August 21st honor Our Lady of Knock, Ireland.- The Silent and Motionless Apparition
From the archives of FaithInWV:
It was evening and the persistent mist of the day started to turn to rain and the skies were becoming dark on August 21, 1879, in the poor village of Knock in western Ireland. That is how the significant day was described when a miraculous vision occurred between 7-9 pm– the Our Lady of Knock apparition.
On the southern gable wall of the Catholic church of Knock appeared the Blessed Virgin Mary, wearing a white garment and spectacular crown, with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist behind her. Beside her was the Eucharistic Lamb, standing upon an altar. The lamb was whiter than the white altar and had a halo of gold stars. He stood at the foot of a cross and was surrounded by angels. Even as the sky grew dark and the rains became heavy, they remained dry and illuminated as if in the afternoon sun. The first to see this sight sporadically left to summon their family members, so they too could witness the extraordinary.
Men, women, and children as young as five were among the 15 villagers who were present.
Mary was breathtaking and “her hands were uplifted, and her eyes turned up toward heaven, as if in prayer, and she was dressed in a white cloak,” said Dominick Byrne, Sr., to Church representatives who were investigating the event. “To her right I saw St. Joseph, and on her left St. John.” He said St. John was wearing a short mitre-like hat, similar to what a bishop would wear, and looked like a statue of the apostle at Lecanvey chapel, another Catholic church in County Mayo, Ireland.
One of the 15 was 11-year-old Patrick Hill.
“I saw everything distinctly,” the young boy said. “The figures were full and round as if they had a body and were alive. They said nothing, but as we approached, they seemed to back a little towards the gable.”To read the story in full download the August, 21, 2022 edition of FaithInWV at: https://faithinwv.org/e-bulletins/
