MANILA, Philippines—Now, devotees and parishioners from all over the world need not come to the Philippines just to hear Mass in Quiapo Church, home of the centuries-old image of the Black Nazarene.
Only recently, the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, introduced the online streaming of its regular Masses, its rector, Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio, announced Sunday.
Ignacio said the live streaming service was initiated following numerous requests from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), mostly devotees, who want to hear Mass but could not do so because of their circumstances.
“At least it could help them and it would also nourish their faith,” said Ignacio through the CBCP News, the official news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
The live streaming of the hourly Masses—through the church’s website www.quiapochurch.com—begins from 4 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and resumes at 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays.
The Holy Hour or the Eucharistic adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, scheduled at 3 p.m., also on Friday, can also be viewed live.
All of the Sunday Masses from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. are also broadcast online, including the 3 p.m. Children’s Mass or the Misa Pro Populo.
Aside from the Masses, talks being held at Quiapo Church can also be accessed live through the Internet, according to the priest.
However, he warned that attending Masses through live streaming should not be a substitute for attending Mass in person. “Catholics still have to go to Mass in their churches,” said Ignacio.
“We are just offering this for those who can’t go to Mass due to their condition,” he added.
The Quiapo Church is the permanent dwelling of the 17th century life-sized icon of the Black Nazarene, which draws millions of devotees to a pilgrimage in Quiapo every year during its feast day.