Oblate News

The Oblate Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine 2024

A day of prayer, reflection and community in honour of Our Lady of Knock

On Saturday 13th July 2024 our annual Knock Pilgrimage took place.  Two coaches full of people journeyed from our Dublin Oblate Parishes ready for a day of prayer, reflection and community in honour of Our Lady of Knock 

During their day at the Shrine, the pilgrims had the opportunity to pray the Rosary, join The Way of the Cross and of course, the Pilgrimage Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of Knock, as well as time to explore the beautiful Shrine grounds, museum and gardens, and to visit the various chapels and bookshops.  

The Oblate pilgrims joined the pilgrimage  from the Diocese of Limerick and Bishop Brendan Leahy was the main celebrant of the Pilgrims Mass. He was joined by Fr Liam Griffin OMI. In his homily Bishop Leahy took the opportunity to quote St Eugene: 

“Saint Eugene De Mazenod, founder of The Oblates of Mary Immuclate, sang a hymn for Christ and the Church, which he saw as completely linked with each other. As a man with a passionate heart that loved, he asked; ‘How is it possible to separate our love for Jesus Christ from that of the church? These two loves are intertwined – to love the church, to love Jesus Christ, and vice versa. You love Jesus Christ in the church because she is the Immaculate Bride who came from the open side of Jesus on the cross just like Eve came from the first Adam’. Yes, to love Jesus is to love the church, and to love the church is to love Jesus living out our baptism. And here at Knock we are reminded that we have no greater model of how to do this than to look to Mary.” 

He said this to the pilgrims about Our Lady: 

“She was there at the foot of the cross when the church was born. She represents the church. And when John took her into his home we can only imagine that Mary wanted nothing more than to continue Jesus’s mission, to be the church’s mission. To help, inspire and guide the church in our daily desire to see and love Jesus, now present in the cries of humanity and in the hearts of each neighbour.” 

Knock is Ireland’s International Eucharistic & Marian Shrine. Since the apparition in 1879 the shrine has welcomed millions of pilgrims from all across the world all to find a time of peace, prayer and an opportunity to reconnect with their faith.  Pope Francis was one of the recent visitors in 2018 where afterwards in 2021 he elevated the shrine to International status. Pope Francis said: 

“You accept to always have your arms wide open as a sign of welcome to every pilgrim who may arrive from any part of the world, asking nothing in return but only recognizing him as a brother or a sister who desires to share the same experience of fraternal prayer. May this welcome be joined with charity and become an effective witness to a heart which is open to receiving the Word of God and the grace of the Holy Spirit which gives us strength.”