Today’s
The World Around Us
will be presented
in Gaelic and English,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, Gaelic, German, Hungarian,
Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish and Thai.
There were people
of all ages gathered
‘round the gable wall
poor and humble
men and women,
little children
that you called
We are gathered here
before you,
and our hearts are just
the same filled with joy
at such a vision,
as we praise your name
Greetings,
truth-loving viewers.
Welcome to
The World Around Us.
The hymn
that you just heard
is entitled
“Lady of Knock,”
written and first recorded
by the renowned Irish
artist Dana Rosemary
Scallon, or Dana.
Today, we invite you
to join in our pilgrimage
journey to the sacred site
of Our Lady of Knock
to which
the song is dedicated.
The town of Knock
in County Mayo
in western Ireland was
once an obscure village.
Nowadays, the town of
less than 2,000 residents
remains small
but every year it hosts
over one and a half
million pilgrims.
“Knock” is the Gaelic word
for hill, which describes
the gentle rolling
landscape on which
the village is located.
On August, 21, 1879,
the village experienced
a miraculous apparition.
It happened at about 8pm,
on a Thursday evening.
It was raining quite heavily
and 15 local people
witnessed this apparition,
which took place
at the gable wall
of the Parish Church.
The apparition lasted
for two hours
during which time
it rained quite heavily.
The local people saw
three figures.
In the centre was
Our Lady [Mary]
and on her right was
St. Joseph,
and on her left was
St. John the Evangelist.
The scene was first seen
by Mary McLoughlin,
the 45-year-old
housekeeper
of the devoted
parish priest Archdeacon
Bartholomew Cavanagh.
At about half past seven,
as Miss McLoughlin
passed the outside
south gable wall
of the parish church
heading to the home
of a friend,
she saw three bright
figures standing
in front of the way.
She thought
they were the new statues
to replace the old ones.
She didn’t mention
what she had seen
to her friend.
Half an hour later,
her friend’s daughter,
29-year-old Mary Byrne
witnessed the same miracle
as she accompanied
Miss McLoughlin home.
She beheld, all at once,
the three figures
floating a little distance
from the gable wall
and about half a meter
from the ground.
These three bright figures
appeared to be that of
Blessed Virgin Mary,
St. Joseph and St. John.
For our Lady
to appear here
along with St Joseph and
St John the Evangelist,
and of course
the lamb of God
on the altar;
very symbolic.
It was a time when
there was greater stress
and trouble in Ireland here.
It gave the people hope
and one would say that
that may have been
the main reason
for Our Lady
coming to Knock.
To give people hope
at a time when there was
so much despair.
The Holy Mother was
wearing a white cloak
with a shining crown and
a blooming golden rose
was on her forehead.
She was standing upright
and gazing upward
towards Heaven,
with open palms
facing each other
in front of her bosom.
To the left
of the three figures
was a white altar
on which there was
a lamb and cross.
Over the altar,
angels hovered and
there was also a very
bright Heavenly light,
which would’ve been
very unusual in 1879
because local people
at that time would
have just had candles
and storm lanterns.
The lamb and the altar
are symbols
of the great sacrifice
and unconditional love
of Jesus Christ.
As Miss McLoughlin
stayed to
witness the miracle,
Miss Byrne ran
to inform her family and
several other neighbors;
soon there was
a small crowd gathered
in front of the church wall.
Other people
may have come for
a few moments and saw
what was happening,
or came towards the end
as word spread.
One man actually
was walking in his field
and he saw the bright light
at the Gable church
from a distance.
So he was aware
that something
was happening also.
The people who
witnessed the apparition
were all from
the parish of Knock.
One boy was just
5 years old, he had to
be lifted up to see
what was happening
and we had a full range
of men and women
from 5 right up to a lady
who was in her 70’s.
A 75-year-old lady
named Bríd Ní Thrinsigh
tried to embrace
the Blessed Mother’s feet,
but the vision
was beyond reach.
During the entire apparition
it was raining heavily,
according to the witnesses.
The witnesses were
all soaking wet, but
no rain fell on the gable,
and the ground
beneath the apparition
was also completely dry.
The 15 people saw this
as it lasted for two hours
and immediately
there was
a Church commission
set up to inquire into
what had actually happened.
The witnesses made
their statements and
the statements were found
to be trustworthy.
Immediately people
started to come to Knock;
word spread about what
had happened in Knock.
The apparition in Knock
was unique, in as much
as it was silent;
there was no words spoken.
