Village of Knock and
The Knock Shrine
While on the bus to the Cliffs of Moher, one of the other passengers asked if I had been to Knock yet and if I had viewed the Shrine. No, I had not (I didn’t want to tell her that I had never heard of it). She was adamant that I travel to it if time permitted. As my luck would have it – I did have time.
A few days later, I set off for Knock, Ireland. All the drive, I was trying to remember anything about the Knock Shrine. Naturally I had heard of Our Lady of Fatima (Portugal), Lourdes (France), Medjugorje (Bosnia/ Herzegovina). Our parish priest, Monsignor Bolger, would not be happy with my lack of recall.
In Clearwater, Florida, we have an unexplained ‘apparition’ of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One day, without explanation, there appeared the form of Mary on the glass windows of a 4-story building. The windows were cleaned, palm trees were cut away and even some panes were replaced, but the form remains until this day. Soon it became a pilgrimage and yes, I did go to see it.
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In August 1879, a religious vision was said to have happened in the village of Knock (County Mayo). The vision was of The Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, John the Evangelist, angels, and Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. The vision lasted approximately 2 hours and was seen by fifteen people. Naturally, an ecclesiastical council was convened to take testimony from each witness and it was held they were all trustworthy and factual. With the Vatican’s blessing of the vision, the pilgrimages began and continue to grow in number to this day.
The Shrine was built on the same spot as the vision. It occurred on the gabled side of the church, so the Church used that exterior wall as the focal point of the Shrine, creating the ‘front’ where the altar welcomes visitors.
Clearwater, Florida, USA
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In fact, there are a total of FIVE separate places to worship on the property!
In addition to the Shrine (1), there is an extremely large, bright Basilica (2) that normally holds hundreds of worshippers but with COVID that number is dramatically reduced. The church was elevated to the status of Basilica by Pope John Paul II when he visited Knock Shrine in 1979 and extensively redeveloped in 2015. Its stunning interior can be equally described as aesthetically beautiful and spiritually uplifting. The window frames that divide each chapel are replicas from ancient churches and abbeys in each of the four provinces in Ireland and pay homage to our rich ecclesiastical heritage.
The most beautiful site in the Basilica is the incredible mosaic artwork depicting the Knock Apparition of 1879. In fact, it contains over 1.5 million pieces of individual tiles! It is the largest of it’s kind in Europe!
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Can you imagine the placement of these 1.5 MILLION ceramic pieces!
Did you know that the National Novena to our Lady of Knock has been unbroken since 1977?
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Knock Parish Church (3) has been carefully restored and has stood for almost 200 years. The beautiful high altar was made by Mr. P. J Scannell of Cork and was presented as a gift during a pilgrimage in 1880.
The Chapel is beautifully constructed on a low site, a symbolic reference to the early rite of Baptism when you were immersed in a pool which was approached by a descent from higher ground.
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Today, the Chapel of Reconciliation (4) provides daily Confessions and is also home to Knock Counselling Centre. The beautiful gold spirals or rays surrounding the Crucifixion represent hope rising up from the scene. There is a lantern which represents a beacon on light. Since the building is below ground level, the only shaft of light coming through the roof makes the church naturally dark so the back of the altar becomes the central focus. Very cool.
Last, but not least, is The Blessed Sacrament Chapel (5), dedicated to the Exposition of the Eucharist at Knock Shrine. This is a very quiet place to spend time in contemplative prayer and/or meditation. Currently, the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament takes place daily throughout the pilgrimage season from 11:30 am to 6 pm. My time there was brief as I was on a mission to cover as much as the outside as I could with all the statues and the so very high Celtic cross. Even more disappointing was the fact I did not have enough time to see the Village - a few shops but certainly not enough!
Before you plan a trip to the Knock Shrine, please check with the Office at telephone 353 (0) 94 938 8100 or on-line https://www.knockshrine.ie for confirmation of dates, times and any COVID warnings.
