory over sin. “I hope this image can strengthen people’s faith in Jesus, and help them follow his spirit to fight sin,” Father Tan said.
Hong Kong is the fourth city where the image of the Black Nazarene has been erected, after Manila, Las Vegas in the United States, and Tel Aviv-Yafo in Israel.
Father Tan shared that the Philippines was his first missionary assignment after he was ordained in Australia in 2006. After he saw the procession of the Black Nazarene on its feast day in 2007 and he was greatly impressed by the devotion shown by the Filipino laypeople.
After he became the parish priest of St. Joseph’s Church, he believed it was his mission to create a home away from home for migrants. In August 2019, he travelled to Manila to visit the basilica in Quiapo to make an official request of its parish priest, Father Hernando Coronel, for a replica of the image to give Hong Kong migrants a feeling of home in Hong Kong.
The priest thanked a parishioner, Lulu Salazar, and her family in the Philippines, for helping with the logistics and handling the shipment of the statue to Hong Kong.
Bishop Ha expressed his joy at the enshrinement and blessing of the image, which he said represents a ‘visible image of the invisible God’ and a symbol of God’s protection in the hearts of many Filipinos
Jenny Chua, a volunteer of a team who coordinated the transfer of the image from Manila to Hong Kong, shared that she had been in close contact with the coordinator in Quiapo Church, Alex Irasgar, one of the main promoters of Black Nazarene. Due to the pandemic travel restrictions, they believed little could be done after Father Tan’s first visit to Quiapo Church. She recalled that when the government lifted the quarantine restrictions at the end of 2021, she immediately contacted the Quiapo Church to invite guests for the ceremony.
An enshrinement of the image of the Black Nazarene took place during a Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing on 11 December 2022. Father Douglas Badong and Father Daniel Voltaire Hui of the basilica in Quiapo, as well as Divine Word missionary Father Wang Yuhang, who helped with communication in Quiapo, were present, showing their care for migrants in Hong Kong.
Bishop Ha expressed his joy at the enshrinement and blessing of the image, which he said represents a “visible image of the invisible God” and a symbol of God’s protection in the hearts of many Filipinos.
During the ceremony, Bishop Ha blessed and sealed two time-capsules that will be opened in 25 and 50 years. The time capsules contain some of the historical materials Father Tan used during his research to write a book about one of Hong Kong’s oldest churches. The parish priest plans to publish the book in the near future.
According to the information provided by the basilica, the image is attributed to the work of an unknown Mexican artist in the 16th century who made the image of Christ with dark wood.