The message was
actually in the image of
what people saw, and it’s
a very complex message.
There have been books
written about it.
When we return,
we will hear about
the pilgrimages of
past Popes to the shrine
of Our Lady of Knock.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back
to The World Around Us
on Supreme Master
Television,
and our visit
to the miraculous site
of Our Lady of Knock.
Due to the growing
number of worshippers,
the enormous
Basilica of Our Lady,
the Queen of Ireland
was opened near to
the original chapel
in 1976.
It covers an area
of about half a hectare,
and can accommodate
up to 12,000 people.
The appearance of such
a magnificent Basilica
in such a small village
as Knock is in itself
a feat most remarkable.
Priest Monsignor
James Horan
oversaw the project of
the Basilica’s construction.
He also had an airport
built within four years
at remote little Knock;
something which
Irish people sometimes
jokingly refer to
as a miracle in itself!
In 1960, His Holiness
Pope John XXIII presented
a special candle to Knock
on Candlemas Day.
He had always
regarded Knock as one
of the outstanding shrines
devoted to Our Lady.
Later, His Holiness
Pope Paul VI blessed
the foundation stone for
the Basilica of Our Lady,
Queen of Ireland,
on June 6, 1974.
Then, to commemorate
the centenary
of the apparition,
His Holiness
Pope John Paul II
visited Knock on
September the 30th, 1979.
As well as
blessing the pilgrims
and saying a Mass
for a huge congregation,
the Pope visited
the very spot where
the apparition occurred
one hundred years before.
The Pope said:
“Here I am at the goal
of my journey to Ireland
– the shrine of
Our Lady of Knock.”
The Papal Cross
which you see here
on the grounds was erected
to commemorate
that occasion.
The Papal Altar
was actually
in front of that cross,
and on that day
450,000 people
attended the Mass here. .
And I just hope and pray
that for all of you
dear friends,
your pilgrimage to Knock
today will be grace filled.
The Basilica is the largest
of a number of chapels
on the site.
Besides the original
Parish Chapel
established in 1828,
there are the four chapels
including
the Apparition Chapel,
as well as
numerous prayer areas
and sacred spaces.
Each of the five chapels
have an unobstructed view
of the sanctuary and altar.
The really important church
is the Parish Church.
It was at the gable wall
of this parish church that
the apparition took place.
The Apparition Chapel
which now encloses
the gable wall is where
the statues are placed.
The Chapel
of Reconciliation, which
is for the sacraments
of compassion, is a very
important part of Knock.
People do go
to confessions
when they come here;
they feel it’s part of
what to do in Knock.
Then we have the Blessed
Sacrament Chapel,
which is a smaller
private church, for people
who come to Knock
and want to find
a quiet corner.
In the 1980s,
a Mary Garden was opened.
Roses are a direct
Marian symbol
and reflection of
the mysteries of the Rosar.
A lot of people,
even those who may
not be very religious,
or even Catholic,
they would say that
there is something special
about even being here
on the grounds.
There’s a peace and
tranquility here that may
not be found elsewhere.
People come to connect
with God and with Mary,
and they do that here
at Knock in lots and lots
of different ways,
through their
participation,
in the liturgy, the mass,
the sacraments, doing
the Stations of the Cross,
experiencing the healing
that comes from
the anointing of the sick.
Bringing Holy Water
home with them,
participation
in the rosaries,
in the processions,
and in so much more
that makes Knock so rich
in the variety of services,
and liturgies
that are celebrated here.
In June 1993,
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
visited the shrine.
In October, 2003,
Mother Teresa’s relics
were received at Knock.
Since the miraculous
Apparition of Knock
happened in silence,
Our Lady of Knock
is also known as
Our Lady of Silence.
We would like to
conclude today’s program
with the touching words
on silence that
Blessed Mother Teresa
had spoken
before she joined
Our Lady of Knock
in Heaven.
“God is the friend of silence.
What is essential
is not what we say
but what God tells us
and what He tells others
through us…
In silence He listens to us;
in silence
He speaks to our souls.
In silence we are granted
the privilege of
listening to His voice.”
Golden Rose,
Queen of Ireland,
all my cares and troubles
cease as we kneel
with love before you,
Lady of Knock,
my Queen of Peace
Thank you for
accompanying us today
to Knock Ireland on
The World Around Us.
Coming up next is
Words of Wisdom
right after
Noteworthy News.
May all the saints
in Heaven bless you
and your loved ones.