Archbishop praises Knock’s stewards and handmaids

Tuam’s Archbishop Michael Neary has congratulated the stewards and handmaids who serve at Knock shrine in a homily marking 80 years of the Knock Shrine Society.

Speaking at Mass during the Knock Novena, Dr Neary praised the “sensitive, effective and eloquent presence” of the stewards and handmaids who minister to pilgrims and invalids.

The archbishop, whose parents were a steward and a handmaid, said he was “conscious of the dedication” of the shrine’s stewards and handmaids. Pilgrims to Knock, he said, have long been “edified by the self-effacing, generous and welcoming manner in which the stewards and handmaids go about their work”.