Ruben Enaje | |
|---|---|
 Enaje (right)
| |
| Born | 1960/1961 (age 62–63)
San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines
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| Nationality | Filipino |
| Occupation(s) | Carpenter, Construction worker |
| Known for | Being voluntarily crucified annually on Good Friday |
Ruben Enaje is a Filipino carpenter, sign painter, and former construction worker. He is noted for being crucified 34 times as of 2019.
He has been crucified every year from 1986 through 2019 on Good Friday; the COVID-19 pandemic required that he skip crucifixion in the years 2020–2022. He resumed his annual tradition of crucifixion in 2023, being crucified for his 34th time in San Pedro Cutud.
Background
Enaje, who was once a construction worker in the Philippines, fell down from an unfinished building in Tarlac, and unexpectedly survived. After the incident, saying that it was to thank the Lord for saving him, Enaje started participating in crucifixions, of his own free will, in a ritual done on Good Friday every year. Initially done only for nine years since the incident, he continued with his another set of nine years as a petition for the healing of his daughter from asthma and another nine years for the good health of his wife.
Crucifixions
Enaje was crucified for his first time in 1985. He had promised God that he would be crucified 27 times, which came to pass in 2013. He continued thereafter. He offered his 30th crucifixion, in 2016, to the people of Belgium, who had recently suffered from a terrorist attack, and prayed for a more peaceful outcome of the 2016 Philippine general election.
In 2019, Enaje re-iterated his hopes to finally find a replacement, having been crucified once a year for 33 years (the same number of years that Jesus was alive). He was crucified for a 34th time in 2023, resuming his participation in the crucifixion after it was halted from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to his crucifixion in 2023, Enaje said that his 34th reenactment of the crucifixion would be his last.
See also
