Knock

​​Knock

**What world religion is this pilgrimage a part of? ** Knock, Ireland is home to one of few Catholic pilgrimage sites that have been acknowledged by the Church as trustworthy. It was visited by Pope John Paul in 1979, when he made a personal pilgrimage to the site, and again by Mother Teresa in 1993. This is significant because although there are many locations in which it has been speculated that the Virgin Mary has appeared, but the Church only recognizes a small percentage because of the vigorous investigative process in which they prove the visions at the site as factual.

 This site is located in a small town within County Mayo in Ireland. It has gained its international fame after local people reported seeing the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Evangelist at their parish church on August 21st , 1879 . Two women witnessed the apparition. Astounded by what they saw, they called other townspeople to come and join them. A group of about fifteen townspeople watched the apparitions and prayed the rosary in the rain for two hours. Along with these up close eyewitnesses there were many accounts of other people who saw bright lights near the gable of the church from afar. The first cure occurred twelve days after the apparitions appeared; a little girl named Delia Gordon was suffering from a severe ear condition, and during her visit to Knock with her mother she was cured. She told the account of her  daughter’s miracle <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 191.66%;">during an interview. She said, <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 144%;">"After the apparition, I brought Delia here to Knock with me to Mass. While we were in the church the pain in her ear attacked her so violently that she began to cry. I brought her out to the gable and bade her to pray. I took the pin of my shawl, picked out a little of the cement from the apparition wall and put it in her ear. At that moment a friend came up and spoke to me. She went away in a few minutes. I turned back and asked the child, 'Well Delia, how is the pain?' She said, 'Tis gone, mamma.' She never had a pain to trouble her since.”
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 154%;">What is the history of the Pilgrimage? **

==<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 80%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 132%;">By the end of 1880, around 300 cures were recorded by the parish priest in a diary. It has been quoted that “one of the pilgrims, who had been cured soon after the apparition, testified many years later that he had seen "as many as half-a-dozen pilgrims simultaneously undergoing their cure, or getting relief, and in vision I see the lame walk, my case included, the sightless seeing, the withered skins expanding."” Over the years as news of this miraculous site has spread, more and more pilgrims have traveled in hopes of becoming healed. Those who claimed to be cured have left their crutches and canes at the site, making this photo infamously linked to Knock’s pilgrimage shrine. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Since 1979, the Knock Shrine has grossed to attract over 1.5 million visitors annually and is the most popular attraction in western Ireland. ==



<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**// Who goes on it? //** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 141%;">The Knock Shrine is an internationally recognized Catholic shrine. Over half a million pilgrims visit it each year. Although all religions are welcomed to visit the Knock shrine it seems that most pilgrims practice Catholicism. Improvements in transportation and communication have proven to increase the popularity of the pilgrimage site. Newspapers and the internet have spread the stories of the apparitions at the Knock Shrine causing people to become interested. Easier access to the small town of Mayo has also allowed thousands of more people to visit the shrine. Currently, people from all over the world visit the Knock Shrine, including Pope John Paul III, who visited in 1979, and Mother Teresa, who visited in 1993 <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 190.08%;">.





<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**//What do they do?//** As stated above, the shrine of Knock is considered to be a holy site at which the Virgin Mary appeared. Pilgrims come to visit the spot and place their hands on the wall, where it is believed Mary appeared. According to the official website, pilgrims should perform various actions. Masses are held daily, as well as guided tours. These include:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Visit the Blessed Sacrament Chapel
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Perform the Stations of the Cross
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Perform the Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Litany of the Blessed Virgin
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Prayer to Our Lady of Knock
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">// Our Lady of Knock Queen of Ireland, you gave hope to your people in a time of distress and comforted them in sorrow. You have inspired countless pilgrims to pray with confidence to your Son, remembering His promise; 'Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find.'Help me to remember that we are all pilgrims on the road to heaven. Fill me with love and concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those who live with me.Comfort me when I am sick or lonely or depressed. Teach me how to take part ever more reverently in the holy Mass. Pray for me now, and at the hour of my death. Amen. Our Lady of Knock, pray for us. //











=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 23px;">[|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLmquZBT2oA] = = = = = =Why do they go on the pilgrimage? What are the historical and contemporary reasons?=

= On August 21, 1879, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Evangelist all appeared at the south gable of the Knock Parish Church, and there were fifteen people there to witness this. From this Apparition, Knock has grown to become an internationally recognized Marian Shrine. In 1979, Pope John Pail II took a pilgrimage himself to Knock, giving the Apparition shrine great devotion and a seal of Vatican approval. In 1993, Mother Teresa do Calcutta also took a pilgrimage to visit the Shrine, and now one and half million pilgrims visit the Shrine annually. =

= The Shrine at Knock has become very known and devoted over the years. Taking a pilgrimage to Knock is taking “a journey through the basic elements of our faith” (<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">Knock Shrine - Ireland's National Marian Shrine - Knock, County Mayo, Ireland ). People go on pilgrimages to Knock not only for its religious devotion, but because it gives people a chance to really pray about what is bothering them, and to be grateful for all that they have. People find a chance to relax, a chance to pray, and a chance to be calm and find peace. The Shrine’s devotions are said to have touched people’s souls. =



=How does it connect to the faith? What important beliefs does it express?= = Pilgrims who go to the Shrine at Knock will experience going to Mass. Mass is the center of worship at Knock, and is celebrated in either the Basilica, or in a chapel. Not only is Mass celebrated, but there is also a powerful devotion to the stations of the Cross, a silent, private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to the Rosary, and recognition towards the Sacrament of Penance. = = Pilgrims also visit Knock not only to visit the Shrine, but to go to Confessions. There are around one and and a quarter million pilgrims that visit Knock every year, and majority of those pilgrims go to Confessions. = = = = Knock expresses the belief of forgiveness, and peace with God. It is a place to get away and be one with God, and have a chance to relax, pray, and try to find yourself. =



= = = “Are there miracles at Knock? Of course there are. Everyday. Everywhere. In the quiet corners of the chapels where prayer heals wounds. In the rounds of the stations where the old story of Christ's passion melts pride and induces sorrow. In the confessionals where the mercy of God brings pardon and peace. In Mass where the bread of life is broken and pilgrims go home on its strength. Knock is a crash course in the Christian Life" (<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">Knock Shrine - Ireland's National Marian Shrine - Knock, County Mayo, Ireland). =

SOURCES:

 * "Knock Shrine, Knock". Sacred Destinations. May 5th, 2010 [] >.
 * "Our Lady of Knock Shrine-Place of Mystery and Miracles ". Irish Culture and Customs. May 5th, 2010 [] >.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"Knock Shrine - Ireland's National Marian Shrine - Knock, County Mayo, Ireland." //Comprehensive Website on County Mayo Ireland//. Web. 10 May 2010. <[|__http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/Mayo/Towns/Knock/KnockShr.htm__]>.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">//Marian Shrine | Knock Shrine | Ireland’s National Marian Shrine | Shrine Mayo//. Web. 10 May 2010. <[|__http://www.knock-shrine.ie/__]>.


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