Knock's holy shrine as popular as ever as 150,000 believers flock to site in past week for annual Novena

Knock's holy shrine as popular as ever as 150,000 believers flock to site in past week for annual Novena

An apparition of the Virgin Mary on August 21, 1879, made the West of Ireland site as renowned as Lourdes, Medjugorje and Fatima

 

Proud Martin and Kathleen Heanue and some of the many visitors at Knock this week

More than 150,000 people have flocked to Knock in the past week to soak up the site’s religious atmosphere.
Over a dozen shops selling figurines and religious trinkets surround the world-famous Co Mayo village where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared more than 100 years ago.
Many visitors to the sacred Marian Shrine have the items blessed or filled with holy water so they can take a piece of it home with them.
The small village is also dotted with several B&Bs, camping sites, pubs and a pharmacy that opens 365 days of the year.
An apparition of the Virgin Mary on August 21, 1879, made the West of Ireland site as renowned as Lourdes and Fatima.
Fifteen people, including children, witnessed a vision of Our Lady, St Joseph, St John the Evangelist, a lamb and cross on an altar at the gable wall of the parish church.
The group watched the phenomenal sight for two hours in the lashing rain but not a drop fell on the apparition.

Paul Mealey

Irish Mirror reporter Blanaid Murphy at Knock

The witnesses’ handwritten statements, which were recognised by the Commission of Inquiry as being trustworthy, are locked away in the archives.
Since then, the small village attracts 1.5 million pilgrims each year in search of a miracle or just peace of mind.
In the past week alone, around 150,000 believers flocked to the holy grounds for the annual nine-day Novena which concludes tomorrow.
Kathleen Heanue, 66, flew in from New York to watch her 27-year-old son say Mass in the apparition church as a newly-ordained priest.
Kathleen, who is from Navan, Co Meath, said: “It was just wonderful. I’m very, very proud.
“He’s my youngest out of four.”
The devout Catholic added she also came to Knock to pray for the soul of her mother who died in 2011.
Struggling to hold back the tears, she admitted: “Now that my mother is gone... being here I feel she is here with us.”
Margaret Conboy, 61, grew up in Knock village and runs St Anthony’s gift shop.
She was in the crowd for Pope John Paul II’s historic visit in 1979.
She recalled: “It was an amazing, wonderful time. People still love it.
“They came with their own parents and now they are coming themselves.
“Even the rain doesn’t stop the crowds.”

Paul Mealey

Pilgrims come from all over the world to visit Knock

The holy shrine is known for attracting thousands of sick people and their families in the hopes of finding a cure to illnesses.
Margaret added: “One woman told me about bad pains in her back that went after she visited the Shrine.
"It’s amazing all the people who have gotten a lot of healing from here.” Sarah O’Neill, 28, told how she made the trip from Dublin to Knock with her sister to pray for her aunt who is battling stage-three breast cancer.
She said: “I’m not very religious but I’m hoping lighting a candle and saying a little prayer will do something to help my aunt.
“Her illness has not only taken a toll on her but on the whole family.”
Several miracles have been documented here and sent to the Vatican for verification.
A woman suffering with multiple sclerosis for years claims she was miraculously cured of the illness after visiting the holy shrine in 1989.
Marion Carroll, 55, from Athlone recalled: “I was able to stand up and I even drank a cup of tea unaided.
“There was no stiffness and no pain, it was like experiencing every bit of happiness you have ever dreamed.”
In the softly-lit prayer room, soothing music plays as pilgrims silently pray in front of a crucifix and altar.
Across the grounds, daily Masses and blessings take place in the newly- renovated basilica which can hold 10,000 people. A museum, cafe and small shuttle buses are also on the grounds to transport elderly or disabled visitors around the complex.
Married couple David and Thelma Lappin from Toronto, Canada, flew to Ireland for the Novena and a holiday.
David, 74, who is originally from Bangor, Co Down, but has lived away for 42 years, said: “I was here for the first time with my mother when I was 10 years old. It used to be open fields and now it’s been transformed.” It is his wife Thelma’s first time to Knock.
The 62-year-old said: “I love it. I’m a really religious person and I just feel peace here. We’ve been to quite a few churches.”
Rose Xavier, 39, originally from India, added she comes here with her three children and husband once a month from their home in nearby Westport.

Paul Mealey

Pilgrims come from all over the world to visit Knock, the Axiver family from India

She explained: “I want the kids to come often and sit in the chapel for a few minutes.” Knock spokesman Fr Richard Gibbons said: “The numbers have been wonderful. It’s a wide mixture and varied attendance from people near and far.”
He explained Knock is undergoing a renewal in a bid to attract more younger people to the shrine.
Fr Richard Gibbons said: “What we’re trying to do in terms of our Witness to Hope project is the renewal of the Shrine to meet the needs of the modern pilgrim.”