The pope will deliver a special message Friday night via a video link to recognize Knock Shrine as an international sanctuary for Marine and Eucharistic.
By Lydia O’Kane
The message will be broadcast during the Mass which will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary, and celebrated by Fr Richard Gibbons, parish priest and rector of Knock Shrine.
This honor comes almost two and a half years after Pope Francis visited the Marian shrine in the west of Ireland during his Apostolic visit to the country for the World Family Meeting.
While there, he prayed in front of the chapel of the apparition for all the families of the world and gave the shrine to Our Lady of Knock a golden rosary in recognition of the tradition of family rosary in Ireland.
The appearance
The story of the appearance is a deeply symbolic and unique story, with the representation of the Lord’s Supper 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 town of Knock stood for two hours in the pouring rain and recited the Rosary in front of the appearance scene, which also included Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared.
Joy and gratitude
Richard Gibbons said before Friday’s Eucharistic celebration that he was “delighted and delighted” at this recognition. “It is a great honor to be recognized in this way and what that means, I assume we are the best in terms of recognizing the Church.”
This special status is also celebrated by the congregation members of the Shine, who expressed their gratitude to Pope Francis for honoring this Marian pilgrimage site in this way.
Links to St Joseph
Ireland’s national shrine is honored at the Feast of St Joseph’s and on the day Pope Francis celebrates esteemde commemoration of his inauguration as pope, which, according to Fr Gibbons, made it all the more important. He also noted that Pope Francis, by 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’.
Our Lady of Knock
Apart from the Apostolic visit, the Marian shrine in Knock participated in the first Sunday of the Word of God led by Pope Francis in St. Peter ‘s Basilica in January 2020.
During the Eucharistic celebration, a new pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Knock, celebrated on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of its appearance in 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 expects to see more interest in the sanctuary from abroad, given his new international status, Fr Gibbons said he has received messages from people around the world that they plan to go to Knock when they may travel.
Knock Shrine amid pandemic
Ireland is currently still sticking to the level 5 restrictions, which means masses are still being tracked online. The Rector spoke about how Knock Shrine took the lead during this pandemic, and especially highlighted one of these celebrations in November last year, which reminds everyone who died of COVID-19 on the island of Ireland. “In the Basilica we had three thousand candles, one for every person who died, and more than 120,000 people joined us online at the Mass,” he said.
As the sanctuary is recognized with this special status, Gibbons emphasizes that it will help this Marian pilgrimage to look to the future full of hope.
As part of the three-day celebration of St. Joseph, Pope Francis will speak via video on March 19 at 7:30 p.m. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, speaks on March 20 at 7:30 p.m .; and to conclude the three days, Archbishop Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam, will speak on Sunday, March 21 at 12:00 p.m. (All times are local)
The Triduum will be streamed live on the Knock Shrine 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 closes on Sunday 21 March at 12 noon.