KNOCK, 1879: LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART 
August 21, 1879 was a rainy day in County Mayo, and particularly in the little village of Knock. The morning had given hope of a fair day; but as the afternoon progressed, the dark rain clouds gathered over the little hamlet. Winds from the east whipped up, darting back and forth, bristling through the meadows and fields. The rains began, and hammered down on the little area.
We believe the preparations made in Heaven for this glorious day, 6 days after the Feast of the Assumption, were to give honor and recognition to the faithful children of Ireland. Mary must have looked down on this land from up above and decided that the poorest, most deprived area she could find was the windswept, rock-filled land of Knock. We have to think that the howling wind and black rain clouds were Satan's way of trying to prevent the visit from happening. By stirring up the weather, thus making it so miserable, no one would be able to go out to see her. We can be sure he was having a fit, in anticipation of Our Lady's visit to earth. She has always been his greatest enemy. He goes into a rage at the mere mention of her name.
She chose the side of a church, the village church in Knock. After the rains had started, one Margaret Beirne went over to lock up the church for the night. She noticed a bright light around the back of the church, and looked to see what was there. She saw what she thought were statues of Our Lady, St. Joseph, and a Bishop, standing alongside a new altar, on top of which was a statue of a Lamb with a Cross. Margaret didn't pay too much attention to it; she left the Church, and went home, not saying a word to anyone about it.
Satan must have been whooping it up in Hell. If this girl didn't tell anyone, no one would know about Our Lady's visit, and consequently, no one would come. His plan might have worked. Even the priest's housekeeper, Mary McLoughlin, passed by and noticed the apparition, but also thought they were statues. She went to the Bierne's home for a visit. So far so good for Satan.
But at 8 o'clock or thereabouts, when Mary McLoughlin decided to go home, the older Bierne girl, Mary, decided to walk with her in the rain. So here we have two Marys, walking in the rain past the church again. When they passed the apparition, Mary McLoughlin casually mentioned that the pastor must have bought some new statues in Dublin. But the other Mary, more inquisitive, decided to take a closer look. She jumped back with a start. "They're not statues. They're moving. lt's the Blessed Virgin!" The two women didn't know what to do. Mary Bierne ran home to tell her mother and brother.
Rain or no, the people flocked to the church. Fourteen people in all came to witness the gift of Our Lady's presence on that brutal night. Their combined description of what they saw is as follows:
The entire back wall of the church was bathed in a brilliant light, which could be seen from quite a distance away. As they looked at the scene, everything was raised about two feet off the ground. There was an altar, on the top of which stood a Lamb with a Cross. The altar and the Lamb were surrounded by Angels, hovering above. To the left of the Altar were three figures. On the left was St. Joseph; in the middle was Our Lady; to the right, closest to the Altar was St. John the Evangelist, his right hand raised, a book in his left. Our Lady was life sized. The other two were smaller. Mary was lovely. She wore a white gown and sash. A veil flowed from the back of her head to her feet. On top of her head, above the veil, was a gold crown. Between the crown and the edge of the veil was a gold rose. She looked up towards heaven in prayer; her hands were raised to her shoulders, pointed inwards. She was almost iridescent.
At first, no one dared go very close to the images. They stood or knelt at a distance in the rain, becoming soaked, but not caring. One of the visionaries, fourteen year old Patrick Hill, gathered up courage to venture near to the apparition. He was able to get close enough to give a good description of what he saw. He could make out Our Lady's eyes, the pupils as well as the iris. He could see the smooth texture of her milky skin. He mentioned that St. Joseph's beard was gray. His head was bent slightly. He also saw lines on the pages of the book that St. John held. He reported that the three figures were full bodied, three dimensional, rather than images projected on the wall. He testified that they were a few feet out from the wall of the Church; but as he got too close, the images moved back, away from him. All the witnesses verified that the three figures moved during the hour and a half that they knelt before them. Patrick Hill also mentioned that he saw the wings of the angels fluttering.
