KNOCK NOVENA
The Novena takes place at 3pm and 8pm each day.
Anointing of the Sick at 2.30pm daily.
Wednesday, August 14
John Bruton
Theme: Faith, Future and Europe
12pm Seminar
John Bruton is a former Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997. He was also the EU Ambassador to the US and held various other Leadership and Ministerial roles throughout his career.
Thursday, August 15
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Rome, Italy
Theme: Mary in the life of the Church
12pm Seminar
3pm and 8pm Novena
Archbishop Rino Fisichella is the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation. He has served as President of the Pontifical Academy for Life and as President of the International Council for Catechesis since 2013.
Friday, August 16
Olive Foley
Theme: Family and Faith
12pm Seminar
Olive Foley is the mother of two young boys and wife of the late Anthony Foley, the Munster Rugby coach who died suddenly in his sleep at the age of 42 in 2016. Olive is an ambassador for the Children’s Grief Centre in Limerick.
Saturday, August 17
Dr John Feehan
Theme: God in Creation – Learning to read the other Book of Revelation
12pm Seminar
Dr John Feehan is an Irish geologist, botanist, author and broadcaster. He was a senior lecturer in UCD, where he taught for 20 years. His book on creation spirituality, The Singing Heart of the World won a Nautilus Book Award in 2013.
Alan McGuckian, Bishop of Raphoe
Theme: What Knock means to me
3pm Novena
Bishop Alan McGuckian is a native of Cloughmills, Co. Antrim and has been Bishop of Raphoe since 2017. As a Jesuit priest, he worked in communications for many years. In recent years, Bishop McGuckian ran the Living Church Office in the Diocese of Down and Connor.
Sunday, August 18
Family Day at Knock Shrine
A day to celebrate all things family throughout the grounds at Knock Shrine. Activities include drumming, kite design, face painting, games and much more! The day begins at 12 noon.
Msgr John Armitage
Theme: Mary and the reality of family life
8pm Novena
Msgr John Armitage is the Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, known as ‘The Nazareth of England’. Walsingham has been a place of pilgrimage for almost a thousand years.
Monday, August 19
Carole Coleman
Theme: Motherhood, media and me
3pm and 8pm Novena
Carole Coleman is an experienced multimedia journalist and is currently a presenter and reporter on This Week on RTÉ Radio One.
12pm: Seminar : New shoots
Knock Youth Ministry
The Youth Ministry Team at Knock Shrine run a vibrant faith centre for school retreats and summer youth programmes. Their aim is to give young people a positive experience of Knock and a powerful encounter with God.
Tuesday, August 20
Rev. Trevor Sargent
Theme: Faith in Action
12pm Seminar
Rev. Trevor Sargent is a Church of Ireland minister and a former Irish Green Party politician who served as Minister of State for Food and Horticulture from 2007 to 2010 and Leader of the Green Party from 2001 to 2007. Trevor was ordained in 2018.
Wednesday, August 21 – 140th Anniversary of the Apparition
Special day of Celebration with Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam
Theme: The message of the Knock Apparition then and now
3pm and 8pm
On the 140th Anniversary of the Apparition at Knock, Archbishop Neary will be the main Celebrant at the ceremonies.
12pm Seminar: 19th Century Mayo – Place, people and the Knock Apparition.
Nollaig Ó Muraile and Tom Neary
Irish scholar Nollaig Ó Muraíle published an acclaimed edition of Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh’s Leabhar na nGenealach in 2004 and was admitted to the Royal Irish Academy in 2009. Tom Neary served as Head Steward of The Knock Shrine Society for many years and is the author of many books and publications on the Knock Apparition.
-The unveiling of the Knock Village Model will take place at the seminar at 12pm
-Knock Museum will unveil a unique and historic model of Knock Village as it was in 1879.
-The Unveiling of the New Processional Statue of Our Lady of Knock which has been carved by Stuflesser Ortesei in Italy will take place at 3pm Mass.
-‘Witnesses’ Walk – Meeting heaven at harvest time’ – celebration and commemoration of the Apparition witnesses takes place at 7pm. Follow in the footsteps of each of the Apparition witnesses as they made their way to the gable of the parish church in August, 1879.
Thursday, August 22
Fr Peter McVerry
Theme: Following the dream of Jesus
12pm Seminar
Fr Peter McVerry is the founder of Peter McVerry Trust, one of the country’s largest organisations responding to the issue of homelessness. In 2017 the charity worked with over 4,900 vulnerable youths.