Quiapo Church

Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (St. John, the Baptist Parish)
Basic information
Location	Quiapo, Manila, Philippines
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Year consecrated	(as Minor Basilica) February 1, 1988
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Archdiocese of Manila
Heritage designation	Saint John the Baptist Black Nazarene
Leadership	Monsignori

The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, also known as Saint John the Baptist Parish and informally known as Quiapo Church is a prominent Roman Catholic church Latin-rite Basilica located in the District of Quiapo, Manila, Philippines. The church is reputedly famous for enshrining the Black Nazarene, a dark statue of Jesus Christ which many faithful claim to have miraculous powers. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Manila and is currently rectored by Rev. Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio.

History

In August 29, 1586, Governor General Santiago de Vera founded the District of Quiapo. The Franciscan Missionaries built the first church of Quiapo with Bamboo and Nipa materials. San Pedro Bautista, a Franciscan missionary at that time was one of the founders of the Quiapo church and several other churches in Metro Manila and Laguna city. The original church was burned in 1639 and was rebuilt with a stronger edifice. It was again partially destroyed by an earthquake of 1863. Under the supervision of Fathers Eusebio de Leon and Manuel Roxas, the third church was completed in 1899. Fr. Roxas raised an unprecedented amount of PhP. 40,000.00 pesos from donations and lay contributions. In October 30, 1928, the church was caught in a fire which almost destroyed the church. Dona Encarnacion Nakpil de Orense, head of the Parish Committee, raised funds for the reconstruction of the church. Filipino Artist and architect, Juan Nakpil also rebuilt the church.

Quiapo Church Murder

In December 13, 1975 Bishop Hernando Antiporda was murdered along with his assistant parish priest, Rev. Fr. Raymundo Costales. The culprits strangled the bishop with a cord and stabbed his assistant on the neck with a broken bottle. Many suspect that robbery was the motive of the crime.

Expansion of the Church and Recognition as Minor Basilica

Msgr. Jose Abriol appointed Filipino architect Jose Ma. Zaragoza and Engineer Eduardo Santiago to remold the church in 1984 allowing it to accommodate more devotees. Cardinal Jaime Sin blessed the parish on September 28, 1987. In 199, the Quiapo Church was declared the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene. The Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Most Rev. Bruno Torpigliani, blessed the altar of San Lorenzo Ruiz on February 1, 1988.

The Devotion to the Black Nazarene

The Quiapo Church holds a weekly novena every Friday and is attended by thousands of devotees every day. A January 9 event is participated by millions of devotees who celebrate the translacion or transfer of the Black Nazarene statue at the church. Daily hourly masses are celebrated and devotees come from all walks of life. See also, Black Nazarene.

Abortifacient Merchandise

The Quiapo street-market is a known location for unsafe and untested herbal abortifacients and gastric irritants. Merchandise being sold in these areas range from discreet surgical abortion, to abortion folk-rituals, to herbal potions which are claimed to have abortifacient properties. Since abortion is illegal in the Philippines, individuals who choose to resort to these street vendors come due to their inability to afford the abortive medical procedure or discretionary issues. Several fetuses in the past have been anonymously left in front of the Basilica's Blessed Sacrament chapel, usually wrapped in a sack-cloth or plain boxes.

Ecclestiastical Leadership

'Rev. Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio is the current rector of the shrine and was former Episcopal Vicar, Chancellor and Oeconomus of the Archdiocese of Manila. He is assisted by Parochial Vicars Rev. Fr. Fernando Carpio, Rev. Fr. Frank Villanueva, Rev. Fr. Venusto Suarez and Rev. Fr. Ricardo Valencia.

Recent List of Pastor-Rectors

Name	Years of Pastorship	Former Assignments
Rev. Msgr. Vicente Fernandez, P.A. †	1937 to 1954
Rev. Msgr. Francisco Avendaño †	1954 to 1955
Most Rev. Vicente Reyes, D.D. †	1955 to 1961	deceased Bishop of Cabanatuan
Most Rev. Pedro Bantigue, D.D.	1961 to 1967	Bishop-emeritus of San Pablo
Most Rev. Bienvenido Lopez, D.D. †	1967 to 1974	deceased Auxiliary Bishop of Manila
Fr. Antonio Pascual	1974
Most Rev. Hernando Antiporda, D.D. †	1974 to 1975	deceased Auxiliary Bishop of Manila
Rev. Msgr. Jose Abriol, P.A. †	1975 to 1993	deceased Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Manila
Rev. Msgr. Bienvenido Mercado, P.C. †	1993 to 1999
Rev. Msgr. Teodoro Buhain, D.D.	1999 to 2004	Auxiliary Bishop-emeritus of Manila
Rev. Msgr. Josefino Ramirez, H.P., STD	2004 to 2007	Vicar-General emeritus of the Archdiocese of Manila
Rev. Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio, P.C., TOC	2007–present	Former Episcopal Vicar District of Makati, Chancellor and Oeconomus

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  Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (January 11, 2012)

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  Rear photo of the Church's interior

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  Main Altar of the Church

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  Blessed Sacrament Altar (left side of the Church)

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  Quiapo Church Parish Rectory, Office of the Parish Priest

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  Jaime Cardinal Sin Building houses the Quiapo Parish Rectory, Office of the Parish Priest (adjacent, part of the Church)

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  One of the 4 replicas of the Black Nazarene inside the Church

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  The newest of the 4 replicas of the Black Nazarene inside the Church

External links

• Quiapo Church Website [1]
• Black Nazarene
• History of Quiapo
• Veneration of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo
• [2]
• [3]
• Ramos, NRJ (2006-04-13). "Houses of the Holy". Manila Standard Today. http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife01_april13_2006. Retrieved 2007-05-30.