Information about Sto. Niño de Pandacan Parish

Sto. Niño de Pandacan Parish

Sto. Niño de Pandacan Parish is a Roman Catholic church located along Jesus Street in Pandacan, Manila. Established over 300 years ago, it officially became a became a parish on November 23, 1712, with Fr. Diego de Villalba as its parish priest of the Franciscan order. 

According to legend, the first parish was erected near the Pasig river where the image of a mahogany Sto. Nino or Holy Child was found by children playing near a water hole. 

Hallowed Spot 

It is said that the wooden image of the Holy Child kept on returning to the same spot even after elders attempted to transfer it to another parish nearby. Townsfolk began to revere the area and built a nipa hut on it to house the wooden image. 

Later on the Francisican friars and the residents agreed to have a stone chapel erected on the hallowed spot, including the water hole where a natural spring can still be seen today. The water hole was turned into a well, and the water is said to result in miraculous healing for the sick. 

Today, the well is sealed shut but a shrine was build on the same spot where the well used to be. 

Wooden Image of the Holy Child

The original stone chapel was destroyed by two earthquakes in the 1800’s, and then renovated only to be demolished again after World War 2 due to a road expansion project of the street on which it stands.

A modern church building was erected between 1951-1971, standing on the ruins of the old parish. The wooden image of the Sto. Nino is enshrined here, revered by devotees for its supposed miraculous powers. It is widely believed that the image provided protection for the townsfolk during the revolution. An annual feast is celebrated on the third Sunday of January in honor of the Sto. Nino.