Our Lady of Knock

Knock, a western village in Ireland was very unknown before this most beautiful apparition of Our Blessed Mother.

It was a rainy evening on August 21, it had been storming all day. Mary McLoughlin, the housekeeper to the village priest was on her way to visit a friend. She walked passed the chapel and noticed a few strange figures. She continued on her way but when she and her friend made their way back to the chapel they realized that the figures were actually people!

They were the Blessed Mother, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist. They were bathed in bright light. Our Blessed Mother was wearing white garments and a brilliant golden crown with a rose under the crown on the forehead. She was prayerfully raising her hands and eyes to heaven. St. Joseph was on her right with his head leaning toward Mary. St. John the Evangelist was to the left of Mary, vested as a bishop, in his left hand he was holding an open book and his right hand was raised as if he were preaching. To the left of St. John were a cross and a lamb on top of an altar.

They watched the apparition in the pouring rain for approximately two hours while reciting the Rosary. Though it continued to rain heavily all during this time, no rain fell around them or on the ground beneath them. Shortly after the apparition occurred at Knock, both pilgrimages and miracles began. Ten days after the apparition, a small girl received the cure of a painful ear condition that had left her deaf, when her parents made a pilgrimage to Knock with her.

Our Lady of Knock is also known as Our Lady of Silence. Our Blessed Mother delivered no verbal message, no warning, no request, nor even a word of comfort. But her silence was more than enough to comfort the suffering oppressed Irish people. Their silence and reverence in the presence of the Eucharistic Lamb showed the kind of respect and reverence we should have enough for Jesus who is truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

This apparition at Knock was on the vigil of the feast of her Immaculate Heart to remind the Irish people that they were close to her Heart and to encourage them to persevere in the faith. She came as the Queen of Heaven and Ireland to remind the faithful of the grace and hope which comes from her Son and the perpetual Sacrifice of the Mass.