The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Celebrating Our Lady of Knock and the Golden Rose
On the Sunday, closest to August 21, there is a grand celebration of Our Lady of Knock at St. Patrick Church in Norristown. This important day is held in honor of Our Lady, who appeared in a small village in the western part of Ireland known as Knock. This apparition of Mary at Knock is notable for many reasons, but there are three truly important ones: it had occurred in Ireland that was dealing with the terrible effects of the 1840s famine; she did not appear alone; and finally that the Blessed Virgin Mary did not say a word.
Tradition holds that on the evening of the 21st of August in 1879 Mary McLoughlin, the housekeeper of the parish priest in Knock, left the rectory to go home and then she stopped in her tracks because she was amazed to see the outside wall of the church flooded in a mysterious light with three figures standing in front of the wall. She got scared and rushed off in the rain to her friend Margaret Byrne’s house. Mary McLoughlin stayed in Margaret’s home for about a half and hour and then left with Margaret’s sister Mary, who had agreed to accompany her and walk her home. As they passed the church, they saw clearly bathed in light the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John. Mary, the Mother of God, was lifesize in appearance but the other two were smaller in size. The two women stood a little away from the gable wall, about two feet from the ground. The Virgin was standing up straight with her eyes toward Heaven, and was wearing a large white cloak and on her head was a large gold crown. Mary Byrne ran home to tell her family while Mary McLoughlin stood glued to the ground. Fifteen people gathered that night and began to view the apparition and pray the rosary. The eldest of the group was a 74-year old woman and the youngest was a 5-year old boy named John Curry. In time, everyone who was present at the apparition gave testimonies as to what had happened that evening and what they had seen. Fourteen gave their testimonies in English and one in Gaelic. However, the parish priest, Father Cavanaugh, did not come out that evening and his absence was a disappointment to the villagers. Among the witnesses was a man named Patrick Hill who said, “The figures seem fully alive. They did not speak, but as we drew near, they retreated towards the wall.” He even said that he got close enough to read the words in the book, the Holy Bible, being held by St. John the Evangelist. The young boy, John Curry, said that he saw beautiful images of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. An older woman named Bridget drew close and tried to embrace the Virgin, but the Blessed Virgin Mary was always beyond reach. The vision lasted for almost three hours and then faded away.
The next day the visionaries visited the parish priest, who was convinced that they had seen the Virgin Mary and so he notified the diocesan Bishop of Tuam and the church set up a commission to investigate the apparition. The Church officials, at first, were not convinced and some even ridiculed the persons who had seen the vision. Ten days after the vision, a little girl from a nearby village was cured from deafness and pain in her left ear at Knock. From then, faith in the vision grew. In 1881 the Archbishop John Joseph Lynch of Toronto visited the site and claimed he was healed by the Virgin of Knock. Since then, thousands have come to Knock to visit and ask for healing for themselves, family members and others. In 1976 a new church, Our Lady Queen of Ireland, was constructed and it holds more than two thousand people. In 1994 three life-sized statues of Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John were sculptured and placed in the shrine.
On September 30, 1979 Pope John Paul II visited
Knock, which he described as “the goal of my journey to Ireland.” He was the first Pope to ever visit Ireland. During his visit he met with the sick and elevated the church to a Basilica. According to the Roman Catholic Church, a basilica is a church with special honor given to it as being distinguished by its role as a center of worship by the association with a major saint or important historical event. Then, Pope John Paul II lit a candle at the Gable Wall for the families of Ireland. Pope Francis visited Ireland in 2018 and expressed how Our Lady of Knock is a “beacon of hope for all who are struggling and for those who have abandoned hope.” Words that are quite appropriate for all of us these days during the terrible pandemic of COVID-19.
As an aside, the young boy, John Curry, led an inconspicuous life after the apparition. Like many, this young man emigrated to London and then to the United States to seek a better life. He was a simple laborer, a devout Catholic. He worked at City Hospital on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Later in life, he lived in the Sacred Heart Home for the poor run by the Little Sisters of the Poor on East 70th Street in Manhattan. He humbly served as a sacristan without anyone ever knowing that he was a witness to the Virgen Mary at Knock. He died in 1943 at the age of 68 and was buried in Resurrection Cemetery on Long Island, a cemetery owned by the Little Sisters of the Poor. He was not buried in an unmarked grave for very long because in 2015 when Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York City visited Knock he was told the story of John Curry by the pastor of the Knock parish, Father Richard Gibbons. Eventually the remains of John Curry were moved from his grave on Long Island to Old Saint Patrick Cathedral in lower Manhattan with Cardinal Dolan presiding. Making sure that his memory was honored, a memorial stone was placed there recalling his presence at the apparition.
We celebrate this wonderful day with a special Mass of the Golden Rose for Mary, the Queen of Ireland. Bagpipes are blown and drums are heard by the Irish Thunder Pipes and Drum Band, flags fly in the breeze, and the Ancient
Order of Hibernians and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians process into the church and attend a special Mass in honor of Our Lady of Knock. Towards the end of the Mass, all the women present a yellow rose to honor Our Lady and her spectacular apparition in Knock. Afterwards, there is a celebration with food, drink and music. However, this year due to this terrible pandemic there will be no grand celebration with food and drink, however St. Patrick’s Church (DeKalb and Chestnut streets) will have the holy Mass at noon, Sunday, Aug. 23.
Every Marian apparition has a purpose and meaning. The silence of the Blessed Virgin at Knock has a message for our troubled times. When St. Mary, St. Joseph and St. John appeared, they did so to a people who were clinging to their faith in spite of the hardship and sufferings of their times. This apparition symbolizes that we are protected by the Blessed Virgin Mary who intercedes for us to her Son, Jesus Christ. Even though in our difficult times words are not necessary, but faith and love are enough. Our Lady of Knock, pray for us during these trying times.
The Rev. Gus Puleo is pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown and served as an adjunct professor of Spanish at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania.