Our Lady of Knock
August 21: Our Lady of Knock, Ireland (1879)
The apparition in County Mayo in Ireland
of Our Lady of Knock is reported to have occurred on the evening of August 21,
1879, the vigil of the octave of the feast of the Assumption. Those who
witnessed the miracle ranged in age from five years old to seventy-five.
The apparition was described as follows: “Our Lady was wearing a large,
brilliant crown and clothed in white garments. On her right was Saint Joseph,
his head inclined toward her and on her left Saint John the Evangelist. To the left
of Saint John was an altar on which stood a cross and a lamb.” Standing only a
few feet off the ground, the Blessed Virgin wore a white cloak and was
described by witnesses as being incredibly beautiful. She wore a bright golden
crown, and appeared to be praying with her eyes looking toward heaven with her
arms bend in front of her with her palms facing inward.
Our Lady of Knock
Fifteen parishioners stood to witness the apparition for two hours as they
recited the rosary. Although it was daylight when the apparition began, the
weather turned for the worse and it began to rain heavily. The area around the
apparition appeared unaffected, however, as the ground remained dry as long as
the vision lasted. She did not speak, but the gable of the church where the
manifestation was made was covered with a cloud of light.
Saint Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, also wore white robes and stood on
the Virgin’s right. He inclined his head respectfully toward the Blessed
Virgin. Saint John the Evangelist wore a miter, and appeared to be preaching as
he held a book in his left hand.
Since then thousands of people have gone to Knock to pray to Our Lady. Their
prayerful, penitential and reverential spirit has been commended again and
again by visitors from other lands. No sign of commercialism detracts from the
purely religious atmosphere of that hallowed spot. People from all walks of
life kneel in humble supplication before the shrine of Our Lady, fully
confident that she has sanctified that spot by her apparition.
Organized pilgrimages from various dioceses are conducted frequently to the
shrine of Our Lady of Knock. The rosary comprises the main portion of the devotion; the shrine is
therefore appropriately called the Rosary Shrine. The “Knock Shrine Annual”
relates many interesting stories of cures and conversions effected at the
shrine.
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