Journey Through The Years

The Apparition at Knock

On the evening of the 21^st of August 1879, a heavenly Apparition occurred at the gable wall of the Parish Church when Our Lady appeared, in the company of St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist. Unique to the Knock Apparition was the presence  of  the Eucharistic Lamb in front of a Cross, standing upon an altar and surrounded by angels.

The Apparition lasted for about two hours and 15 official witnesses gave their testimonies to a Commission of Enquiry in October of that year.

Archbishop MacHale forms a Commission of Enquiry in October 1879

As news of the Apparition is reported in the national and international press, pilgrims begin to make their way to Knock from far and near.  The first organised pilgrimages begin as early as 1880.

In March, a group of 50 pilgrims from Limerick travel by train to Tuam and then onwards by horse drawn open side car to Knock.  In June, 240 young men come on pilgrimage from Cork  and present the altar and sanctuary lamp, that are still present in  Parish Church today.

Over 1000 Irish emigrants travel from Manchester in August 1880. Knock begins to attract international visitors, including some distinguished church officials such as Archbishop Lynch of Toronto in 1882, Archbishop Murphy of Tasmania  and Archbishop Clune of Perth, all of who came in thanksgiving for  a cure or favour received through the intercession of Our Lady of Knock.

Knock Shrine Society is  established on the 21st August 1935 by Dame Judy Coyne and her husband Liam Ua Cadhain with the approval of the then Archbishop of Tuam, Most Rev. Dr. Thomas P. Gilmartin. On that day, the principal witness to the Apparition at Knock, Mrs. Mary O’Connell (nee Byrne), is present at the Shrine for the ceremonies. The main reason for its establishment is  to promote the Shrine of Knock at home and abroad so that it could take its rightful place with the other important Marian Shrines in Europe and elsewhere. Its first members also want to bring some formality into the ceremonies at Knock Shrine and to provide facilities for the protection and care of the Sick who were coming to the Shrine in large numbers.

A Second Commission of Enquiry is established by Archbishop Gilmartin of Tuam to examine the two surviving witnesses still living in Ireland – Mary Byrne O’Connell and Patrick Byrne.

At this point in time, the two remaining witnesses are elderly people.  Mary Byrne O’Connell gives her sworn testimony from her bed as she is too ill to leave it. She passes away six weeks later.

The Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Hayes, sets up a commission of enquiry to examine John Curry, the youngest witness to the Knock Apparition who  has been resident in New York for many years.

The Marian Year of 1954 , Pope Pius XII blesses the Knock Shrine banner  and presents it with a commemorative medal. This is the first of many Papal honours received by the Shrine in recognition of its importance as a place of Marian devotion.

On December 8th, the last day of the Marian Year,  the processional statue of Our Lady of  Knock is canonically  crowned by kind permission of the Vatican Chapter.

By the end of the Marian Year, the number of annual pilgrims exceeds one million for the first time.

The Church of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland is completed and opens for public ceremonies. The Church is elevated to the status of Basilica by Pope John Paul II when he visits Knock in 1979.

The first National Novena to Our Lady of Knock takes place in Knock Basilica.  The inaugural Novena was officially opened by Joseph Cunnane, Archbishop of Tuam and a native of Knock.

The Novena prayer was composed by Fr. Joe Quinn who was later appointed as parish priest at Knock in 2002.  The National Novena takes place annually  from August 14th to 22nd each year and has expanded to include two daily sessions , workshops and seminars.

This year marks the centenary of the Apparition at Knock and Pope John Paul II visits Knock Shrine on 30 September . He celebrates an outdoor Mass to an assembled congregation of 450, 000. He presents a Golden Rose to the Shrine as a gift, one of only 9 that he gifted during his 25 year papacy. during his visit he raised the Church of Our  Lady, Queen of Ireland to the status of basilica.

