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.