The St. John the Baptist Parish also known as Quiapo Church has been elevated to the status of an archdiocesan shrine.
In a decree dated May 10, 2023, Cardinal Jose Advincula has approved the petition of Parish Rector Fr. Rufino Sescon Jr. to elevate the church into a shrine.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Quiapo Church has revealed the decree of erection.
“After having considered the petition of the Rector and Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Rufino C. Sescon, Jr., and the community of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene – St. John the Baptist Parish (Quiapo Church), after having consulted the Presbyteral Council, and convinced of the merits of the said petition,” Advincula stated.
“By these presents, we hereby decree that the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene – St. John the Baptist Parish (Quiapo Church), be conferred the title of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Black Nazarene,” he added.
The parish’s new status was formally announced on Wednesday during the mass presided by Fr. Reginald Malicdem, the archdiocese’s vicar general.
“For us devotees, whether there is a formal declaration, or none is made, this church is a real shrine because here we feel the presence of God,” Malicdem said.
“In this place we experience the mercy, compassion, peace, and love of God for us,” he added.
The Quiapo Church is home to the revered image of the Black Nazarene which gathers millions of devotees in its annual procession every January 9.
In 1987, St. John Paul II elevated the church as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene.
