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Sadly, four members of our band of pilgrims were under the weather today. Conor, our tour leader, also had to be absent so that he could attend the funeral of his aunt, Kathleen. We were fortunate that Conor secured the services of a friend and fellow guide, Elva, for the day.

On August 21, 1879, fourteen people (men, women and children) saw an apparition of the Blessed Mother, flanked by St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist with an altar off to the side and a lamb standing on the altar. The altar and the lamb were surrounded by angels. The apparition took place on the back side of the parish church outdoors. These fourteen people stood for two hours in the pouring rain; none of the figures in the apparition spoke to the assembled crowd. Later, there were many miraculous cures that took place through the intercession of Our Lady of Knock.

In 1979 Pope St. John Paul II celebrated an outdoor Mass at Knock to mark the 100th anniversary of the apparition, and in August, 2018 as part of the World Meeting of Families, Pope Francis visited Knock. In 2021, Pope Francis recognized Knock as an International Marian and Eucharistic Shrine. Recently, the Shrine at Knock added an outdoor Creation Walk as a way of honoring Pope Francis, encyclical, Laudato Si.

A few people in our group had visited Knock before and in our group sharing that evening, some of our pilgrims spoke of the profound effect that their visit had on them. We made a point of lifting up in prayer the many people who have written to our friars with prayer requests and petitions. It was a quiet day at the Shrine but there were still many pilgrimage groups present. Our liturgy was celebrated on the “gable wall” where the apparition took place, though the original wall has had to be replaced due to many people taking a bit of the wall to their homes. There is a small section of the original wall that is framed and marked outside.

A large church was erected on the site in 1976 to accommodate the large number of pilgrims. This church, dedicated to Our Lady, Queen of Ireland, underwent a restoration in 2016 and the large mosaic pictured below was added to the wall behind the altar. It was a moving day for many in our group.

Today, we journeyed to one of the most spectacular sites on Ireland’s west coast, the Cliffs of Moher. They run for about 9 miles and vary in height from 390 feet to 702 feet. As you can see, the day was overcast with a bit of fog, but we had a lovely view of this beautiful site. It’s a bit of a climb, but well worth it. The cliffs reminded me of the Palisades on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. Having grown up in Nebraska, along the Missouri River, I was faintly reminded of the river bluffs that were just north of our family farmhouse. Conor, our pilgrimage guide/escort alerted us to a tragedy that had happened at the cliffs the day before; a 12 year old boy had become separated from his family. The boy climbed over the protective barrier and fell to his death. Emergency services were still working to recover his body. Many of us whispered a prayer for him and his family.

From the Cliffs we journeyed to the town of Ennis a small town in County Clare, which is home to two important Franciscan sites: the ruins of an ancient Franciscan Friary and a nearby church served by the Friars. The Office of Public Works guide gave us an in depth tour of the site in which she explained that despite the suppression of religious orders by King Henry VIII, the friars remained at this site under the protection of the O’Brien family. Sadly, as the influence of the O’Briens waned, the friars were forced out of the church, friary, and cloister. The property was taken over by the Church of Ireland for many years, but eventually it became too expensive and too challenging to maintain. It was only relatively recently that the property was returned to the friars, who in turn, gave the property to the Irish state. The property is now maintained by the Office of Public Works.

One major benefit at the site was that a roof had been installed relatively recently and the roof protected the interior carvings, which our guide showed us. Our guide and Fr. Steve had an engaging conversation about one carvings, nicknamed Ecce homo, which had a plethora of symbolism in it.  There were few other visitors at the site, so we had it mostly to ourselves. Behind the ruins of the church the friars have been given space to bury their friars, another gesture of reconciliation between the friars and the Church of Ireland.

We then walked to the current Franciscan church in Ennis for Mass which celebrated the Feast of St. James the Apostle. The Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain has become an increasingly popular destination for pilgrims of all persuasions. It was a wonderful bit of synchronicity that we celebrated the patron saint of one of the great pilgrimage sites in Europe.

It was a long day for all of us, and because of our late arrival we ate a late dinner, which seemed to take longer than other meals, but it was no less enjoyable for us. Tomorrow, we journey to Knock, where in 1879 the Blessed Mother appeared on the gable wall of the parish church; St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist were seen on either side of her. It is one of the most beloved pilgrimage sites in Ireland.