Our Lady of Knock Shrine receives special recognition on the Solemnity of St. Joseph

On the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary, Pope Francis officially declared the

Our Lady of Knock Shrine an international Marian and Eucharistic Shrine!

Read all about it, and at the bottom of this post, we have a short video and a new craft activity for your children to learn about this shrine!

Why did he pick the Solemnity of St. Joseph to make this announcement?

During the Knock Apparitions in 1879, St. Joseph himself appeared alongside Our Lady, St. John, and the Lamb of God. Though St. Joseph also appeared in the final Fatima apparition, the appearance at Knock is interesting because St. Joseph was not the only silent figure—the entire 2 hourlong apparition was silent!

You can visit the location of the Knock apparition today at the Our Lady of Knock Shrine. The Our Lady of Knock Shrine has received pilgrims from around the world! Pope John Paul II visited Knock in 1979, and Mother Teresa spoke at the Marian shrine in 1993 about the sacredness of human life of the unborn. Prior to his declaration today, Pope Francis visited in 2018.

Why is it being declared a Eucharistic Shrine?

While it is obvious why it is a Marian Shrine, many people might not know why it is being declared a Eucharistic Shrine. In 2019, a miraculous healing involving Eucharistic adoration at Knock Shrine in 1989 was officially recognized by the Vatican. Because of this, the Our Lady of Knock Shrine will be receiving dual recognition as both a Marian and Eucharistic Shrine.

Where can you learn more about the Knock Apparitions?

The Our Lady of Knock Shrine has a lot of information about the apparitions, the Vatican approval process, and the many pilgrims who have visited over the years. You can learn more here.

How can we celebrate this special announcement?

We have added an Our Lady of Knock craft activity to the Our Lady Color-by-Number download! We created this download to help children learn about Our Lady’s messages in many of her apparitions and the importance of each of her outfits.

She always dressed beautifully, but she never wore the same outfit twice!

Now, this download includes:

• Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Our Lady of Fatima
• Our Lady of Grace
• Our Lady of La Vang
• Our Lady of Hope
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• BONUS: Our Lady of Knock coloring activity

For just $3.95, you can provide hours of educational activities to help your kids learn about these famous Marian Apparitions!

Check out the video below to see how to make the Our Lady of Knock craft!