Knock Airport opens on October 25^th . The first flights from the airport are three Aer Lingus Boeing jet aircraft (737s and a 707) flying to Rome. The first airline ticket produced at the Airport was an Aer Lingus ticket for passenger Monsignor James Horan. Monsignor Horan is often referred to as the ‘Builder of Knock’ and is perhaps best known for the building of Knock Airport which was completed against incredible odds and difficulties.

Mother Teresa is welcomed to Knock Shrine in June. She greets the large crowd from the Outdoor Altar at Knock Basilica and addresses the Sick during concelebrated Mass. More than 50,000 people gather to hear her.

Knock Basilica undergoes extensive redevelopment for its 40^th anniversary. The Apparition Mosaic is unveiled. Based on an illustration by Irish illustrator PJ Lynch, it was crafted by Travissanutto Mosaics in Spilimbergo, Italy. It consists of 1.5 million pieces of glass and is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The redevelopment of this iconic building formed a central part of the “Witness to Hope” fundraising initiative.

In May 2017, Fr Richard Gibbons leads the first ever pilgrimage from Knock to the Archdiocese of New York. It is a momentous day as 180 pilgrims board a flight from Ireland West Airport to JFK.

The purpose of the trip is to have the remains of John Curry (the youngest witness to the Knock Apparition of 1879) reinterred in the ground of old St Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC. John Curry died in 1943 in the care of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The remarkable story of John Curry and the Knock pilgrimage makes the front page of the New York Times as well as many other American newspapers. It touches the hearts of many of the Irish diaspora in the States.

2019 marks the 140th anniversary of the Apparition at Knock.  The theme for the special year is’ Continuing  Our Journey’ as  we celebrate this milestone.   Within weeks of the Apparition, pilgrims began to make the journey to this special place as news spread. This year we remember the countless numbers of pilgrims who have been a part of  our journey so far. We also commemorate, in particular, the fifteen local people who witnessed this heavenly vision on a wet August evening in 1879.

Knock Shrine celebrates Mass with Pope Francis for the first Sunday of the Word of God

Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam together with Fr Richard Gibbons, PP and Rector of Knock Shrine leads a group of parishioners and staff from Knock to the special ceremony marking the first Sunday of the Word of God on 26 January 2020. By special invitation, the new Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Knock is present at the altar in St Peters Basilica during the celebration.

The Schola Cantorum Basilicae choir  performs the much-loved ‘Our Lady of Knock’ hymn. This is the first time that the Shrine has had such a strong presence during a Papal Mass in St Peters. The offertory of the Mass and readings are carried out by Knock parishioners. Over 150 parishioners from Knock and the surrounding area travel to Rome,  for this special occasion in the history of the Shrine.

Pope Francis officially recognises Knock Shrine as an international Eucharistic and Marian Shrine. A special ceremony is held at the Apparition Chapel on March 19th 2021, the Feast of St. Joseph, with a special address by Pope Francis via video link. The message is broadcast worldwide on the Knock Shrine website and on Vatican TV and Radio.

Fr. Richard Gibbons, PP, Rector at Knock Shrine, expresses his gratitude for this recognition from Pope Francis, through the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, which recognises Knock on an international level in terms of its special status as a Eucharistic and Marian Shrine.

The weekend celebrations include a special Triduum in honour of the Year of St. Joseph.

President Joe Biden is the first President of the United States to visit Knock Shrine. The President is welcomed to  Knock Basilica and takes some time for quiet prayer in the Apparition Chapel. Here he prays a decade of the Rosary with Fr. Richard Gibbons, PP, Rector of Knock Shrine and lights a candle on the altar.

The President had travelled to the west of Ireland from Dublin via Ireland West Airport as the first United States president to be welcomed into the Airport and village. From the airport, the President travelled to Knock Shrine via Presidential Motorcade, where he received a warm welcome from the crowd that had gathered to wave and cheer. The road into Knock was awash with American flags and bunting, with the blue sky and sunshine adding to the happy, welcoming atmosphere.