Lance Raven Chato, 20, loves the same things most guys his age do. He plays basketball on his phone and on the court, and claims to be the best shooting guard and centre. His Fridays, however, are not spent shooting hoops, but attending meetings and assisting the elderly during mass at the Quiapo Church in Manila.He is part of the Hijos del Nazareno (Sons of the Nazarene), dedicated devotees of the Black Nazarene, a life-size statue of Jesus sculpted from dark wood. It’s a devotion he inherited from his grandfather and father, who also volunteer in weekly masses.
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But that’s nothing compared to what they do every January 9, when the religious image is paraded in a 6-kilometre route around the streets of Manila and brought back to the Quiapo Church, its permanent home. The procession, known as Traslacion, is attended by millions of people who push and shove each other just to touch the statue they believe to be miraculous. It’s the Hijos’ job to protect the centuries-old Black Nazarene, so Lance and about 200 other men take turns standing on the carriage, navigating it through a sea of people, and making sure it gets back to the church in one piece.
Lance has been doing this since 2009, when he was 10 years old, a year after his grandfather died.“Every Friday and Sunday, we knew he’d be at Quiapo Church, nowhere else,” he said, in awe of his grandfather’s devotion. Lance recalled how they would go to church together on weekends and said that he wanted to be like his grandfather.This year, an estimated 2.3 million people attended the procession that lasted for 16 hours. Lance said it was relatively easier this time around because the police were stricter. In 2012, the procession lasted for nearly 24 hours due to flat carriage tires.Still, it was a hectic day for Lance and his fellow volunteers.
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3:45 a.m.
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6:45 a.m.
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10:00 p.m.
Lance said he continues to serve in the procession every year and in church every week, in gratitude for all the blessings he has been given.“I get to go to school. I rarely get sick. I get to teach the youth how to serve. Those are the rewards I get for doing this,” he said.“I’ll serve the Nazarene until I die.”Find Martin on Twitter and Instagram.