 |
||
Traditionally known as An Cnoc, which literally means The Hill in Irish, the small town of Knock is known today as Cnoc Mhuire, or Hill of Mary; a title which has spread among locals since the mid-1920s. Located in County Mayo on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland, the town of Knock is home to less than 2,000 villagers, a number which pales in comparison to the amount of travelers the town receives each year.
It was here, in Knock, Ireland, that the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary took place on August 21, 1879, on a rainy evening. That night, though typical and wet, the lives of fifteen local villagers would be changed forever. Around 8:00 p.m., Mary McLoughlin, 45, along with Mary Byrne, the daughter of a close friend, were walking home from visiting the Byrnes. In passing a local parish church, the younger Mary noticed a radiant light and what appeared to be “statues” leaning against the church's outer wall. When the two neared the light, they witnessed the “statues” moving. Amazed by the unimaginable sight, little Mary ran to her family's home and told them of the extraordinary things she and Miss Mary had seen.
The Byrnes, along with a few other villagers who caught wind of the vision, quickly went to see for themselves. It was there, on the south gable of the Knock parish church, that they witnessed the apparition of the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist. As the 15 of them stood before the apparition, the rain came down harder, soaking them, yet the very area around the vision remained completely dry. All three figures were bathed in a celestial light and positioned in a peculiar fashion. Dressed in all white and adorned by a shiny gold crown, the Blessed Virgin was centered between the two, floating at a slightly taller height. To her left was St. John the Evangelist, dressed as a bishop and holding an open book. On her right was St. Joseph, standing in a humble posture with his hands joined and shoulders leaning in the direction of Our Lady. Interestingly, a local farmer who lived not far from the church reported seeing “a large golden light” that same night, though he knew nothing of the visions until word reached the town the following day.
What makes the message of the 1879 Apparition at Knock unique is that it was one of profound silence, a single “prayerful contemplation” between sight and seer.
Following the apparition, the local parish church became a place of pilgrimage among neighboring towns and villages. Were it not for a local parish priest named John Horan, the small town of Knock would never have attained the international significance it prides today. Owing to his efforts, Knock is a place of continuous pilgrimage, and is often referred to as “the Lourdes of Ireland.” Today, 1.5 million pilgrims visit the shrine of Our Lady of Knock each year. In 1979, Pope John Paul II deepened the importance of the Knock Shrine when he visited and commemorated the centenary of the apparition, effectively bringing the “seal of Vatican approval.”
Although more than 200 reported visions of the Blessed Virgin have surfaced since the early 19th century, Knock is one of few to have received canonical advocacy since 1842.
| Lourdes | Fatima | Knock | Paris | Medjogorje |