Knock Apparition Introduction When we first wrote of Knock Apparition, we thought she said nothing because she was pleased with her Irish children and their faithfulness. We still believe that is true, but only part of the truth. One night, in New Orleans, while preparing our slides for a lecture, we saw something else in Knock Apparition. On the right there was an Altar with a Lamb on it and it was surrounded by Angels. It was the Mass! Save the Eucharist! Without the Eucharist there is no life; without the Eucharist, there is no Church. Our eyes traveled to the middle, to St. John holding the Bible. It was opened to his gospel. Save the Word which is under attack! It is like a sweater. Pull out one thread and the whole sweater unravels into a heap. Cast doubt on one part of the Word and the rest will topple with it. And then to the left, St. Joseph was standing next to our Lady. On the day, we had taken our picture, a mother was kneeling off to the side, her baby lying at the feet of St. Joseph and mother Mary. Knock Apparition - the hidden message Save the family!Destroy the family and you destroy the Church! Destroy the family and you not only destroy the Church, you destroy the world! Prophecy? This past year, when we were interviewing Father Joe Pio getting background for our documentary on Padre Pio, he spoke to us about the Knock Apparition and he called Our Lady of Knock - Our Lady of the Apocalypse. Knock Apparition - brief account 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 rainclouds 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 for the Knock Apparition. 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. It’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 Knock Apparition 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. Knock Apparition - the Images At first, no one dared go very close to the Knock Apparition 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 grey. 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. Learn more about Knock Apparition see below. Knock Apparition - Prophecy Saint Louis Marie de Monfort said in the last days, our Lady would be like John the Baptist, she would no longer be silent. In Knock apparition Mary said nothing, but said everything. But we did not understand. In Fatima, she warned us, but gave us a way out-her Immaculate heart would triumph. Now she is appearing all over the world and she is talking, warning, pleading. Do we dare not listen and respond. Read more continued click here |
