A TRIP TO THE AULD SOD of Ireland can be many things depending on one’s inclinations and interests. It can be traditional tours, to such places as the Blarney Castle, the Cliffs of Moher or around the Ring of Kerry. Maybe it’s Waterford for crystal, distillery tours or “pubbing” through the countryside.
However, there is another side to Ireland: the side of Ireland rooted in the intersection of paganism and Catholic faith. Places where St. Patrick’s Day is, first and foremost, a day of holy obligation. With its unique mix of monastic sites such Clonmacnoise, Glendalough, the Rock of Cashel and the magnificent St. Patrick Cathedral and Christ Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland’s soil is rich in Catholic traditions.
THE BASILICA OF OUR LADY, QUEEN OF IRELAND FEATURES A MOSAIC DEPICTING THE KNOCK APPARITION SCENE OF 1879. PHOTOS COURTESY OF
LYNN CAMPBELL
Central to many Irish devotions are Marian sites. Although European shrines such as Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Fatima in Portugal and Pillar in Spain top many lists of Marian shrines, lesser known but on equal footing is Our Lady of Knock.
Recently a group of parishioners from the Diocese of Orange had a profound chance to experience Knock during a pilgrimage to Ireland. While there they had a chance to participate in celebration of the National Novena, an annual pilgrimage in mid-August at the shrine at the Knock Basilica.
The nine-day event celebrates the 1879 apparition of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Apostle, a lamb and the cross was witnessed by 15 men, women and children in the small chapel of St. John the Baptist in the village in County Mayo.
KILMALKEDAR CHURCH IN COUNTY KERRY, IRELAND.
“Knock was probably a highlight,” said Fr. Michael Fitzpatrick, parochial vicar of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Irvine, who served as spiritual leader of the Diocese of Orange group.
“Going there and being able to celebrate a morning Mass with the Orange County group in the original chapel there, was unbelievable,” he said.
Due in part to the popularity of the appearance and the crowds it still draws, a larger church was built in 1976 that accommodates 10,000. In 1979, that church was decreed by Papal bull as a basilica by Pope John Paul II.
“It was definitely one of the most peaceful places I can recall,” Fr. Fitzpatrick said of Knock. “You can really feel God.”
Fr. Fitzpatrick wasn’t the only member of the Diocese to feel a special connection at Knock.
Clara and Frank Alonzo, who were among about 20 parishioners from St. Martin de Porres in Yorba Linda, also took part in a larger, full celebration in the basilica later in the day.
“Once it ended everyone was invited to a procession throughout the entire campus of Knock,” said Clara, which included passing the original chapel, stations of the cross, the campus museum, the 18 fonts that make up the Holy Waters of Knock and concluding with prayers in multiple languages blessing the religious artifacts at the church.
“It was not for the faint of heart,” Clara Alonzo said of the procession, which she said was attended by many disabled and handicapped parishioners.
“To see so many people of different capabilities out there was just phenomenal,” she said.
Lynn Campbell, another parishioner at St. Martin’s, likewise felt the connection.
“I had a really great experience,” she said. “I had a confession with a priest that was really powerful.”
In addition to Knock, the pilgrims, who booked the trip through a tour company that specializes in Catholic Pilgrimages, toured sites from Galway to Dublin.
Fr. Fitzpatrick said he had led a tour in Poland last year and was looking for a locale for this year. Born in Korea, Fr. Fitzpatrick was adopted as an infant with his sister, Christine, by Mike and Cathy Fitzpatrick, an Irish American couple who joined their son on the trip. The pilgrimage gave Fr. Fitzpatrick and his family a chance to experience their roots and faith in a special way.