Possibly because Patrick Hill had ventured so closely, and had not been struck dead by lightning, a lady gathered up enough courage to reach out to embrace Our Lady's feet. Mary moved back, and the woman felt nothing. All the witnesses stated that, although it was raining heavily, and the wind was blowing wildly, the ground under the images never became wet, nor did the side of the church where they appeared.
Judith Campbell was one of the visionaries. She had been adoring Our Lady and her heavenly entourage. She went back to her house at about 9 PM to see how her sickly mother was feeling. Judith found her mother Iying on the floor of the house. She thought the ailing woman had died, trying to go to the church. At about 9:30, all the people who were venerating the apparition were called to the house of Mrs. Campbell. They left the scene of the apparition, and ran to the Campbell house. However, when they arrived, they found that she was not dead, but had swooned. They stayed with her for a few minutes, then rushed back to the church. When they got there, the lights and images were gone. The apparition was over. They looked at one another. They didn't say much; they went to their homes.
The following day, the news had spread all over the area. A farmer, Patrick Walsh, claimed to have seen the great light from a distance. He didn't come to the church, but the next day, when he heard what had happened, he related what he had seen. His testimony was very important during the investigation, because it ruled out the theory of Mass Hysteria or Hypnotism. He had been nearly a mile away from the scene when he had seen the light. Mother Mary never said a word. She didn't look at them.
This caused many problems during the investigations which followed the apparition. It just didn't make sense for Our Lady to come, spend 3 hours with her people, and never acknowledge their presence in any way. It was very frustrating, to say the least. But again, we're thinking in human terms, not divine. We'retrying to demand that Mary conform to our standards, rather than we to hers. We should be down on our knees in thanksgiving for any gesture she makes towards us. Indeed, her faithful people of Ireland did just that.
The Church has not yet officially approved the apparition of Our Lady at Knock. But Our Lady's visit has been venerated so sincerely by so many of our popes, we have to believe that officially or unofficially, Mary was there. It has also become a national shrine in Ireland. Perhaps the greatest endorsement of our Lady's visit to Knock, Ireland, came from His Holiness, Pope John Paul II in 1979, for the Centenary. He came as a pilgrim to Knock. He celebrated Mass in the Basilica, anointed the sick, and went to the Shrine to pray. He also presented to Knock Shrine a gold rose, in commemoration of the gold rose that Mary wore during her apparition.
The fact that Mary didn't say anything during her apparition was a problem in terms of authentication. But in terms of what She may have been saying to the people of Ireland, the door is wide open. There were no tears, as at La Salette. There were no recriminations, as at Lourdes, Fatima, Banneux and Medjugorje. Mary didn't impress on them the need for prayer, fasting and penance. In this, isn't it possible that she recognized that their entire lives were prayer, fasting and penance? Weren't they the suffering servants of Christ? Perhaps she was acknowledging their suffering.
There was peace and serenity at Knock. There was an altar, on top of which was the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for remission of our sins, and the Cross. We believe very strongly that this symbol, was in honor of her Blessed Son, Jesus, in the Mass, and in the Eucharist. In the Mass, we reenact, in memory of Him, the Last Supper, Calvary, and the Resurrection. We are given the Gift, the ongoing gift of the Body and Blood of Christ, for our nourishment and salvation. In the apparition at Knock, Mary, St. John, and St. Joseph were not the center of attention. They stood off to the side, while the Lamb of God, the Cross, and the Altar, captured our attention immediately. She always does this. From the days when Jesus and Mary were with us on earth, she always deferred to her Son. At all the Marian shrines in the world, she takes second place to Jesus. Knock was no different. Another aspect of this apparition is that St. John and St. Joseph were with her. St. Joseph is Jesus' foster father. During the life of Our Dear Lord, St. Joseph was His mentor, His teacher. They had to have been very close. Then there is St. John, beloved of Jesus. While Peter was the right arm of Jesus, His strength on earth, St. John was His heart. If Jesus ever had a brother, it would have been John. It was to John that Jesus gave His Mother. It was to His Mother, through John, that Jesus gave us, the Church.
Reference: The Many Faces of Mary book I
