Chai Brady
Archbishop Michael Neary stands in front of the Pilgrim Statue from Knock Shrine in situ in St Peters Basilica prior to the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis for the first Sunday of the Word of God.
Photo: Sinéad Mallee Over the weekend 165 Irish pilgrims brought the statue of Our Lady of Knock to the Pope in a “fantastic” celebration.
The Marian statue played a significant part in a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica to celebrate Sunday of the Word of God on January 26.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic after the event rector of the shrine Fr Richard Gibbons said it was “fantastic”.
“The statue of Our Lady of Knock was central to the celebration, we had various different participation including reading, an offertory procession and then our choir sang ‘Lady of Knock’ and another piece of music for the Mass,” he said.
Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary led the group from his diocese and Knock. Archbishop Neary, Bishop Michael Duignan of the Diocese of Clonfert, a number of priests and a delegation from the shrine met the Pope.
“We presented him with a present of a model of the Apparition itself,” said Fr Gibbons
“So we explained that it links in with the Word of God, with John the Evangelist and the Word of God in the Apparition. That’s really the connection between Knock and the celebration of the Word of God.”
Of the attendees about 100-120 were from Knock. The pilgrims attended a reception afterwards in the Irish college in Rome.
In the Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis of September 2019, Pope Francis announced his desire to devote the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as a day of reflection to highlight the importance of the Word of God for all Christians.
In August of last year, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation spoke at the National Novena in Knock. In his reflection on the Apparition at Knock, he noted in particular the importance of St John the Evangelist who held the book of Scripture in his hand during the Apparition – highlighting the centrality of the Word of God.
The Schola Cantorum Basilicae choir directed by Úna Nolan, performed the hymn ‘Lady of Knock’ and other sacred music during Mass.
The new processional statue of Our Lady of Knock, which was commissioned to celebrate the 140th Anniversary of the Apparition at Knock in 1879, was presented at the Papal Altar. The statue was blessed by the Pope in Rome last August.
