Cathal BarryA US mayor who credits regular trips to Knock for “novenas and prayers” with aiding him in his childhood battle with cancer has returned to the Marian shrine to pay homage.
Mayor Martin Walsh of Boston last week prayed at Our Lady of Knock shrine before being led on a tour of the grounds by parish priest Fr Richard Gibbons.
Mr Walsh visited the sacristy as well as the basilica, which is undergoing extensive renovations that are scheduled for completion by 2016.
The mayor last visited Knock four years ago.
Prior to his trip this year, Mr Walsh said that visiting Knock was high on his agenda.
“Knock has always been a place that was spoken about in my house; I’ve been there several times. I went there, my mother went there. A lot of novenas and prayers were said in that place.
“It’s important for me to go there.
“It’s a big part of my faith and a big part of my getting healed of cancer,” he said.