On Friday evening, the Pope will deliver a special message through a video link that will recognize the Shrine of Knock as an international Eucharistic and Marine Shrine.
By Lydia O’Kane
The message will be broadcast during the Mass to be celebrated by the Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary, and which will be concelebrated by Fr. Richard Gibbons, rector of the parish and rector of Knock Shrine.
This honor comes almost two and a half years after Pope Francis visited the Marian shrine, located in the west of Ireland, during his apostolic visit to the country for the World Meeting of Families.
While there, he prayed in front of the chapel of the apparition for all families in the world and presented the shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Knock with a golden rosary in recognition of the family rosary tradition in Ireland.
The appearance
The story of the apparition is deeply symbolic and unique, with the depiction of the Eucharist as the risen Lord who appeared as the Lamb on the altar, standing before his cross and surrounded by a multitude of angels. .
On August 21, 1879, fifteen people in the village of Knock spent two hours in the rain reciting the rosary before the scene of the apparition, which also featured the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist. .
Joy and gratitude
In statements prior to Friday’s Eucharistic celebration, Father Richard Gibbons said he was “delighted and delighted” by this recognition. “It’s a great honor to be recognized in this way and what it means is, I guess we have the maximum in terms of recognition by the Church.”
This special status is also celebrated by the parishioners of Shine, who have expressed their gratitude to Pope Francis for honoring this place of Marian pilgrimage.
Links to St. Joseph
Ireland’s national sanctuary is honored on the feast of St. Joseph and the day Pope Francis celebrates the eighteenthth the anniversary of his inauguration as Pope, which Fr. Gibbons said, made him even more significant. He also noted that Pope Francis, when visiting this place of pilgrimage in 2018, had an understanding “of what the sanctuary means to the Irish people and also of the importance of the message”.
Knock of Our Lady of the Knock
In addition to the apostolic visit, the Marian Shrine of Knock participated in the inaugural Mass “Sunday of the Word of God” presided over by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica in January 2020.
During the Eucharistic celebration, a new pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Knock, which was commissioned to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the apparition at Knock in 1879, was displayed at the papal altar.
The statue was blessed by the Pope in Rome in 2019 after his visit to Ireland.
International dimension
Asked if he hoped to see more interest in the shrine abroad, given its new international status, Fr. Gibbons said he has received messages from people around the world saying that when they are allowed to travel they plan to come to Knock.
Knock Shrine in the middle of the pandemic
Ireland currently continues to follow Level 5 blocking restrictions, which means it continues to follow online masses. Speaking about how Knock Shrine has been the leader during this pandemic, the rector highlighted, in particular, one of these celebrations in November last year, which reminded all those who died of COVID-19 on the island of Ireland. “In the basilica we had three thousand candles, one for each person who had died, and more than 120,000 people joined us for this mass online,” he said.
As the shrine is recognized with this special status, Fr. Gibbons stressed that it will help this place of Marian pilgrimage “to look to the future full of hope.”
As part of the three days of celebration in St. Joseph, Pope Francis will speak on video at the 7:30 p.m. Mass on March 19; Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, will speak at Mass at 7.30 pm on March 20; and to conclude the three days, Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam, will speak at the 12 noon Mass on Sunday, March 21st. (All times are local)
The triduum will be broadcast live on Knock Shrine’s website www.knockshrine.ie and on Facebook @knockshrine on Friday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m .; Saturday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m .; and ending on Sunday, March 21, at 12 noon.