The Apparition Chapel. The statues are located in the exact spots where the figures in the apparition stood.
My visit to Knock left me with such conflicting emotions that, even as I write this a month after my visit, I still haven't decided whether I enjoyed time there or not. A little background is necessary to describe my dilemma.
I am a Catholic. So, for me, Knock has a special significance. It is one of seven apparition sites that have been officially approved by the Church as "worth of veneration." In other words, the Church has basically said that it's likely that Mary appeared there. However, Knock does stand out from the other apparitions.
The apparition at Knock took place on the evening of August 21, 1879. Two women were walking back to their home in the rain when they passed by the back of the town church. There against the wall of the church stood Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, and an altar with a lamb and a cross on it. Flying around the altar were several angels. The women called several other people to the church. They too saw the apparition. All told, 15 people saw the figures that night. Another five saw a bright light around the church from their houses. The apparition lasted a little over two hours. During the entire time, none of the figures uttered a word. In the days after the apparition, Knock gained a reputation for being a place where miraculous cures occurred. That reputation exists to this day.
Knock was different from other approved apparitions in many ways. The first difference is the number of figures in the apparition. Usually, only Mary appears. The second difference is the lack of a verbal message. In all of the other apparitions, Mary appears with a request or a warning. Another difference is the large number of people that saw the apparition. Apparitions are typically seen by no more than five people. Finally, the apparition was very brief. It only occurred once, for a two hour duration. Apparitions are usually made up of multiple visitations. These differences have led some to doubt that the events at Knock ever took place.
This skepticism was surprisingly shared by some of the Irish with whom I talked. One woman I spoke to said she'd never been to Knock, although she'd lived in Ireland all her life and was a practicing Catholic. Another said she had been there , but was somewhat unmoved by the place. She felt the following joke summed up the sentiments of most of the Irish about Knock:
In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited Knock on the centennial of the apparition. While he was there, Mary appeared. She addressed the crowds that had gathered to see the Pope with the following words, "I'm so glad to be at Knock for the first time."
Most Irish felt that Knock was something for older people and not for the younger generations.
I wanted to go to Knock for one main reason: I wanted to see what faith looked like. I was originally going to go this summer to Fatima, Portugal and Lourdes, France (both approved apparition sites) for the same reason. However, when that trip fell through, and the trip to Ireland became a real possibility, Knock seemed a perfect replacement for my search. What I wanted to see were the faces of people who had staked everything to come to this place because they believed that a miracle would occur in their lives if they came.
Did I see faith at Knock? Absolutely. I found it in the groups processing around the apparition site, praying the Rosary. There is a ritual at Knock that one must go through in order to receive the graces that are associated with the site. Part of the ritual is to walk around the old church and the apparition site and pray all 15 decades of the Rosary. It didn't take long watching these groups before I found what I was looking for. In one of the groups was a young man who looked to be about 20 years old. He wore the blank expression on his face of one who is suffering from some form of mental retardation. Walking next to him was an elderly lady of about 70 years. She had a rosary in one hand and the other in one of his hands. They were processing arm in arm around the church. He said nothing, while she was in fervent prayer. It didn't take much to see that she was praying for him, either for a cure for his condition or for his welfare after she was gone. I was moved by the sight of them and am still moved by the thought of them.
It wasn't only in the processions around the apparition site where I found faith. I saw it during the Stations of the Cross. I saw it in the group of pilgrims that walked into the basilica for Mass. And I saw it in the people sitting in the Apparition Chapel silently praying. In short, wherever there were people, I found faith.
So, if I found what I was looking for, why do I have any conflicting emotions? Because surrounding this core of faith is a materialistic sentiment that would put some tele-evangelists to shame. The sentiment is at its most blatant directly across the street from the apparition site. There, vendors in ramshackle booths are peddling holy water for 25 pence a bottle (you can get it free at the apparition site if you bring a bottle), rosaries from a bushel basket, cheap statues of Mary, and other assorted junk designed to cash in on souvenir seeking pilgrims. But, the feeling isn't confined to the area across the street from the apparition site. It permeates the site as well.
The apparition site centers around the old church and its back wall where the apparition took place. Today, the back wall is enclosed in a glass structure, which forms another chapel. If the site were only made up of the old church and the new chapel, I think it would feel more authentic. Instead, Knock has been developed into a one-stop Catholic shop. There's a chapel strictly devoted to eucharistic adoration, and another devoted strictly to confession. There's the basilica which holds 10,000 people. Then, there's the museum describing Knock at the time of the apparition and it's subsequent growth. And I haven't even begun to mention the official bookstore, the two visitor's centers, the convalescent home, the large parking lot specifically designed for buses, the international airport (one of only five in all of Ireland) ten miles from the shrine, or the new hotel being built currently for pilgrims with disabilities. None of this would be here today if it weren't for the donations of thousands of pilgrims. And the Church does nothing to discourage the flow of money. In addition to the usual moneymakers like candles in the church and donations for Masses, there's the official Knock calendar and Knock postcards for sale at the bookstore. There's also a wide variety of pamphlets in a multitude of languages describing the apparition for a price in the visitor's center. In other words, it's likely that one will end up giving a donation whether one wants to or not.
The books about the apparition make a big deal about the "profound message of Knock." They try to stress the importance of the number of characters that appeared, the length of time, and the large number of visionaries as indicative of a deep message. I personally feel that the true power of the Knock apparition lies in the silence of the figures. The fact that Joseph was bowing to Mary and John was pointing to the altar upon which stood the Lamb of God, removed all need for dialogue by the figures. Their positions spoke volumes about the important items in the Catholic faith. Unfortunately, that silent, simple message is buried both literally and figuratively by the loudspeakers positioned throughout the grandiose complex that is Knock today.
However, before I get too preachy, I have to refer again to the books on the Knock apparition. They stress that at the time of the apparition, Knock was in one of poorest regions of Ireland . So, who am I to judge? Perhaps God wanted to reward a faithful people by bringing pilgrims (and their money) to an economic backwater, thereby raising the standard of life for everyone in the area. But, I'm somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of God as an economic development coordinator.
You can't help but feel something inside the apparition chapel. I sat there in silence on an early Wednesday afternoon with about 20 other people. I stared at the white marble statues of the figures of the apparition, which are standing in the exact spots that the actual figures supposedly stood, and felt a sense that I was in the presence of something special. To be honest though, I've been to other places that I felt were more, for lack of a better word, holy. But, I found what I wanted to find. I did see faith. I also found a lot of other things as well. And it's those things that tainted what could have been a powerful experience. Should you go to Knock? To paraphrase an old saying, if you believe, you already know the answer: if you don't, then you also probably know the answer. For myself, I can say that I'm glad I went to Knock. I'm not sure I'll ever want to go back again.
If you do visit, be aware that it doesn't cost a thing to tour the grounds
or go into any of the chapels or other buildings. Only the Museum charges
admission (IŁ2), but it's worth visiting to see some
of the possession of families from the time of the apparition. Also, try
to stick around for a procession into the basilica. They occur regularly
throughout the day. The faith of those participating is truly powerful.
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