Knock Shrine

Our Lady's Shrine, Knock, County Mayo, is Ireland’s National Marian Shrine, and a national and international place of pilgrimage, attracting over 1,600,000 visitors annually. It is an oasis of tranquillity and deep spirituality, where many who come to see, remain to pray and find healing, reconciliation and peace. It welcomes people of all faiths and none.

Knock was the scene of an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Joseph and St John, the Evangelist, together with an altar, a cross and a lamb surrounded by angels, on 21 August 1879, a time when poverty and famine were widespread in the region. The apparition was witnessed by more than fifteen local people aged from six to sixty-eight. (Those fifteen later gave witness - statements to a church inquiry.) The apparition took place at 8pm and is said to have lasted for some two hours. Even though there was heavy rain at the time the apparition gable remained dry. The local parish priest, Archdeacon Bartholomew Cavanagh, did not witness the apparition, but he became convinced of its authenticity by those who did. Two Commissions of Inquiry, in 1879 and 1936, found that the testimony of the witnesses as a whole was credible and trustworthy. The centenary of the Knock apparition of 1879 was the inspiration for the first ever papal visit to Ireland. On 30 September 1979, His Holiness Pope (now Saint) John Paul II came as a pilgrim to Knock Shrine, which he termed ‘the goal of his Irish journey’. He celebrated Mass before an estimated 450,000 people. It is expected that Pope Francis could visit Knock Shrine during his visit to Ireland in August 2018.

Knock Shrine has been recognised in some way by every pope from Pope Pius XII onwards, with the highlight being the visit of Pope John Paul II.The apparition changed Knock from a small village to an international place of pilgrimage and prayer. Numerous miracles and countless incidents of reconciliation have been recorded at Knock. Private pilgrimages take place all year, with a special programme of ceremonies and devotions from April to October each year. Each Irish diocese has an annual pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine at Knock. Saint Teresa of Calcutta (now Kolketa), (1910-1997) the renowned nun who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, came as a pilgrim to Knock in 1993, one of many well-known international visitors to the shrine.

The focal point of the Shrine is the Gable of the Apparition, on the south wall of the Church of St John the Baptist, the old parish church. The Gable is now the location of the Shrine Oratory, and some original stones from the Gable are encased on the outside wall of the shrine. The foundation - stone of a new church in Knock was blessed by Pope Paul VI in Rome on 6 June 1974, and laid by a native of the parish, Most Rev. Joseph Cunnane, Archbishop of Tuam, 1969 -87, on 15 August 1974. The circular church, designed by Louis and Brian Brennan and Dáithí Hanly, is the largest in Ireland with accommodation for up to 20,000; it was dedicated Our Lady, Queen of Ireland on 18 July 1976. The surrounding ambulatory has 32 pillars, each made of stone from each county in Ireland. The church has five chapels radiating out from the sanctuary, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, St John the Evangelist, Our Lady of Knock, St Joseph and St Columbanus. The new church was officially raised to the status of a Basilica by the Pope John Paul II on 30 September 1979, and known since then as the Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland.

An amazing mosaic, measuring 14 metres square which illustrates the apparition scene of 1879, was unveiled on the wall behind the sanctuary in Knock Basilica on Sunday, 28 February 2016, by the Archbishop of Tuam, Most Reverend Michael Neary. Designed by Dublin artist and illustrator, P. J. Lynch, the mosaic was created by the Travisanutto family in Spilimbergo, near Venice in Italy. This artistic masterpiece was part of a complete refurbishment of the Basilica for its fortieth anniversary in 2016. This work was carried out under the leadership of the parish priest and rector of the national shrine from 2 February 2012, Fr Richard Gibbons.

Today the hillside Shrine is set in beautiful landscaped gardens and incorporates five churches: the Apparition Chapel, Parish Church, Basilica, Blessed Sacrament Chapel and Chapel of Reconciliation. There are also the award winning Knock Museum, hostels for the sick, two rest-houses for invalids, a Counselling centre, Youth Ministry programmes and events, Family Life services and Prayer Guidance sessions. Other services at the Shrine include organised pilgrimages, daily Masses and confessions, rosary procession, Stations of the Cross, Anointing of the Sick, retreats and vigils. Regular workshops on various religious and social topics provide cathartic experiences for many. The Knock Novena runs from 14-22 August every year. (www.knockshrine).

Knock Museum tells the compelling story of the Knock Apparition of 1879 and profiles the fifteen people who witnessed this extraordinary event. Here you will see hand-written accounts of the Knock witnesses and read many fascinating letters of cures. The museum charts the transformation of Knock from a small rural village into Ireland’s National Marian Shrine. It tells the stories of those people responsible for its development, especially the extraordinary work of Monsignor James Horan, who was parish priest of Knock from 1970 until his sudden death on 1 August 1986. He was the catalyst for the transformation of Knock Shrine, including the erection of the basilica, the invitation to Pope John Paul II to visit Ireland, and the building of an international airport, now Ireland West Airport Knock. Knock Museum has an amazing audio collection of personal stories and memories of pilgrims and as you tour through the exhibition you can listen to moving and inspiring stories of faith. Audio guides are available in seven languages including English, Irish, French, German, Italian Spanish and Polish (Email: museum@knock-shrine.) A visit to Knock Shrine is the highlight for many visitors to the west of Ireland.

Bernard O'Hara's latest book entitled Killasser: Heritage of a Mayo Parish is now on sale in the USA and UK as a paperback book at amazon.com, amazon.co.uk or Barnes and Noble

It is also available as an eBook from the Apple iBookstore (for reading on iPad and iPhone), from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (Kindle & Kindle Fire) and from Barnesandnoble.com (Nook tablet and eReader).

An earlier publication, a concise biography of Michael Davitt, entitled Davitt by Bernard O’Hara published in 2006 by Mayo County Council , is now available as Davitt: Irish Patriot and Father of the Land League by Bernard O’Hara, which was published in the USA by Tudor Gate Press (www.tudorgatepress.com) and is available from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. It can be obtained as an eBook from the Apple iBookstore (for reading on iPad and iPhone), from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (Kindle & Kindle Fire) and from Barnesandnoble.com (Nook tablet and eReader).