Our Lady of Knock

Altar Sculpture at Knock based on accounts of the Apparition

As is the case with so many of her apparitions, the people of  County Mayo in Ireland where that apparition occured was in great turmoil.   There had been many famines and forced evictions imposed on a population that was already suffering.  On the evening of August 21, 1879, at about 8 o'clock in the evening, fifteen people, whose ages ranged from five years to seventy-five and included men, women, teenagers and children, witnessed what they claimed was an apparition of Our Lady, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Evangelist at the south gable end of the local small parish church, the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Behind them and a little to the left of Saint John was a plain altar. On the altar was a cross and a lamb

The Blessed Virgin Mary was described as being beautiful, standing a few feet above the ground. She wore a white cloak, hanging in full folds and fastened at the neck. The crown appeared of a golden brightness, of a deeper hue, than the striking whiteness of the robe she wore; the upper parts of the crown appeared to be a series of sparkles, or glittering crosses. She was described as "deep in prayer", with her eyes raised to heaven, her hands raised to the shoulders or a little higher, the palms inclined slightly to the shoulders. Bridget Trench "went in immediately to kiss, as I thought, the feet of the Blessed Virgin; but I felt nothing in the embrace but the wall, and I wondered why I could not feel with my hands the figures which I had so plainly and so distinctly seen". 

 

 

Saint Joseph, also wearing white robes, stood on the Virgin's right hand. His head was bent forward from the shoulders towards the Blessed Virgin. John the Evangelist stood to the left of the Blessed Virgin. He was dressed in a long robe and wore a mitre. He was partly turned away from the other figures. He appeared to be preaching and he held open a large book in his left hand. To the left of St. John was an altar with a lamb on it with a cross standing on the altar behind the lamb




Those who witnessed the apparition stood in the pouring rain for up to two hours reciting the Rosary, a traditional Catholic prayer. When the apparition began there was good light, but although it then became very dark, witnesses could still see the figures very clearly - they appeared to be the color of a bright whitish light. The apparition did not flicker or move in any way. The witnesses reported that the ground around the figures remained completely dry during the apparition although the wind was blowing from the south. Afterwards, however the ground at the gable became wet and the gable dark

Our Lady of Knock is one of the few apparitions where Our Blessed Mother remained silent.  She remained in an attitude of prayer during the entire apparation.   It is my belief that perhaps she was trying to encourage her people to pray and to teach them the language of silence.   For it is only in silence that we are able to perceive the Lord and "hear" the language of His love for us.

Most of the contents of this post were taking directly from Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Shrine and some of the information came from Mary Pages http://www.marypages.com/Knock.htm    The last paragraph is my own original thinking as to why Our Blessed Mother chose not to speak at Knock.